THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Right now, that's probably the question all 76ers fans want answered: How bad is it?
With 2 minutes, 15 seconds left in the first quarter, Thaddeus Young jumped to contest a lefty hook by Josh Smith. Smith made the shot, Young's right foot landed on Smith's. He immediately clutched his ankle and, a couple of minutes later, put no pressure on the foot in being helped to the training room by Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff.
Late in the second quarter, Sixers officials distributed a release saying that x-rays were negative for a fracture, that Young would obviously not return (the obviously being my addition, not what they said), and that it was officially diagnosed as an ankle sprain.
After the game, the Sixers officials said that Young would receive an MRI sometime on Wednesday to determine if there was any ligament damage. Officially, the Sixers listed him as "Day-to-Day."
This is an educated guess, but I would be surprised if Young played again in the regular season. Why?
1.) Here's Andre Miller's quote after the game: "He'll probably be out a couple of weeks. Hopefully, he'll be back by the first game of the playoffs. He had to be helped off, he couldn't put any weight on it. He needs to get that taken care of and not try to come back too early."
2.) After the game in the training room, Young, in jeans, was pulling a sock over a tightly wrapped ace bandage around his right ankle. Metal crutches were leaning against the training table.
3.) Someone told me Young was in a great deal of pain and this was his worst ankle sprain since high school.
4.) Sixers coach Tony DiLeo kept saying the coaching staff would need to sit down and talk about how to fill the gaps without Young, even going so far as to say that they would have to decide who will start in Young's place on Thursday.
Again, this is just an educated guess. Young could be back by the end of the week. The MRI could reveal nothing. But it seems unlikely Young won't need at least a decent rest. If there is ligament damage, it's going to take much longer than two weeks to heal.
Regardless of how long Young is out -- one game, two games, more games -- the Sixers will need to figure out what to do without him. Although it would appear the solution presented itself tonight: Start Marreese Speights. He often struggles on defense, and is still learning, but he had 16 points tonight, and a bunch of key buckets as the Sixers pulled away.
We'll let you know ASAP tomorrow upon hearing the results of Young's MRI.
--Kate
Yesterday at 5:45 p.m., Andre Iguodala filmed a sketch for "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." You know, Jimmy Fallon from SNL, who took over for Conan O'Brien, who is taking over for Jay Leno. Anyway, Iguodala was in this sketch, which aired late last night. In case you missed it, fear not, I have your link: Iguodala sketch.
And tonight, in about 20 minutes, the 76ers play the Atlanta Hawks, which (I believe) will be the most important game -- to date -- of this season. The Sixers have lost two in a row. They're 37-35 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference: 1 1/2 games in front of the Detroit Pistons at the seventh spot, 2 1/2 games in front of the Chicago Bulls in the eighth spot, and 1 game behind the Miami Heat -- who keep leaving open the door -- at the fifth spot. The fifth spot is where the Sixers need to be. Depending on how much is at stake the final games of the season (two against the Cavs, one against Boston), the Sixers final schedule could be brutal, or decent if they face a Cleveland team resting its main guys. Games like tonight's against the 43-31 Hawks, whom the Sixers are 1-1 against so far this season, are crucial. A game against the Hawks, at home, at this juncture of the season when the Sixers are caught in a crush of teams and the Hawks are, for the most part, set at the four spot, is a game the Sixers shouldn't lose.
Samuel Dalembert will start at center for the Sixers. It's unclear how effective he will be, but he will at least be out there. He strained his right calf in the first quarter of Sunday night's loss to the Detroit Pistons. Expect Theo Ratliff to play a lot of minutes tonight.
I think the key tonight will be point guard Andre Miller, who is also battling a strained calf injury. Of late, he has not be his usual, efficient self. His shooting percentage has struggled and he has turned over the ball at a higher rate than normal. If he can shoot a high percentage, take care of the basketball, and push the tempo like the Sixers are used to doing, I think the Sixers win this game.
But let's be clear: This game will be about setting a tone for the final 10 of the season.
--Kate
No matter how far these 76ers roam from .500 -- this latest time was four games away -- they always seem to return.
That's what happened tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills: The Sixers were ahead 89-83 with 9:57 left in the fourth quarter, gave up an 18-8 run, and lost 101-97.
