Email this postSixers Again Looking To Rebound
The 76ers have shown they can bounce back from one demoralizing loss. Now they have to prove they can do it again.
Even Maurice Cheeks admitted that it was difficult not to look ahead when the Sixers led the Pistons by 10 at halftime of Sunday's 93-84 defeat. Now the Sixers are back to their accustomed underdog role.
If Detroit comes back to win this series, everybody will point to the Pistons 34-18 third quarter.
Remember, the Sixers bounced back from a demoralizing 105-88 loss in Game 2.
The difference is that the Sixers trailed that game by 17 at halftime. Sunday's loss looked like a win, especially since Detroit appeared to sleep-walk through the first half.
So now the Pistons have some real life. The Sixers shouldn't be counted out just yet, but here's stating the obvious - they need to get some production from Andre Iguodala.
He's shooting just 22.4 percent for the series and has missed all nine three point attempts. Tayshaun Prince has been the most dominant player in the series and he has put the clamps on Iguodala.
Sure, Detroit has done a good job on help defense, but Prince has enhanced his reputation as one of the best defensive players in the NBA.
Time is running out on Iguodala To his credit, he will continue attacking, but it won't do the team any good if he's forcing shots.
Of all the developments in this series, Iguodala's disappearance has been the most stunning and disappointing of an otherwise interesting series.
What a turn of events in the 3rd quarter. And yes sixersguy.. as you stated in your last post in yesterday's Deep Sixer blog, I agree that Iggy's shots need to be decreased and the remainder divvied up with some of the others. If Prince has his number on defense, he needs to find the others in good position to shoot the ball like he did for several assists in game 3. Forcing the ball is never the solution, but I understand he wants the stats. I hope Dalembert, Carney and Williams can be part of the solution next game. They need to attack for a full game if they have any hope of winning another game.
Xing, the three guys you mentioned all should be getting a little more time. Mo likes to stick to his rotations, an admirable trait to keep guys comfortable in their roles, but when we hit a bad stretch like the 3rd quarter, make a move and shake things up. Was it a coincidence that we got less offensive rebounds, less defensive pressure and less energy overall with less R.Evans.As far as Iggy, bad decisions all night. Mo, either cut his minutes or play him at the 2 , because if you want to win this series a change has to be made. Go to the big lineup, ppppplease Mo. Reggie needs more minutes and so does Thad ; do the math!!
Iggy, the worst player last night on the court for us, got the most minutes[45]. If L,Will., Carney, and Reggie got 5 of those minutes each we may have won. Hope Mo looks at the film and is not afraid to make changes.We need the next one!!!
Could not agree more. Its time to shake things up. Play Iggy at 2 and bring in Reggie or Jason at the four. This would force a mismatch and would free-up Iggy from Prince's defense.
Did anyone else notice that when Mo brought in Evans for Green midway through the 4th, the Pistons kept Prince on Igoudala? And that meant they covered Young with Hamilton? And that the Sixers never set up a play for Young to exploit the mismatch while Igoudala continued to take awful shots against Prince?
Did anyone else notice that when Mo brought in Evans for Green midway through the 4th, the Pistons kept Prince on Igoudala? And that meant they covered Young with Hamilton? And that the Sixers never set up a play for Young to exploit the mismatch while Igoudala continued to take awful shots against Prince?
If you put Iggy at the 2 we lose Willie Greens scoring (he is playing well right now) and 1. if I was Flip Saunders I would keep Prince on Iggy and play Hamilton on Young and force MO do to something he hasn't done all year - RUN A PLAY FOR THADDEUS! Then are we really confident he would? 2. Even if Hamilton was on Iggy I think he is lost for this series regardless of who is guarding him.
Wow Morty - we are obviously thinking the exact same thing.
The third quarter was the Pistons playing their brand of basketball. Stifling half-court defense, well-executed half-court offense, and relentless effort on the glass. When they make shots, they are able to control the game. When they miss (like they did in Game 3 and the first half of Game 4), the Sixers are able to use their speed to gain an advantage in transition.
The Sixers half-court offense is not very good. Too much reliance on dribble penetration by Miller and Iguodala from the perimeter and virtually zero inside-out game. They will not get better shots in the half-court as the series goes on. Which means that they will have to make the tough shots or create more easy buckets through their defense. The defense - espedcially Dalembert - needs to do a better job of defending the Billups/Wallace high screen sets. Too many open looks for Rasheed as a result of Sam's lazy closeouts. And Reggie Evans needs to bring more than dumb fouls to the floor in Game 5; punching guys in the abdominal area or swiping guys faces is not going to win games. On the positive side, the Pistons severely shortened their bench in a must win Game 4; the Sixers should be able to take advantage of fresher legs in Game 5.
Morty & Suede--Great points. As much as we've been going back and forth here lately about whether AI belongs at the 2, he should be there for the rest of this series. AI doesn't have to be our #1 but we've got to get more from him, especially if he's going to play 45+ mins per game. If we move him to the 2, hopefully we can either get Prince off of him or create the mismatches at other positions that Thurman mentioned.
The almighty "double-double" was again achieved by Dalembert last night, 12 & 12, along with a (please note) -12 plus/minus figure. In that, the achievement is shown for what it's worth - practically nothing at times. While the game was in doubt, Dalembert was mostly invisible, eclipsed by Wallace and his confident and demoralizing deep shooting.
Marc,
one thing I just read on the Sixers forum made me sad. How come it's possible that attendance for game 4 DECREASED from game 3? 18.300 vs 18.600, more or less...
And that in neither case Sixers fans manage to pack the arena?
I think Philly fans should be ashamed of that, an exciting reg season run, a young, exciting team that fights hard vs a tough(er) opponent in the playoffs after many years of absence and we're not able to sell the arena out ????
No excuses for NOT going to the games, that's really, really sad...
jumpin johnny: Dalmbert looked more interested in stuffing stats than playing winning basketball last night. Rather than close out on Rasheed, he chose to head to the paint to pick up the easy rebound in case of a miss. Rasheed didn't miss. It was the kiss of death in the third quarter for the Sixers.
I think we all know that switching things up like we are suggesting is not going to happen. Cheeks has gotten the team this far by being positive and showing confidence in the players all through their struggles. He stuck with Willie Green through the tail end of the season, regardless of our increasing frustration, and now Willie is playing well. That's how Mo operates. He will stay with his guys preaching confidence and maintaining a strong belief in their abilities. I doubt very much that he will switch things up now, especially considering the one struggling is AI.
SwollCracker, Agree. As long as Sixers ride with him as primary big man, real players will continue to frustrate them.
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