| 12 November 2009
I think it is. Boooooooooooooooooooo !!!!
I watched a lot of ugly games in my 38 year-long life, but the 79-82 W at New Jersey jumped immediately in the Top 10. And Top 3 among won games.
If you thought Sixers with Eddie Jordan would have played fun basketball and good offense, you better check back. Maybe they will do that in some weeks, maybe they won't, never.
Not playing the negadephian role here, who follows me knows I hate that attitude, but really... I think I'm just being realistic, fair, calling it like it is.
At 4-4 (.500), with two of the wins coming in the last seconds over the (shorthanded-but-proud) Nets that were using a 7 men rotation (!!), there is really nothing to celebrate, or be happy for. And I'm also starting to question the "Winning builds confidence" theory: I don't know how you can rank positively games like last night's. Jeez, what a pitiful show.
Fittingly, it ended with Rafer Alston inbounding the ball to...Thaddeus Young on the last play: that was the pass that could have taken the game to overtime, had the Nets scored a three in the last five seconds.
Instead, their players were so shocked for the miscommunication between Alston and Simmons - who turned his head while his point guard was trying to dish him the ball - that they didn't even have the energy to foul Young before the horn sounded.
Before that, we saw a pile of awful plays, with mistakes committed by players, coaches, refs. Only in the last minute the sequence was this: Iguodala open jumper (missed) - long rebound, Sixers ball - Iguodala drive (clear charge) - Lopez layup (missed) - Dalembert rebound, foul (only 1/2 from the line: 79-81) - Terrence Williams open jumper (badly missed) -Young rebound, foul (only 1/2 from the line: 79-82) - Alston pass, turnover (end of game). Showtime, uh?
And to be 100% honest with you I think Lopez was fouled on that layup, a lot of contact there: at the very least, the play was closer to a foul than to a no whistle. The thing that got me mad was that Sam, after grabbing the rebound, kept the ball for a (long) second instead of giving it immediately to Lou Williams (I think), that was standing all alone in front of him. It would have been a fastbreak, or at least a safer situation with a 80% FT shooter heading to the line. Instead, Sam "waited" to get fouled and went there, where he made only one of two.
The decisive play was made before, an "and one" play by Marreese Speights, off a missed hook by Thaddeus Young, that put the Sixers in front at 79-80 with 1.10 to play. The second year big man was again the best Sixer, together with Thad, very good offensively.
But there is more to be said. (after the jump)THREE ANSWERS
1) yes, Brand is officially a case. I'm sorry to say this, I don't have any fun in bashing him and I would really like to say the opposite, but his performance last night was pathetic. He had a couple of bad, bad misses in the paint (0/6 overall), his inability not only to finish but even to take good shots around the rim is really painful. I want to know if we will complain for sitting in the fourth....
2) no, don't jump at Lou Williams, even after another sub par game, especially on the defensive end. While it's true that probably also Kevin Ollie would reach double digits playing against our point guard, Sweet Lou is increasing his assists, while keeping down the turnovers: a combined 10/2 in the last two games. I am fine with that.
3) yes, Jrue Holiday (predictably) had a poor game after his great performance vs Phoenix: three missed shots and a couple of avoidable turnovers in six minutes. No problem, it's part of his learning process.
THREE QUESTIONS
1) Want to know who took the biggest shots in the 4th last night? Willie Green. And you want to know the funny thing? He hit them !! First a three to tie the game while New Jersey was trying to make a decisive run, and then another long jumper to give us the lead (from 75-72 to 75-77). "You know that your team sucks when... Willie Green is your go-to-guy".
2) Why did Jason Smith get a DNP CD? The list of questionable decisions by Eddie Jordan increases.
3) Did you see any Princeton offense plays? Even one, I mean. If you did, give me a call and I'll be happy to buy you a dinner.
REASONS
Why we won the game
New Jersey came empty in its last three offensive possessions. It's not like we didn't try to let them win the game, but they couldn't finish the job. Btw I'm again taking my hat off to the Nets, they fought hard and Lopez simply ABUSED all of our big men in the low post, and showed also good range. This guy is a beast, surely a Top 10 center.
To be optimistic
We snapped a two game losing streak and avoided getting embarassed. Uhm, maybe not, actually. Hey, we limited turnovers to nine, that's good, seriously. And we looked a lil' bit quicker on defense in "help and recover" situations.
To be worried
We barely beat a team with SEVEN PLAYERS OUT (Dooling, Battie, Lee, Harris, Douglas Roberts, Hayes, Yi) and another (Boone) playing injured. Our last offensive possessions were horrible, sort of "let-Andre-play-one-on-one-and-pray". We shot 2/4 from the line in the last 12 seconds. Our starting frontcourt looks like crap. Rotations don't seem to have any pattern. We shot 25% from three point. Team has no identity. We shot 65% from the line. (I think we can close this here).
It will be an interesting weekend as Sixers take on Utah on Friday and go to Chicago on Saturday, to complete a five-games-in-seven-days schedule. Let's see what will happen facing good teams.