The Sixers are now 37-35 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Two games ago, before this loss to the Pistons and Friday night's to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Sixers were in fifth place, ahead of the Miami Heat. The Pistons, who used guard Allen Iverson tonight for the first time in 16 games, are now 36-37 and pulled out of the eighth spot into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
(After the game, Iverson said: "I'm just as happy as I can be to come back and be around the guys and get in front of the fans and contribute and get a win. And now my whole thing is trying to be the best 6th man I can be, the best 6th man in the league.")
It's tough to decide exactly how tonight's game was lost. Afterward, the Sixers were saying it was the lack of fourth-quarter free throws that cost them the game. Through three, they had shot 20-23 from the line. In the fourth, the Pistons were called for only one personal foul, which was non-shooting.
Sixers coach Tony DiLeo and Andre Iguodala, both alluded to the non-calls: (DiLeo: "We tried to be aggressive in the fourth quarter, take it to the basket, but for whatever reasons, we didn't get the free throws." Iguodala: "They didn't have any fouls in the fourth, so that means they were playing great 'D', I guess.")
Perhaps someone who watched this game on TV will have a different view point, but I don't remember thinking the Sixers had many blatant, aggressive drives thwarted by no-calls from the referees. In the fourth quarter, the Pistons were 4 for 5 from the line, the Sixers 0 for 0. It seemed the big problem was not stopping backup guard Will Bynum, who had nine of his 12 in the fourth quarter, including a handful of killer pull-up jumpers.
DiLeo also said his team needs to rebound better: The Pistons had five offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. Missing, of course, was Sixers center Samuel Dalembert, who played seven minutes in the first quarter and appeared to leave the game because of foul trouble, checking out immediately after picking up his second foul. After halftime, the Sixers announced that Dalembert had strained his right calf and would not return. In the second quarter, he was icing his right calf, but no one was sure whether he was injured, or just precautionary.
After the game, the Sixers said Dalembert was day-to-day. Although Theo Ratliff, who started the second half in place of Dalembert, played well, it seemed obvious the Sixers were missing Dalembert's inside presence.
What's this loss mean? It's tough to say. The Sixers have had such an up-and-down season: They'll go stretches playing so well, then stretches playing poorly. They just finished a 7-2 stretch, and you gotta hope that doesn't mean they'll fall into a bad stretch (although they have lost the last two games). With so few games remaining, and so much for which to play, it seems impossible they'd let themselves lose focus. And that's not what appeared to happen tonight. Except for those three technicals -- which seem so pointless, and yet it's NBA culture to be frustrated with the referees and display that frustration -- the Sixers played hard and appeared to be in a position to win this game.
On Tuesday, they have the Atlanta Hawks at the Wachovia Center. That, to me, will be the swing game. Will the Sixers start down another slide toward mediocrity, or plant their feet and battle for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference?
--Kate
It's been a long road trip -- and I'm not the one playing. But here we are in Portland for the final game of this five-game swing. Game 5 in seven days. And the back end of a back-to-back. That is to say, in many ways, tonight's game is challenging. And, the Trailblazers are good. They're currently in sixth place in the Western Conference with a record of 44-26 -- but, like all the teams in that 2-8 crunch in the WC, they're two games out of second place.
After last night's win over the Sacramento Kings, the 76ers are now 35-33, and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They're 1-1/2 games out of both fifth place (currently held by the Miami Heat) and seventh place (currently held by the Detroit Pistons).
After last night's game, Sixers coach Tony DiLeo did say that he tried to rest his starters -- no one played more than 35 minutes. That's not to say tonight won't be a tough, tired game, but that is to say if DiLeo said the reason the Kings cut a 29-point lead to 11 was because he was resting his guys, then the Sixers shouldn't be as tired tonight as they were the night after the big win over the Lakers.
Lou Williams did mention last night that at this point in a road trip, it would be your reserves that win or lose games for you -- because the starters will be drained. But guys like Speights, Williams, Ivey, Evans, Marshall, etc. should have some legs left. So you have to think if the Sixers can run with the Blazers tonight, it will be because of some big nights from those guys.
A couple of things that seem interesting about tonight:
1.) Andre Iguodala. He looks like he is shifting his mindset for this stretch run. He has a tendency to let chunks of the game drift past without asserting himself. But lately it seems he isn't doing that. He knows this is his team, and if anyone is going to bring them down this stretch with a chance to catch Miami, it's him. I think he knows that. He's the guy, and he is more than capable of doing it. Tonight he should play well. He started strong against the Kings and -- for the most part -- that was all the team needed from him. Tonight, they'll need more. And my guess is he will be ready.
