Elton Brand thought the 76ers were beyond "the point when we're losing leads."
While the Sixers have made progress, there is plenty of work to do.
It's difficult to fathom how a 21-point lead late in the third quarter evaporated and turned into a 99-94 setback against a Grizzlies team that had been on the verge of conceding.
The 11 fourth-period turnovers for a club that had been averaging the second-fewest in the NBA show the Sixers' lack poise. How else can you explain the team's inability to deal with Memphis' zone defense? Doug Collins' squad acted as if it had never faced a zone when it had seen zones in the previous four games (winning three).
"I have never seen so many turnovers against a zone in my life," said Collins afterward. "We work on that every single day."
Taking everything into account, this might have been the Sixers' worst loss of the season. And that's saying something.
There have been more heartbreaking defeats, such as the four overtime gut-punches on the road (Nov. 2 and 23 vs. the Wizards, Jan. 8 against the Pistons and Jan. 19 vs. the Magic).
Friday's collapse was like a slow, agonizing death. The game kept slipping away from the Sixers and they couldn't do anything about it. They blew their largest lead of the season, surpassing an 18-point edge in a Dec. 3 loss in Atlanta that was also a head-scratcher.
But this was at home. Memphis couldn't wait for its four-game road trip to end. The Sixers were completely in control. And they're beyond the midpoint of the season, so you'd think - as Brand did - that the Sixers had figured out how to win close games.
Actually, the Sixers have been winning, but most of the victories hadn't been the down-to-the-wire type. They're only 3-11 in games decided by five or fewer points.
Collins pointed out before the game that opponents cannot "load up on one" player because the 20-26 Sixers have such offensive balance, which is an advantage. And that's probably true.
The flip side is that the Sixers still do not have a guy to make the big play. I don't even necessarily mean hitting the clutch shot - they couldn't find somebody to pass the ball to a teammate in the fourth quarter Friday. Andre Iguodala produced three assists and no turnovers in the final period, but the other Sixers combined for two assists and 11 turnovers.
Second-year point guard Jrue Holiday had no assists and two turnovers in the period. Starting big men Brand and Spencer Hawes committed three turnovers apiece without an assist (which makes one wonder why Hawes, who has accumulated just four blocked shots in the last 17 games, was on the court).
This is another test of the Sixers' resiliency. To their credit, they've bounced back each time they were dealt a crushing blow like Friday's.
It'll be interesting to see if they can do it again tonight against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets.
The Timberwolves' Kevin Love is averaging 21.6 points and 15.7 rebounds so far in 2010-11. Can you name the last NBA player to finish a season with 20 and 15?
With the Nets having withdrawn from the Anthony sweepstakes, will the Nuggets move the impending free-agent forward prior to the Feb. 24 trade deadline? Are the Knicks and Bulls the only viable options? Would New Jersey consider getting back in the mix? Stay tuned.
The Grizzlies held O.J. Mayo mini-bobblehead night Saturday. Only one problem - Mayo was two games into a 10-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy.
Moses Malone (24.5 points, 15.3 rebounds in 1982-83 as a Sixer).