Andre Iguodala did not make the all-star tea, as a reserve, and you should not be surprised. He, 100 percent, did not deserve to be there. Plain and simple. There had been questions abound whether or not he should go because of the resurgence of the Sixers, but come on. Iggy can't go over any of those guys, or those snubs. Here are the reserves for each conference.
EAST: G Jameer Nelson (Magic) G Joe Johnson (Hawks) G Devin Harris (Nets) F Danny Granger (Pacers) F Paul Pierce (Celtics) C Chris Bosh (Raptors)
WEST: G Chauncey Billups (Nuggets) G Brandon Roy (Blazers) G Tony Parker (Spurs) F David West (Hornets) F Pau Gasol (Lakers) F Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks) C Shaquille O'Neal
I haven't yet mentioned that I lead two different lives. I double as both a radio host and a blogger/writer. On Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's I host a show called "Basketball Roundup" on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network (Sportsjourney.com). Check out my interview with Kate Fagan from the Philadelphia Inquirer talking about the state of the 76ers as well as a preview to the already-won Houston game.
In addition to my work on the broadcast network, I am the Philadelphia Phillies Examiner at Examiner.com. Also, for great content for the city of Philadelphia sports, visit Thinkphillysports.com. Click here to listen to the show. Kate comes on in the second hour.
Because the Sixers keep playing sloppy basketball. Eighteen turnovers is not what I call smart play. They get a bit of a mulligan by bringing it all the way back from a 14-point deficit in Houston where it is tough to win. The Sixers did just that, splitting the quick excursion to the Gulf Coast Region after a 95-93 win over the Rockets.
If you feel like this is a roller-coaster ride - watching the Sixers play for 48 minutes, raise your hand. Throughout a game, at several points I want to do a number of things, including: throw the remote, watch another game, watch the oxygen channel, flip back, hold my breath, scream obscenities. It’s like menopause for NBA fans. My chest feels heavy and it makes me want to lay down. It’s heart attack-worthy.
It’s so frustrating to watch leads slip away, yet incredibly rewarding when they provide an awesome turnaround like they did tonight.
The Negatives:
Sam Dalembert played incredible defense on Yao Ming. That might even be a bit of an understatement. He battled hard in the low block trying to keep the 7’6 Yao away from the hoop. Dalembert would seem over matched but really held his own.
So why is he on the negative list? Bonehead plays. I will call him “Brain Fart”. At times it looks like he has no idea why he’s in the arena. At one point he grabbed a rebound and tried to throw a fade route to Lou Williams streaking down the sidelines, only to have it go over his head and bounce out of bounds. Another sequence had him grab a great offensive rebound along the baseline, only to jack up an ill-advised shot over the long arms of Yao after getting the fresh shot clock. Although he dominated at times on defense, he ended up with a team-worst -11. Roller-coaster.
The turnovers are a real problem. The total stands at 39 over the last two games, an exorbitant figure. Their 15.5 per game is 25th in the league, so it’s amazing that they are even in some of these games. You have to take care of the ball, and right now it isn’t happening. If they could bring that number down a tick, there could be another win or two on the board.
Lou Williams also made some bonehead mistakes and did not shoot well. On a fast break during the second quarter, he tried to make a fancy pass to MarreeseSpeights on the right wing and threw it two feet in front of him, into the front row. His 17 points were deceiving because he took more bad shots than good in my opinion.
The Positives:
Sam Dalembert! Great defense, son! His four blocks, including the game-sealer out on the arc guarding Tracy McGrady, were huge. Sammy D, you must be this tall to ride the coaster.
Elton Brand made a statement as well, both offensively and defensively. In 26 minutes he put together a healthy stat line: 14pts, 7reb, 6-10FG, 6 blocks. Six blocks is the telling stat here. The Sixers had 14 altogether, exerting themselves defensively and taking no prisoners in the paint. Brand, teamed with Dalembert, shut down Yao, holding him to 13 points in 34 minutes.
Teamwork was also on display, and within that, they didn’t seem to miss a beat with Brand on the court. There had been so much talk about how the team would respond with Brand back and they showed tonight it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
MarreeseSpeights lack of playing time had also been an issue, as he tallied just 15 minutes in the past two games; tonight, 21. Tony DiLeo listened to my constant bickering and kept him in the game long enough for him to be a +12 and score six points to go with six boards.
Andre Iguodala nailed a beautiful high arcing jump shot with 37 seconds left in the 4th quarter that put the Sixers in control down the stretch. In the first quarter, he also threw down a silly alley-oop dunk over Yao that should be on Sportscenter tonight. He took three 3-pointers tonight and did not make any, which is his Achilles heel. He did have 20 points however, including those big two late in the game.
An impressive stat came from the free throw line, another sickly part of the team. They usually shoot 74 percent, which is 29th in the NBA. Tonight, 20-for 21, a complete turnaround, and the Sixers needed every single one of them.
This is the kind of performance that leads to a nice winning streak. Beating a member of the elite club makes you feel all warm inside, doesn’t it?