2.) The key reserve. Who will it be? There have been a number of them lately: Williams has been playing well, Donyell Marshall has had a huge impact on the perimeter game, Marreese Speights has been scoring. I know Kareem Rush played well against the Kings the other night, but I would be surprised to see him in tonight's game. But we'll see. Regardless, the second unit will have to play very well if the Sixers are going to win tonight. The second quarter -- where the second unit makes the biggest appearance -- is going to be crucial.
3.) Portland will not be cruising down the stretch. What is tough when playing any decent Western Conference team is that they are scrambling for playoff position. A win or loss can drop a team from second to eighth (that's only a slight stretch). But the Blazers are not secure with either their playoff berth or with the seeding. And the Rose Garden will most likely be sold out. Before the game, we spoke with Nate McMillan, Portland's coach, about Greg Oden's injuries. McMillan was asked if Oden was -- or might be starting to be considered -- a bust.
Nate said: "You guys are sitting over there with Elton Brand ... injuries are part of the game." <-- good answer.
Sixers guard Andre Miller said before this trip that a successful trip would be three victories. So far, the Sixers are 2-2.
Game tips off in about 30 minutes ...
--Kate
The Golden State Warriors looked good tonight. They looked quick, fast, athletic. They shot 9 for 119 from the three-point line. The thing is, they're 25-44 on the season. So it's hard to tell if they looked good, or if the Sixers just played poorly. I think it was more of the latter than the former. The Sixers lost, 119-111.
Although the Warriors record is sub par, they play well at Oracle Arena, and have a much better record when guard Monta Ellis plays.
The Sixers shot 38.0 percent from the field. That's bad. They couldn't finish around the rim. The Warriors could, they shot 56.5 percent.
What's disappointing about this loss is the Los Angeles Lakers win. That game felt like they stole one. This game felt like they gave it back. They had a day off on Thursday, so it's tough to say they weren't rested. Obviously, one day of rest does not offer much, but in the NBA it seems to be about as much as you're going to get.
Still, the Sixers didn't just bag this one in the fourth quarter. It looked, when they got down, what was it -- 18 points? -- that it might stay right around there for the rest of the game. But the Sixers cut it to six with about 1:55 left in the game. That's closer than I think most of the soldout crowd in attendance, half of which had already left, thought this game would be. It was the missed three-pointer in the left corner from Lou Williams that seemed to be the best chance for the Sixers to get back into this game. That came with about 1:20 left and would have cut the game to three points.
The Sixers don't play tomorrow. They play the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, then the Portland Trailblazers on Monday. They -- or more specifically Andre Miller said -- wanted to win three games on this swing. That means they have to sweep these last two games.
As has been the tradition on this late, late, late-breaking Western swing, here's the final story with quotes from the Sixers.
Probably nobody thought that if the 76ers won one of their first two games on this Western swing that it would be the one against the Los Angeles Lakers. Or at least I didn't. But that's what just happened.
One night after stunning the Lakers with Andre Iguodala's buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Sixers appeared to fade against the Phoenix Suns, losing 126-116. After this game, everyone in the Sixers locker room agreed upon one thing: There just wasn't much defense played. Not by them. Not by the Suns. And that's just the way
As much as the excuse was offered that the Lakers win drained them, the Sixers wouldn't use it.
So what does this loss mean for this five-game, seven-day road trip. You know, I don't think it takes anything away from that win over
Some positives:
1.) If Donyell Marshall keeps getting minutes, and keeps shooting like he's shooting, then teams won't be able to zone the Sixers.
2.) Lou Williams is back. He is aggressive, shooting better, and providing that pop off the bench.
3.) Andre Miller, despite battling that nagging right calf strain, looks ready to make sure the Sixers finish the season strong.
These next two games on this trip, both of them, will determine if this swing is successful. Miller said going into the swing that three wins was the goal. Now that they've stolen one of the first two games, three wins is what they should come back to Philly with.
Okay, also, as we did last night in
If you're reading this in the early hours of Wednesday morning, then you're like Andre Iguodala himself -- running on adrenaline. Since this game ended at 1 a.m., only a buzzer-beating edition made the papers. Here's the final edition, for those of you interested.
This is -- absolutely -- the best win of the season. After the game, Tony DiLeo said he felt like the team was starting to come together like they did before the all-star break. This was a gutty win, especially being down 14 in the fourth and watching, with 6.6 seconds remaining, Kobe Bryant do what Kobe Bryant does. Although (sweet) Lou did not make the final edition, his first-half play, and 14 first-half points, were essential in the Sixers bouncing back from what was a slow start.
