Sixers a bust on West Coast trip

Not that it's any surprise to the watchful eyes of a Philadelphia 76ers fan, but the recent road trip to the West Coast yielded yet another swoon for the team, as they went 2-4. The losing trend was just another chapter in a growing history of bad trips out west.

Since the start of the 2002-2003 season, the Sixers are a combined 8-14 on their annual December/January swing to the warm side of the country. Sure you could blame the perfect weather, or maybe the relaxed atmosphere of the cities they visited. But the real culprit, at least this season, is a bad case of inconsistency.

This year's Sixers (16-17, second in the Atlantic) are undoubtedly more excited to be in front of the Philly faithful than on the road, owning a 10-5 record at Wachovia. But away from the Center, they look weary, and their playoff dreams look dreary. The team has a record of 6-12 as out-of-towners.

As a case study, lets look at this season's games of the Sixers versus Lakers, a decent team that went 1-1 with Philly in '05-'06. At home on November 11, the 76ers won a hard fought game 85-81. Down at the half and at the start of the 4th quarter, the Sixers rallied behind a stifling defense that held Kobe Bryant to 17 points, on 7 of 27 shooting.

Friday, with thoughts of returning east with a .500 road trip dancing in their heads, the Sixers "D" fell flat on it's face. L.A.'s main man, dropped 48 points on 19 of 29 shooting. Bryant made all seven of his 3-point attempts, and collected 10 boards. Another thing, can somebody please guard Smush Parker? Benefiting from the Bryant double-team, Parker's having a career year, including an average of 18.5 ppg, 3 apg, 2 rpg, 3 spg, and 70% 3-point shooting against Philadelphia. Amazing what a professional can accomplish in a 1-on-none situation.

All in all, the Sixers woes wouldn't be so magnified if the new division leaders, New Jersey, weren't on a 10-game winning streak. But the ship can be righted, as long as the defense shows up every for contest.