| 30 November 2009
And I'm talking also about management.
While Sixers seem close, too f'n close, to bring back Iverson, they also happen to play games. You know, "real games, when it actually matters".
The last one was another close loss, 97-89 at San Antonio, our sixth straight, 10 of 12 (5-12, .294).
You can find what I have to say about Iverson's - more than likely now - return in the post below this one, the recap of the Hawks game. In a nutshell, I love the guy but I don't want him back.
And I will officially give up on Ed Stefanski and Sixers' management if (well, when...) they will close this BAD deal.
Here I will quickly recap the game that I just caught, replayed - as always when Sixers go West.
Sixers, without Lou Williams, Marreese Speights and for the third straight game without Elton Brand, showed once more that they are a bunch of hard nosed players, that never give up, which is very good to see for a fan. Too bad they showed also they have a very low basketball IQ, that makes them lose games. I take my hat off to these guys, even if they always find a way to get on my nerves.
Matt Bonner, the prototype of the immobile spot up shooter, came into the game being 10/14 from three point land. So what did Sixers do? Leave him wide open SIX times behind the arc. He hit four of six shots, all uncontested. Blame Young for at least four of them.
Every time Sixers made a nice run (from 41-31 to 41-41 in the second, then from 65-53 to 70-68 in the third), they piled up a series of IDIOTIC plays that allowed Spurs to regain a comfortable lead.
San Antonio closed the second period with a 13-4 break (54-45), the ice on the cake being the room given to Bonner for San Antonio's last shot (a three, yes). Same stuff in the third: Kapono knocked down a three to cut the deficit to two (70-68), but they used a 10-2 run to finish the quarter up ten, 80-70.
And you know that our specialists in "momentum killing plays" are the usual ones: Willie Green and Samuel Dalembert first, with occasional help from Iguodala, Carney and others. You can always count on them for the 1-vs-5 drive, the forced jumper with 23 seconds on the shot clock, the (missed) 18 footer on a fastbreak, the 'fancy' pass that ends in the 15th row, the offensive rebound that immediately becomes a turnover etc etc (more after the jump).THREE ANSWERS
1) uhm, yes, the Answer is coming... jeez...
2) No, I have no clue why Jason Smith was taken out of the starting line up. Jordan decided to go small, with Green in at SG and Iguodala and Young moved to their 'old' positions of SF and PF. I hate this move. Smith played only 8 minutes, so that Green could take his 17 shots in 38 minutes, knocking down 6...
3) Yes, Brezec made his first field goal as a Sixer, a 17 footer in the third. "Gangsta" time !! If we only knew he was a guard...
THREE QUESTIONS
1) Who did teach Matt Bonner to shoot? A really "goofy" form. Very effective, though. Especially if your closest opponent is 10 feet from you.
2) Any chance to start defending on the perimeter? Spurs surely enjoyed their 10/18, I'm sure also Finley, beside Bonner, would like to meet us more often...
3) Will someone tell Jrue Holiday that it's not always necessary to take 3-4 shots in the first 4 minutes? He started 0/3, rushing a couple. He should let the game come to him.
REASONS
Why we lost the game
Because of all those stupid plays in clutch moments, totally switched momentum. Their bench outscored ours 49-15, with Blair dominating on both ends in the second quarter (pretty impressive stat line in only 17 minutes of action...). They have Duncan, and we have Dalembert. Green missed the 3 pt shot for the potential 93-90, then Duncan found Ginobili under the basket for the 95-87, then we chose to give the ball to Dalembert in the low post, vs Duncan... game over.
To be optimistic
Willingness to fight is always there: guys play hard until the final buzzer. I truely appreciate that. Thad Young had another good offensive game.
To be worried
Management is losing control on the situation. Iverson's return is going to create troubles, reguardless of his behaviour and efficiency as a player. Streak of losses is becoming really long.
Speaking of which, I don't see it ending tonight in Dallas.
