HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 27: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets battles for the basketball with T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Toyota Center on November 27, 2015 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
At this point, it’s hard not to feel bad for the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans.
The constant refrain from the team has been to “trust the process” and hope that the worst team in the NBA will eventually get enough good players and assets to make a run. Unfortunately, it’s definitely not happening this year.
After a strong effort against the Houston Rockets, the 76ers fell 116-114 to go to 0-17 on the season. James Harden scored 50 for the Rockets, while Robert Covington had 28 points and eight steals for the 76ers.
The 76ers are now one loss from tying the record for the worst start in NBA history. They’ve also had the longest consecutive losing streak of 27 games, the highest in NBA history. The previous record was the 76ers in 2014.
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Give the 76ers this: they played hard. They faced an 11 point deficit at the start of the first quarter and rallied to take a five point lead on a 24-8 run.
But they couldn’t hang on, as Harden scored seven points in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter.
To add insult to injury, Harden’s 50 points is the most let up by the 76ers this year. The previous high was Paul George, of the Indiana Pacers who dropped 34 on Nov. 16.
One of the bright spots for the 76ers is that they’re playing better; it took a furious effort in the fourth quarter for the Boston Celtics to win on Nov. 25, and now this. And Jahlil Okafor has been great for the 76ers, scoring in double figures in all but one of the 17 games on the season.
But this “trust the process” idea has been developing for three years and led to nothing but high draft picks and continued disappointment. If the 76ers’ “process” is going to lead anywhere, it’s going to have to happen soon.
PHOTO: HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 27: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets battles for the basketball with T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Toyota Center on November 27, 2015 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
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