Archive: February, 2012
CLEVELAND - Following their relatively easy win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday, Sixers coach Doug Collins revealed that in order for the Sixers to have a successful start to the season – which is now more than 1/3 over - the Sixers had to reach 20 wins before they suffered their ninth loss.
Yes, Chris Paul was spectacular, hitting the game-winning shot that Andre Iguodala said he almost blocked, but a major factor in the 76ers’ 78-77 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers was the play of somebody who failed to score and took just one shot.
That would be former Sixer Reggie Evans, who provided 10 rebounds, five on both the offensive and defensive glass, in a little over 19 minutes.
Evans and Kenyon Martin each had three rebounds in the fourth quarter in which the Clippers outscored the Sixers 18-16 and outrebounded them 12-6.
Spencer Hawes will again miss tonight’s game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers with a sore left Achilles tendon. This will be the 12th game that Hawes has missed in the last 14.
After tonight, the Sixers embark on a three-game road trip against Cleveland, Charlotte and Orlando.
“If Spencer can’t play we won’t take him on the trip,” Collins said after this morning’s shootaround. “He can stay back and get treatment. We will make a decision after the game whether he comes with us on the road.”
The Eastern Conference coaches spoke loud and clear their message was simple – winning matters.
And that played a major role in earning Andre Iguodala his first all-star selection. This is the fourth straight season that Iguodala’s scoring has dipped. He’s averaging 13 points per game.
Yet the Sixers 18-8 record and Iguodala’s all-around game, made the coaches to notice him. The fact that he is among the top defenders, surely helped his cause.
Andre Iguodala was trying to play it cool, attempting to brace himself from possible disappointment, but it’s clear that tonight’s all-star announcement is a big deal, no matter how much he tries to downplay matters.
Iguodala has the best shot to be named to the all-star team in his eight-year career. The Eastern Conference reserves will be announced tonight on TNT, prior to the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
Fans picked the starters and the Eastern Conference coaches choose the reserves. A coach can't select his own player.
As reported in the Inquirer this morning, the 76ers have assigned second-year forward Craig Brackins to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Brackins had appeared in eight games this season.
“He actually asked for that; I respected that a lot," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "He just said, ‘You know, I’ve made a position change and we’re winning and there’s really no place for me to play, and I’d like to go down and play.’ I was proud of Craig. He wants to play and he wants to be in this league and there just weren’t any minutes there for him this year.”
Collins hopes that Brackins will be used at small forward, which is where the Sixers envision him at the NBA level. However, Collins thinks they will probably play Brackins at power forward.
Lou Williams and the Sixers stole the show in the fourth quarter of Kobe Bryant's history-making night to grab a 95-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Inquirer's John Mitchell reports from the Wells Fargo Center.
(Video by Samantha Corrado/Philly.com)
He’s done it too many times and one can only surmise that Lou Williams’ fourth quarter heroics have become a welcome pattern.
Williams doesn’t always pull out games in the final period, but on Monday he clearly did.
He scored 14 fourth quarter points while taking only seven shots in the Sixers 95-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers before an exuberant and sold-out Wells Fargo Center crowd.
Kobe Bryant is 23 points shy of tying Shaquille O’Neal for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Bryant has scored 28,573 career points while Shaq has 28, 596 and now the former Lower Merion product can pass his former teammate tonight against the 76ers.
At today’s shootaround Bryant said it would be special to pass Shaq in his hometown.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown won’t guide his team tonight against the 76ers.
Brown was being suspended one game without pay and fined $25,000 for making contact with a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection in Saturday’s loss at Utah.
The first-year Lakers coach was with the team at this morning’s shootaround at the Wells Fargo Center.
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
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.