Oh, and that's Jack Nicholson in the photo. 127: You asked for the Blackberry photos. There they are, in all their glory.
The Story:
Sorry for the absence. I was gone the last week for a sports conference in Boston: didn't make the trip to Memphis and then Oklahoma City. So last night's game -- a win over the Toronto Raptors -- was the first in about a week.
No question, the Sixers played well. But the Raptors are bad. It's tough after the 15-point loss in Oklahoma City to take much from last night's win. If they can beat Chicago tomorrow night (some tickets are still available for this Spectrum game) and win Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat, then I'll start thinking about the possibility of a strong finish to this season.
Okay, so after last night's win, we were crunching some numbers for these last 20 games (76ers are currently 31-31). The Sixers have more games left than the rest of the contingent in the vicinity of the lower end of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. If the Sixers can go .500 -- 10-10 -- the rest of the way, which is not a stretch considering they have a slew of games against some of the NBA's worst teams, Minnesota, Golden State, Sacramento, etc., it would be virtually impossible for them to miss the playoffs. The teams surrounding them, Milwaukee, Chicago, etc., must have records of, say, 13-5, 10-4 etc. to push the Sixers out of the playoffs. Thus the headline for this blog.
At this point, and as the games continue to be checked off and it becomes more and more clear that the team will be in the playoffs this season, the issue becomes: What does it matter? Can they make anything of it? How can these final 20 games, plus (most likely) the playoffs, translate to future improvements? Can they make a postseason splash?
Look, there might be folks out there who believe that once the Sixers are in the playoffs that anything is possible, but the reality is with a 6, 7, or 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, you're playing either Cleveland, Boston, or Orlando. Yes, absolutely, anything is possible. But unless they can stay out of the last three spots (gonna be tough to do), it's a first-round exit. At this point it makes more sense to look at these last 20 games and make some observations.
1.) Samuel Dalembert. He played very well last night: 19 points, 13 rebounds. But that means nothing. Dalembert has a history of sprinkling in these types of games. He did look especially intense last night, although that could have been me paying extra attention. Right now, Dalembert's on-court reputation has been challenged. (Absolutely not his off-court reputation, as he has done phenomenal things for his home country of Haiti and will be honored on Sunday for the NBA's Community Assist Award for February. Dalembert pledged $150,000 to UNICEF to assist Haitian families and children. That's awesome stuff.)
But on the court, these last 20 games, I think it will be interesting to see if he comes out with that same passion and fire that was clear last night, because when he does, he is crucial to the Sixers effectiveness. Before last night's game, he was working a little bit with Moses Malone, and he looked unstoppable on the court. Will that be a flash in the pan? Or will we see him remain focused for a full 20 games?
2.) Marreese Speights. It isn't charity playing time for which Sixers fans are begging. I think there is a legitimate contingent of Sixers folks who believe the rookie should play more, and not just to see what they have, but because they've noticed he has been a part of big wins. I'll be interested to see how Tony DiLeo and the Sixers use Speights down the stretch.
3.) Three-point defense. The Sixers have said they were going to make adjustments and really focus on the three-point defense. I'd love to be able to have witnessed exactly what changes they made, but practices are closed until free throws at the end. From what DiLeo has said, they have watched film, discussed its importance, tried to show film on when the help was coming from the wrong place, when the help stayed too long, when the rotations were late or miscommunicated. How will this translate down the stretch? If we see same-old, watch out in the playoffs. If the Sixers end up with Orlando -- they have three legitimate outside shooters. Unless the Sixers truly do make adjustments, they will not be able to beat Orlando. They probably can't anyway.
4.) Lou Williams. He's an off-the-bench key. How is his shooting going to be these last 20 games? Last night, he looked aggressive going to the hoop -- as did all the Sixers. Is he going to fade down the stretch? I doubt it. He works hard. He seems to enjoy the game. He seems to be fine in big moments. My money is on Lou's game improving this last stretch.
But what do these things mean? What does this season mean? Perhaps these are questions for an end-of-season post, but at that point basketball will be over. How, with 20 games left, can the Sixers make this a successful season in the minds of their fans?
A playoff berth?
Winning a couple of games in the first round series?
Winning a series?
