| 23 January 2010
We're He's not there yet, but we're he's taking some steps.
In a rare moment of smartness, Eddie Jordan made a big starting lineup change and as a result Sixers beat Dallas 92-81 in one of their best games of the season (14-28, .333).
I'd like to begin this post with two 'interesting' quotes. From Yahoo Sports' recap:
"...said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “They’re a talented team, certainly better than their record.”
He surely didn't mean that, but I read it as = "if properly coached, they would be ranked higher in the standings".
And from Kate Fagan's article:
Jordan said his team held an "emotional edge" off the bench. He said he made the move because Brand had earned a starting spot and because he believed that the previous starting backcourt of Williams and Allen Iverson lacked defensive presence.
Now both sentences come as shockers to me.
While I never thought that a team with Iguodala, Brand, Iverson, Williams, Young etc etc could do better than 13-28 at mid season, especially in such a tough conference, I always firmly believed that Iverson and Lou Williams formed a backcourt of solid defenders, I'd even say stoppers. But it's me, clearly.
There are many positives to take from this game and I'll try to recap them. While the new starting lineup, ninth of the season, (...) is still not the one I'd like, seeing Jrue Holiday and Brand back into it at tip off is still a huge improvement over the crap that Jordan has been giving us as of late.
I repeat that MY starting lineup would include Williams - yes, I'd still have Holiday coming off the bench - Iguodala, Young, Brand and Dalembert, meaning the projected starters before the season began.
The bold (?) move by Eddie Jordan paid off, because Thaddeus Young, sitting for the first time, had his best game of the season, exploding for 16 points in the second quarter and carrying the Sixers' bench to a whopping 56 points.
I was extremely pleased by Lou Williams' game as well: his benching had a nice effect, because he played great, spirited. How about six rebounds?
Mavericks were soundly outplayed, outrebounded (49-42, now this is shocking) and outhustled: it was nice to see Iverson, struggling all night with his shot, diving on the floor for a loose ball, Speights jumping around to block shots, Young and even Green hitting the offensive glass for some putbacks.
To cut it short, Sixers LOOKED like a team last night. Can they carry it on? (more after the jump)Jordan said that Sixers' schedule before the All star break will be considered a "10 game-playoffs series" (???!!!!!). Hey, give the guy a break, it's been a long time since his last playoffs appearance.... Or maybe he's lobbying for a rule change, Stern should take note.
THREE ANSWERS
1) No, make no mistake, Andre's game was great. I criticized him many times this year despite some good looking stat lines, this time it's exactly the opposite. I loved his all around game, and he knocked down a huge three in the third, when Dallas zone defense was starting to worrying me: 63-52 with 6.05 to play.
2) Yes, I like the extended rotation more than the tight one, but I didn't see any reason to keep Kapono in for more than 11 minutes. He did absolutely nothing except allow a scaring three point play in the fourth. Carney should have got his playing time.
2) No, Brand coulnd't keep it up after a hot start (he scored all of Sixers' first six points) but I liked what he did defensively.
THREE QUESTIONS
1) Why Iverson in for so long in the third? He was awful offensively (2/12) and was pulled out with only 2.36 remaining. But he closed the game with a tough three point play (90-78 with 2.33 left) and an assist to Brand after a basic pick-and-roll.
2) How could we keep Dirk No-shit-zki to 15 points on 4/13? He was even 1/6 in the first half ! Well, he did miss some open looks, but Thad and Brand did a nice job on him, making it a physical duel and contesting his shots.
3) Will Mareese Speights ever make a pass? 13 shots in 25 minutes are average for him (LOL), but he was money in the fourth, scoring eight points and using all of his (many) solutions: left handed bank shot, right handed hook, long jumpers. Loved that.
REASONS
Why we won the game.
Marion (4/6, 10 points) didn't return after the first half. No, I'm kidding, that helped of course, but Sixers played better than Dallas on both ends and didn't lose their composure down the stretch.
To be optimistic
The line up change was a step in the right direction. If you ask Jrue Holiday, he would probably prefer not to start and play more than 15 minutes, but hey, you can't have everything. Keeping the Mavericks to 81 points, = 19 under their average, is huge. Williams and Young responded in the best way after being benched.
To be worried
One more time, the no playoffs-AND-no lottery pick scenario is always a concrete possibility.
Battle of mighty baskteball powerhouses tonight as your 14-28 Sixers meet the 15-28 Pacers: both team will be coming off impressive 1-game winning streaks. Aren't you pumped?
