| 20 March 2010
They pushed Nets closer to beating an embarrassing record that our beloved franchise unfortunately still holds.
I don’t know if Nets will really do worse than 9-73 (Sixers, 1972-73, remember?), they have 4-5 winnable games in their schedule, and with all the tanking race they might steal a couple of Ws somewhere.
But surely they are horrible, disfunctional, even unlucky, and the coach has few to do with it: Lawrence Frank is laughing somewhere.
I am not going to make fun of New Jersey, first because as Sixers fans we can’t make fun of anyone, second because I always liked the Nets since their Drazen Petrovic years, third because they might be in a better position to build a bright future than we currently are.
A top pick, some nice young talents, a ton of cap space: add some health, a decent coach, one free agent or two and the Nets might surpass us soon, maybe even next year.
The 108-97 win over New Jersey was more entertaining than I thought, I have to admit.
I was expecting a horrible game, with Sixers (24-44, .353) struggling again to beat one of the worst NBA teams of all time. Instead, Sixers played well, had some nice highlight plays and provided their fans some fun. Now they can go back to losing games.
THREEE ANSWERS
1) Yes, Dalembert picked up his first foul with 4.55 to play in the third (!). It wasn’t your typical Sixers game, you got it.
2) No, I have no clue on why Nets didn’t feed Lopez in the low post more. Their big man, that usually has great games against us, took only four shots in the first half and wasn’t a factor this time. I think Lopez is a Top 10 center in the NBA, if Nets will surround him with a decent PF and some shooters, they will be dangerous.
3) Yes, Iguodala had another great start, scoring fourteen points in the first quarter, and ten of Sixers’ first eighteen. It was Brand missing: 1/5 at the break (more after the jump).THREE QUESTIONS
1) How many times did you see Sixers shooting 61% in a half? I’ll tell you, not many. They were 25/41 for a eleven point lead, 60-49.
2) How can you get blocked by Willie Green? I mean, Green? Ask Courtney Lee, who saw his baseline jumper swatted by Bill, doing his best Dalembert impersonation.
3) How many easy shots did Nets miss? A ton. Layups, putbacks, a dunk. Pretty embarrassing. You see why they struggle so much, it's probably contagiuos.
REASONS
Why we won the game
This was impossible to lose. Really. The Nets, missing Harris, Yi etc etc are a D-League team. I mean, Keyon Dooling and Chris Douglas Roberts as go-to-guys?
To be optimistic
I liked the 17/2 assists/turnover ratio in the first half, and Holiday’s 5/6 + 5 assists even more.
To be worried
Will this game start a winning streak? Please no. we have the Knicks coming and we need a L.
