76ers find a way to lose
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76ers find a way to lose
Bizarre, unlucky, unfortunate, predicatable ... There are plenty of labels for tonight's 93-88 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. This is what it's like to follow the 76ers. The team can be up 18 points in the first half, 17 points in the third quarter, and 13 points with 8 minutes, 45 seconds left, and at no time do you feel like a victory is guaranteed.
And at no point is a victory guaranteed. In the final 8:45 of tonight's game, the Sixers produced an exotic mix of missed shots (including one badly missed dunk by Lou Williams) and turnovers to finished the game 1 for 13 from the field and watch the Hawks take their first lead of the game on a three-point play by Al Horford with :31.1 seconds remaining.
You can check out a quick video of Doug Collins from after the game, which should be embedded in this post. You can see the frustration dripping from him.
"I’m sort of proud of myself a little bit because those kinds of mistakes, probably, I would have blown my brains out a few years ago," Collins said after the game. "And I just know I can’t do that. I can’t do that. That would do no good to these guys at all."
The truth of this team is -- as Collins said after the game -- there's just no one who can make a basket when a basket needs to be made, when the opponent is in lockdown mode, when the game is in crunch time. There are plenty of guys who can fill it up when things are going back and forth and each team is loose. But down the stretch, there really isn't anyone. Again, tonight, Sixers swingman Andre Iguodala missed a trio of jumpers, two of them fadeaway, in the game's final few minutes, but the reality of the situation is that he was the only one stepping to the plate looking to create a shot and playing without fear.
"They just pack it in, there’s really no place for him to go," Collins explained. "We’d like for him to be able to get that ball to the basket. We ran two or three situations and they sort of just walled him in, there was really no place for him to go. So in fairness to him ..."
Collins spent the final half of the fourth quarter urging his guys to "play to win," but the problem might not be mental as much as it is a question of scoring ability in those final possessions.
"We always play to win, but I think the point he’s trying to get across is that we start getting hesitant, under 3 or 4 minutes, instead of making aggressive plays like we do up until that point," said Sixers guard Lou Williams, whose missed dunk with just under 5 minutes left in the game that would have bumped the Sixers' lead to 11 points.
"I think we get tight," Collins said. "I think there’s that feeling, ‘I don’t want to make a mistake.’"
Right now, rookie Jrue Holiday has made a number of mistakes down the stretch of games, and you can sense some fear from him. Jodie Meeks failed to catch the inbounds pass tonight, but he looked prepared to take the shot. Iguodala is willing to shoot, but he's just not capable of getting good shots at game's end. Brand will take the shot, but when the defense is in lockdown, he's being forced into difficult, fadeaway 12 footers. And Lou is trying to create, but just not finding openings and no one is going for his pump fake anymore.
Said Collins of his team's youth: "That’s when it rears its head, is in pressure situations like that, especially on the road."
The final 8:45 of the game was bad, but the first 39 minutes were good. The Sixers have not played better basketball than they did through the first three quarters of this game. That fact will get buried under the collapse of the fourth quarter, and it should, but for 39 minutes the Sixers executed extremely well and played winning defense. And if Collins can keep his team from backsliding after another loss, keep them mentally checked in despite the record, we could see some decent basketball over the next four home games. It's not much, but it's something.
"I know we’re a better team today than we were 30 days ago," Collins said tonight. "I know that. And so that’s the one thing I’m hanging my hat on."
And a final thought from here in Philips Arena. It's a sad night for the Sixers, Sixers' family and friends, and Philly in general, with the news of the passing of long-time beat writer Phil Jasner. Truly one of a kind and he will be missed. RIP.
--Kate
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Once again, the Sixers showed the need for a veteran point guard at the end of games. Also, where was Nocioni? A veteran who can hit the three and is certainly not fearful at the end of games. Meeks is also a shooter and down the stretch tonight, it was painfully obvious that the five Collins had on the floor could not score and were completely disorganized. Iguodala played superbly for much of the game, but he is not a quality shooter in crunch time. Ironically, both Hawes and Turner played well tonight; perhaps they should have gotten on the floor late. A game they should never have lost, never.— chuckw- Turner needs more minutes (especially in crunch time) and Iguodala needs less minutes. Stefanski needs to be fired ASAP.— younggunna917
- Kate, condolences on the death of Phil Jasner. Wish the Sixers could have honored him better than they played tonight.— paolibulldog
- And once again, Kate, we are sorry that you have to be the witness - paid or not. How does one teach the kids that they actually have nothing to lose ? If they play tight, they WILL lose, so they might as well say what the heck and pretend it's a pick-up game in the last few minutes.— landt
- Give the ball to Elton Brand in the 4 th quarter.