WHAT: The Sixers face off against the Rockets having won 8 of 10. However, two nights ago in New Orleans was a game to forget, as they allowed Chris Paul to walk all over them and Peja Stojakovic to rain three's like it was a strip joint. A 101-86 loss ensued.
Tonight is yet another tough battle as the Sixers take on the Yao-less Rockets as part of their quick two-game jaunt to the Gulf Coast. Houston poses different problems for the Sixers, providing two superstars (Artest/McGrady) and a large group of role players. They will not kill you with outside shooting or a point guard who wont stop. The Rockets will deftly maneuver and kill you softly in a myriad of different ways. Houston is also a saucy 15-5 at home, so a win won't come easy.
WHERE: Toyota Center; Houston, Texas - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
WHEN: 8:30 EST
WHY (The Sixers need this win): To prove that their debacle in NOLA was not a precursor of things to come. A win in Texas would be a statement for this Sixers club that has been rolling along as of late. Elton Brand will play a few more minutes, and it's imperative he bring his A-game against a hard working front line.
HOW (The Sixers will win): Brand also needs to show that his 18-minute, zero-point performance on Monday was just him swatting the cobwebs. He also has to put behind him the trade rumors that have suddenly surrounded him. They must run and run in this game and try to keep the Rockets off-balance. If they fall into the half-court trap, Houston will suffocate them and the Sixers will die. Figuratively speaking. Getting to the rim is also a must. If the Sixers can get the ball in deep, they can overpower the undermanned front court of the Rockets. They must also frustrate McGrady and Artest by keeping them on the perimeter and force them to take bad shots. Andre Iguodala has to come up large defensively against two premier offensive performers.
Where the hell was MarreeseSpeights last night? Actually I can answer that; glued to the bench. He spent 3:02 on the court, which is well below his season average of 15.5. While his playing time has been sparse overall this season, lately the minutes have grown to where he is a real part of the rotation. But his absence last night was a headscratcher.
Speights is averaging a steady eight points per game so far and over the 10 games prior to the Hornets match up, his minutes had been up a bit. Basically, he does his damage in short spurts. And it isn't a science really; its quite tough to trust a rookie power forward to play a ton of minutes while still learning on the run.
What I do not get though is why he was relegated to on-looker while the Sixers needed a spark during PejaStojakovic'sBetter Basketball shooting clinic on the right arc. Tony DiLeo did not look his way during an important time, a weird move considering the lack of passion exuded on the court by the Sixers during that wicked stretch.
The numbers never lie and currently they show a very consistent rookie being wasted. In the usual nine man rotation employed by DiLeo, Speights leads the Sixers in PER at 20.47. PER is the Player Efficiency Rating concocted by John Hollinger of ESPN.com as a way to show a player's per-minute productivity. And not only is he the leader in PER for the Sixers, but also for all rookies in the entire NBA by a fair margin.
Speights is simply giving the Sixers decent minutes right now. The return of Elton Brand undoubtedly has something to do with Speights and his 15 total minutes in the last two games. However, his maturation should not be stunted because Brand is back in the fold. If anything, Sam Dalembert should lose a few minutes to ensure the rookie gets some well needed, and earned, playing time.
While Speights does have some tendinitis in his knee, my knees creak too. Get the kid on the court, allow him to flourish, but also to make the occasional mistake, and play him with Brand.
Peja Stojakovic is a new archenemy of the Philadelphia 76ers, joining the ranks of Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker (buzzer-beaters anyone?). In the process, the Hornets forgot all about a nine point deficit in the first half and blew past the Sixers 101-86.
A stretch of the fourth quarter looked like this:
11:15 63-72 Peja Stojakovic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Ryan Bowen assists) 10:47 Lou Williams misses 23-foot three point jumper 63-72 10:45 63-72 Chris Paul defensive rebound 10:41 63-75 Peja Stojakovic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Chris Paul assists) 10:37 Philadelphia full timeout 10:23 63-75 Ryan Bowen shooting foul (Reggie Evans draws the foul) 10:23 Reggie Evans misses free throw 1 of 2 63-75 10:23 Philadelphia offensive rebound 63-75 10:23 Reggie Evans makes free throw 2 of 2 64-75 10:11 Elton Brand personal foul (Chris Paul draws the foul) 64-75 10:04 Reggie Evans personal foul (Chris Paul draws the foul) 64-75 9:59 64-75 Reggie Evans blocks James Posey's layup 9:56 64-75 Ryan Bowen offensive rebound 9:53 64-78 Peja Stojakovic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Ryan Bowen assists) 9:38 Lou Williams makes 16-foot jumper 66-78 9:26 66-81 Peja Stojakovic makes 26-foot three point jumper (Ryan Bowen assists) 9:11 66-81 Antonio Daniels shooting foul (Lou Williams draws the foul) 9:11 Thaddeus Young enters the game for Andre Iguodala 66-81 9:11 Lou Williams makes free throw 1 of 2 67-81 9:11 Lou Williams makes free throw 2 of 2 68-81 8:55 68-81 James Posey misses 24-foot three point jumper 8:52 Lou Williams defensive rebound 68-81 8:48 Lou Williams lost ball (James Posey steals) 68-81 8:40 68-81 Lou Williams blocks Antonio Daniels's layup 8:37 68-81 Chris Paul offensive rebound 8:33 68-84 Peja Stojakovic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Chris Paul assists)
Good lord. That pretty much ended things for the Sixers, after 15 points in less than three minutes from just one gentleman of three-point leisure. That’s also a good adjective to use for the Sixers' closeout defense: leisurely.
