| 27 March 2010
That's how the 86-101 W at Milwaukee was.
I must say I really enjoyed it, even if I am in full tank mode.
Sixers (25-47, 347) seemed to enjoy it as well, playing very hard against the red hot Bucks, that were 15-3 after the Al star Game, coming off a nice road trip that included impressive wins at Denver and Atlanta.
THREE ANSWERS
1) Yes, I must admit that I NEVER, EVER thought Milwaukee could have reached such a high position in the standings, not even after the Salmons trade (never liked John "Summer League" salmons, also).
I mean, look at its roster, look at Sixers', and you'd see that there's something wrong. That's why Scott Skiles is my fav candidate for Coach of the Year:
I know Collins is doing a great job in Memphis, same for Scott in Oklahoma City, but I think these Bucks are far less talented than those two teams, so Skiles gets the nod.
2) Yes, it was a total team effort. With the notable exception of a less-than-pathetic Brand, who banked in his only FG in garbage time, all Sixers played well and contributed to the win. All players had already scored at halftime.
3) No, Bucks were never in the game, actually. Sixers his their first eight shots (Kapono 3/3, with a rare three point play in the paint, also), and built a 17-28 lead: Milwaukee tied it at 33 in the second quarter but Sixers went on a 17-4 run and controlled the game after halftime (45-58).
THREE QUESTIONS
1) Why we never played defense like this all year? The effort on our half court was phenomenal: guys diving on the floor, drawing charges, contesting shots, deflecting passes. Too bad it's Game 72... (more after the jump).2) Is Jason Smith for real? If you have followed this blog for a while, you know I (used to) like the guy, I think he has skills and can be a good rotation player. His efficiency this season has been slighly below Sixers', though (...). So it was nice for me seeing him finally doing well. Hey, apparently he can even board.
3) Why, Meeks, why ??? Why are you rushing EVERY shot? It's cool, you are a bench warmer and you want to show you deserve more minutes, fill the stat sheet etc etc. Just try to be smarter, so that your season pctg could perhaps even raise above the current 34%.
Meeks is shooting 22% as a Sixer, 6/27, LOL. Calm down dude.
REASONS
Why we won the game
Balanced offense. with six players in double figure, great contribution off the bench, and active defense. Plus, Bucks missing a ton of open shots: they were 1/14 from behind the arc at halftime.
Salmons finishing with 2/12 and Brezec getting in in the third should tell you everything you need to know about the game.
To be optimistic
Two words: Jrue Holiday. Another excellent game, despite the six turnovers. He had three spectacular dimes in the third, two for Iguodala and one for Dalembert, all resulting into thunderous jams. I was nearly moved to tears...
Not only for the highlight plays, of course, he's getting better and better every night, making those last games useful, at least for him.
To be worried
Will they continue to play like this in the games left ??? Please no !! Willie Green (6/6 at a point) did a lot of damage, also.