— cosmic - "76ers find a way to lose" Is that the name of today's article or the column for the year?— AreaMan
Look at what 1 player did for the knicks.Amare has changed that team and made Felton the guard he was 2 yrs ago- and their Rookie is playing lights out.He is their rock and the closer.That is what the sixers need-that one player.AND i do think Pechula? grabbed Iggys arm
on that rebound at the end but no call......it is what it is.
I agree with the coach about Iggy.He played the first half/3 qts as he was penciled in on the USA team and he and the
sixers looked great.But he was maybe the only one (give me the ball) at the end.Most of the others others simply stepped back.Tonite-Lou with a dunk......As i said before-the ponies-but Delaware Park this time Doug.— HO HUM
The Sixers are stars and stripes. Currently all stripes and no stars.
Rest in Peace PJ. We will miss you.- Sympathies to the Jasner family. At least five times this year we had momentum and the lead late. The most effective IMO is a combo including Nocioni,Battie, Brand,Thad,Lou,and plays should be created for EB and TY b/c of their high shooting percentages. The plays should have Noc and
Lou ready to have the ball kicked out to them if EB or TY can't get inside,score and/or draw a foul. In the first Wiz lost,the team slipped when AI was reinserted late after others had controlled the lead. Chemistry was impacted. If needed for defensive purposes, It's ok for AI or Jrue to be included in stead of Lou to facilitate late with plays set up for the high percentage shooters, EB or TY . Noc can shoot a kick out jumper under pressure. Thad and EB have made late high pressure shots inside and fight for offensive rebounds late. Coaches tell a player or players "we're going to you for the remainder of the game. Bring it home". Most will accept the challenge as a vote of confidence and produce for their teammates and coach. I believe it's EB and TY. Stay positive. Get and make more free throws! Defense is getting better and better.— philsix6 
There's an odd laissez faire attitude from Collins during this. From 2000-2003, Larry Brown calls a time out during that torturous last 6 minutes and diagrams a play for a basket. Meeks around a triple screen, Norcini tails off the gate. Something. This, compared with Thorn's cagey comments yesterday about the team, losing and the draft; lead one to consider that it is agreed that Collins will NOT pull out all the coaching stops, he will let his young players play and rather sit back and watch who can execute under pressure and who can not. Letting TooManyDala take lots of shots down the stretch is a bit like calling a sweep to your fullback on 3rd and 8: someone in the huddle should say this is stupid. Someone on the court should be making sure that TooManyDala does not shoot the ball in the 4th quarter. No one as yet is doing that. The reverse is true: many obviously feel this is a good option, which is itself a fine exemplar of on court basketball IQ (or lack thereof). Perhaps this is what lies between the lines of Collins' comments. You would think coaching could step in and apply a bandage to stop the bleeding around the 3 minute mark. But no one is stepping in, anywhere, and patients are bleeding out and dying all over the Emergency Room. One must wonder ...— Nuutron- too many bad drafts (going back DECADES) and roster decisions to fix until brand's contract expires. hopefully, coach collins will have free rein to draft someone other than the current game plan of getting tall hybrid forwards or shooting guards masquerading as point guards.
want a better 76er team? draft a center who can rebound, score in the paint, and pass. build a team around him and stick a consistently decent scoring threat on the bench willing to be the 6th man.— Cychobabbler - Spend more practice time on situational jump shooting. EB apparently does it. Like free throws,one can never practice that art enough. Good shooting coaches can transform and improve shooting at any stage of a player's career. Get one. I also notice during warmups/shootarounds,our guys don't always practice ONLY shots from where they expect to get them during the game. EB is one of the exceptions. Great golfers practice the swing and with the clubs they expect to hit on a certain course on a given day. Nash,Allen,and other good free throw shooters,use a practice stroke exactly like their real one,like golfers. Muscle memory. If you prepare smart,you'll play smart.— philsix6
- rest in peace Phil!— bill poore
- OK now that the coach has admitted that they have no one who can make a shot in the clutch (which all of us have known for years) What are we going to do about that flat tire? Are we going to get it fixed or keep riding on it?— rayzoe
- My condolences to the Jasner family. I always enjoyed Phil's columns and watching him on Sportsnet.
I thought the problem at the end of the game last night was the lack of a post presence on offense. We needed someone to accept a pass down low and either make a post move or pass it to a cutter or someone open on the wing. Hawes is the only center we have who can make a pass from down low, but he is a liability on defense.— fufkin
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.