It all starts in this final segment of games. In my opinion, I don't think it's about winning a playoff series. It seems, right now, fans are frustrated with the inconsistency and effort night-in, night-out. Correct me if I'm wrong. But I think the issue in this final segment is feeling some sense of passion for what they want to accomplish. Coming out of the break, the Sixers had a clear chance to get a 4 or 5 seed. Whether it was better opponents, mental lapses, whatever string of excuses the Sixers offered on a daily basis, the goal just slipped through their fingers, without much accountability as to why. And maybe they didn't know why.
But now there are 20 games left. And the Sixers need to play those 20 games not like they need to finish 10-10 and slip into the playoffs. Because if that's how they play these 20 games, they'll slip out of the playoffs as fast as they slipped into them. And don't think it won't have an effect as they try to generate interest for next season.
--Kate
Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't, but lately the 76ers have been getting killed by the three-point shot. Obviously, this is a season-long problem, but lately it's been especially problematic.
Let's look at the numbers: Tonight the New Orleans Hornets were 10 for 16. The other night the Orlando Magic made 15 three-pointers. In the last five games, the Sixers have allowed 11.4 made three-pointers a game. 11.4.
Here's the issue (that I have) with this: The explanation the Sixers are offering makes sense, but it's not being executed.
Against the Orlando Magic, the Sixers said it was their "scheme" to make the Magic trio of guards Johnson, Lee, and Alston make three-point shots. Okay, I can understand that: Limit Dwight Howard, limit Turkoglu, limit Rashard Lewis. And if that aforementioned trio of guards is going to beat the Sixers from downtown, then so be it.
But what ended up happening on the court was that Howard was limited because of game-long foul trouble, taking away one of the "pick-your-poisons," and Turkoglu and Lewis had 23 points apiece -- and shot 8 for 13 from downtown -- and Lee finished the game 3 for 4 from the three-point line.
Like I said -- and I hate to be negative -- I can understand the "scheme." What I can't understand is how, after that game, the Sixers were still claiming they had executed the scheme and what had happened was the Magic had made the tough shots, which the Sixers had game-planned to offer. If you look at the boxscore, exactly what did the Sixers limit? Howard was limited because of foul trouble. The rest of the lineup got theirs.
You have a similar situation tonight. New Orleans finishes the night 10 for 16 from the three-point line (62.5 percent for those of you without calculators handy) and still they say it was a case of "pick-your-poison." Exactly which poison did the Sixers leave on the shelf? David West scored 30 points inside, Chris Paul had 16 points and 12 assists, Rasual Butler and James Posey -- outside shooters -- had 16 each, and Peja Stojakovic went 2 for 3 from the three-point line.
Open shooters. It happens. But does it happen 57 times in five games? Not unless you're having breakdowns, which the Sixers are. It's true you offer something on defense, but it doesn't mean you offer Chris Paul a wide-open three-pointer with enough time to spin the ball in his hands exactly how he'd like, check his feet, and then shoot. You offer the lowest percentage shot, but you contest it, or you make them pump fake and take a dribble. Lately, the Sixers rotation has allowed the ball to be swung to a player who is too open. That's isn't a successful NBA scheme: Any NBA player who has the amount of time the Sixers are giving is going to be a better shooter than his percentage. Great, so the Sixers are forcing a 30.0 percent three-point shooter to shoot. But they're also giving him such a length of time -- much more than he is used to during his 30.0 percent shooting season -- that he becomes a 10-15 percent higher shooter. At that point, how are the Sixers playing the percentages?
It's been a bad stretch for the Sixers -- 2-6 since the all-star break. But what's been especially frustrating is the poor coverage on the defensive end, without ownership after the game. A team does not shoot 62.5 percent on you if you've "contested" all their three-pointers. And you aren't "picking your poison" if you're swallowing all the poisons.
Still, the Sixers are 29-30 and in seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. Earlier this season, they endured a similar stretch and then went 14-4 over an 18-game. It can be done. And the Sixers have four days before their next game. Although DiLeo would not specifically commit to needing to work on defending the three-pointer (he said they needed to improve the "little things," like loose balls, etc.) if they don't figure out a way to defend the perimeter -- whether it's at the point of inception with the pick-and-roll, or with failed defensive rotations -- this outside game is going to continue to be a problem into the postseason.
Actually, tonight it was point guard Andre Miller who seemed most in touch with what's been happening since the break. We asked him if he was watching the seedings race. He said:
"I am. I follow all of that. This is a very big month ... This right here will pretty much decide our season."
Then he added: "We have to control our destiny and right now we're not doing it."
--Kate