Reggie Evans was guarding Peja mostly during that stretch, and countless times Evans did what he is supposed to do, normally; head to the basket. But Peja made him pay for the mistakes. The Sixers tried Evans and others, but nothing worked. A few of those triples were in transition and the defense was searching for Paul and sagging to the hoop in the process, therefore leaving the perimeter unmanned. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me five times, well I should be pissed.
The heat emitted from the fingertips of Peja blew even Marc Zumoff away. He let out a yelp usually saved for a Dalembert block or a Miller pump fake. After his fifth triple, I screamed an obscenity too. Peja nearly made things even more ridicufied (just made that up) by flipping in a 27-footer that thankfully did not count as the shot clock had expired. Stojakovic finished with this: 26pts, 10-18FG, 6-11 3FG, 39min, 5 back-breakers.
As for Evans, his -10 in nine minutes was indicative of just how out of place he was while Stojakovic was hurling seashells into the ocean. Likewise, Royal Ivey guarded Chris Paul during his 11 minutes on the floor and was sent packing with a -9. Gross.
Before the game I text messaged a friend with what I thought the numbers would be for Chris Paul. Twenty-seven points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and three steals is what I came up with. Chris Paul came up with something better:
27pts, 15ast, 10reb, 7stls, 1blk, a few more MVP votes.
A few positives of note for the Sixers were Thaddeus Young and Andre Miller. Young was spry and played decent defense on Rasual Butler (Philly son). He put up 22 points and shot 11 of 16 from the field. Young was also just a -5, not bad for playing most of the second half in which the Sixers were smoked 61-39.
Miller at times played spirited defense on Paul, but its hard for me to make that statement, then look at Chris Paul’s numbers, and not roll my eyes.
Things actually looked good in the first half for the Sixers, as they sprinted to a 47-40 lead at the break. Their bread and butter has been the fast break lately, which they showed in the first half. However, 21 turnovers just ain’t gonna do it.
Elton Brand played just 18 uninspiring minutes off the bench, going 0-for-3 from the field, finishing with no points. Need a little more than that, Elton.
Sam Dalembert rebounded well, which he should have with a depleted front line for New Orleans. His 12 boards were a bit of an anomaly, as the Hornets went without David West and Tyson Chandler. In their place were Sean Marks and Hilton Armstrong, not exactly perennial all-stars. Or even perennial starters for that matter.
Is Dalembert tradeable at this point? At times, he can be a dominating rebounder. But give him the ball in the post and he looks like a young fawn sprawling about, legs barely beneath him, just extracted from the womb. His offensive game just has not come around; if anything it has regressed. Dalembert was a team-worst -18 in 27 minutes. Obviously whatever he was doing, wasn't working. Tony DiLeo dropped the ball by leaving Marresse Speights out, allowing the team to slowly perish with Dalembert and Evans.
So where was Speights? With his hand on his chin watching the debacle from the bench. In his last five games, Speights had been playing 20 minutes per contest and put up decent numbers of 9.2ppg, and 3.8rpg. So instead of giving Dileo giving the Sixers a shot of life in that destructive second half and playing Speights, the rookie totals just three minutes. Really? Come on Tony. Playing Evans and Brand were clearly counter-intuitive moves and the rookie, who plays with at least some passion, saw nary an opportunity to get in the game. Rubbish.
The Sixers need to learn from their mistakes, which were many in that defining second half. One would be closeout defense on the three point shooter. Another would be to steer clear of New Orleans for a while. Just until things blow over.
Alchemy (n.): Miraculous power of transmuting something common into something precious.
Welcome to my new old blog. I previously used Blogger when I first started writing on the internet machine. I moved to such sites as Thinkphillysports.com, examiner.com, and sportsjourney.com working with other media.
I'm trying to revert to my early style of blogging, this time solely on the Philadelphia 76ers. I've searched far and wide and there just Isn't much out there. Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a great blog called "Deep Sixer" which is what I would have called this site had I not been late getting there. I'll just call it Think Sixers instead, a play on the site I write for, Thinkphillysports.com.
There needs to be more out there in the way of information for our 76ers. Obviously, there are a plethora of Eagles and Phillies sites, and even some dedicated Flyers sites. But I have yet to come across many that go strictly basketball.
It's not for everyone, but it's been a passion of mine since I could first say "Barkley" or "Gminski". I'm pretty sure Gminski came first. I host an internet radio show that deals with basketball only, called "Basketball Roundup". Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you can hear me blab from 10am until 12pm. Keep coming back for Sixers stuff, and I'll keep trying to give you the goods.
Sports junkie. Check out Sportsjourney.com for my basketball show. Check out examiner.com/philadelphia for my Phillies site. Check out Thinkphillysports.com for everything else.
