Sixers 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 Sund
Sixers 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.
Comments (58)
In the stay inside/go outside defense argument, I would like to stay with the basics. It's a basic understanding in pick-up ball that you've got to cover your man. We're not really playing zone defense, so if it's man to man d, play your man, man!!! Dally's obviously not played much pick up ball;)— xing- Nobody in basketball or recent memory could handle Detroit the way they played that 3rd quarter. Yes the Sixers hit that buzzsaw, but in reality, if they knock down their freethrows, they are right there. Thad Young is getting better by the second. I also like the way Miller is playing Billups. The lights of the postseason may be a little bright for Iggy, however he will learn and improve. One thing is for certain, the Sixers are going to come out hard next game. Jason- Los Angeles— JASON RINGLER
- Neldogg77: great point about the rebounding. In Game 3, the Sixers were better than 75% in def. rebound pct. In all the rest, they've been below 70% (Game 1 they made up for it by getting a huge amount of off. rebounds themselves). Actually, I didn't realize until I looked it up - Detroit is a pretty good off-rebounding team themselves (#5 NBA, Sixers were #1). Fact is, you can't always rely on steals to get the fastbreak started, but good defenseive rebounding will always start the break reliably. I thought the Sixers started off well in that regard in Game 4 but broke down completely in the 2nd half.— Statman
- Do we need any more proof that Iggy is not a #1 guy in this league? The decisions he has made in this series have been atrocious. It's one thing to miss an open shot... it's another to force up jump shots from all over the court. Why he continues to play 45 mins/ a night is beyond me. Let the young guys bring their energy to the game!— SamuelAtSecond
- All of you have done good job pointing out the Sixers' shortcomings, but the fact is that they're still tied 2-2 and have a great shot at winning the series. What are some possible SOLUTIONS? #1 is obviously focusing on boxing out and controlling the defensive glass. I like the idea that many have brought up of going to Thad against Hamilton when that matchup occurs. On defense, the Sixers should stop switching the pick-and-roll on Prince, because he's way too tall for any of the guards (and he's not so quick that Iguodala and Young can't catch up to him). They should rearrange substitutions so that the quick defense lineup of AIG-Thad-Lou-Carney-Smith plays against the Detroit subs in the 2nd quarter. Jumpin'Johnny -- what are some of your suggested solutions, other than better fundamental play (which may not be possible for this team ;-)— Statman
- KM--We are in total agreement. Maybe Mo doesn't have the confidence we thought he had in the bench guys. Maybe it was fine to play them during the regular season with the main goal being learning and growth for the future but the playoffs are about now and he doesn't trust them enough for that. JJG---No, I am not satisfied at all. I want them to win the whole thing now. I am just trying to be realistic. This is the first trip to the playoffs for their young core. This is usually a multi-year process. Years back, it took the Pistons a few years to get past the Celtics, it took the Bulls a few years to get past the Pistons, etc... So, I'm trying to take this as a period of learning and growth for next year and beyond, but in no way am I satisfied. My point with Jim O'Brien is that you need to find a way to win with what you have. I understand about playing the "right way" and the way things should be done. However, if you do not have the pieces to play exactly by the book, then you have to rewrite the book to suit what you do well. I didn't think he did a good job of that when he was here. He always seemed to be trying to force the team to play a certain way and then faulting them when they didn't. I think it is much easier to pick apart players, like we do here, for what they cannot do than it is to recognize what they do well and make the most of it. Jim O'Brien always struck me as a coach who never faulted the system, only the players who couldn't execute his system on the floor. I believe that the coach really needs to tailor his system to take full advantage of what his players do well.— bski
- While this series is important, the team's future is the greater priority so we have to ask the obvious question: Is Iggy's lapse a fluke or an indication that he is not an upper echelon player? I'm leaning more to the latter with each game. Even if continues his poor play through the rest of the series, it isn't going to change his asking price, which we know will be for max dollars. Do we pay it to avoid losing him or refuse out of principle? He knows he has the team and fans over a barrel. He is certainly not proving himself to be undervalued at $15+ MM/yr but the question we all know is: Can we find a replacement? These are the decisions that separates the great GMs from the rest.— TormentedinBeantown
- Statman: rebounds and steals are the keys for this team - must haves. I also agree that we switch way too readily often times. Detroit got Prince matched up on smaller players way too easily. BFrank: My post respoding to you is lost in space, but I attribute it to good Detroit D, and bad coaching from Mo. It's inexcusable to not take advantage of Young being guarded by Hamilton.— Morty_
- Staying at home and getting out on the defender are not as exclusive as everyone is making it sound. Good defense consists of staying at home while being close enough to your defender to be able to get a hand in his face to contest the shot. Stay balanced - don't let your man blow by you and get a hand up to disrupt the potential shot. One of Sam's "attributes" is that he is that he is long and athletic - he should be able to put those tree branches up and disrupt some perimeter shots while not creating a wide open path to the basket. If Mo wants him to protect the basket that bad - he needs to change the lineup and rotate Smith and Evans on him. You can't let a team who can shoot just sit on the perimeter and bomb away - because they will either go in or create easier offensive rebounding opportunities for that team.— hugh
- Marc: the biggest problems with this format is A) the smallness of the comment box makes it d, correct typos/ misspellings. The preview option at the old site was great for that. B) The lack of paragraph breaks makes no sense and limits the ability to express oneself.— Morty_
- difficult— Morty_
- Marc: thanks for responding by the way.— Morty_
- I'm thinking that Iggy should have signed his contract last season because his floor performance in the playoffs is costing him dough in my opinion. I wasn't happy with last night's game but I'm still hopeful that we can pull off a win in Detroit. GO SIXERS!!!— WhatNow
- 3-game series with Detroit having home court now. Someone needs to tell that to Andre Iguodala and let him know the other series is over and its time to start ballin' now. If I am a coach on that staff right now is what I am preaching to him leading up to tomorrow's game. No more excuse about who is defending him etc. It is all in his head right now and he needs something to snap out of it. Refocusing him right now should be a big priority for the Sixers coaching staff. Does Mo make any in-game or game to game adjustments?— ReclinerGM
- Statmant, I'd even go so far as to say the quick defense lineup you metion should play most of the 3rd quarter as well. Im not trying to pile on Willie, but watching last night made it clear to me that leaving him out there for an extended period of time just plain amounts to spotting points to detroit. Without even evaluating his defense, he just creates mismatches favorable to detroit in at least 2, sometimes 3 positions. I think another key adjustment is we need to stop trying to force our offence through igoudala. He needs to be told that he is not to take a contested jump shot unless the ball is in his hands and the clock is running down - he needs to just focus of getting good position & getting open without the ball in hand, finding open teamates when he's doubled, or if he must be a focal point he should drive & kick, draw contact, or get to the rim. Carney has been hitting the three - he needs more looks at it. Young has been hitting jumpers - he needs to see the ball more too.— K,M
Popular Posts
About this blog
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
