Post-game from Toronto
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Post-game from Toronto
I guess the gut reaction, after leaving the locker room following tonight's 104-93 loss to the Toronto Raptors, was that the 76ers, this season, are having trouble getting out of their own way.
They've been playing well, winners of 5 games in a row, and even tonight they looked bad for a stretch, trailed by as many as 23 points near the end of the third quarter, and eventually came back to tie the game with 2:06 remaining. All in all, you can leave the arena thinking the Sixers salvaged what looked like a blowout loss.
But the point of contention came at the start of the third quarter when power forward Elton Brand started the quarter on the bench, his team trailing only 50-41. Sixers coach Eddie Jordan went with a second half lineup of Jrue Holiday, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, Andre Iguodala, and Samuel Dalembert. Brand didn't check back into the game until 1:48 left in the third quarter. Ivey hadn't played in the first half. In the first half, Brand had 8 points on 4 for 7 shooting.
Within 5 minutes of starting the third quarter, the Sixers trailed by 21 points. Before Jordan went back to Brand, he substituted in Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights. At one point early in the third, Brand was sitting next to Lou Williams and Jordan motioned for Lou to go in the game. Brand, thinking the call was for him, was halfway out of his seat. He sat for about 6 more minutes of game time.
After the game, Jordan owned up to the failed small-ball strategy. He said, "I went with a smaller lineup, so it backfired. It happens."
Brand seemed, well, beyond frustrated. First, he was asked if the strategy was to run on the Raptors. He said: "I guess. I don’t call the shots. I just go out there and play the best I can. I didn’t think it was my fault, but I’m easy to get pulled it seems."
Then, Brand said: “We weren’t down enough to switch what we’ve been doing in a five-game win streak, you know what I mean?” Brand said. “So, that’s what we did and we paid for it. We were down too much to fight back, even though we almost did it."
"I wasn’t even the first guy off the bench."
Finally, Brand said, "Maybe they’re getting prepared for something else, I don’t know, maybe I won’t be here."
This season, it just seems, nothing can go smoothly. Not even the end of a season-best winning streak. Center Samuel Dalembert played about 3 minutes in the second half.
--Kate
Today's blizzard was awesome, but it falls far short in comparison to the snow job Jordan's been giving players and fans alike this season.— dasher- Please, oh please, FIRE EDDIE JORDAN. Please get rid of this ridiculous coach that we have. I know that I am not the only fan who want him GONE. I really hope they fire him right after the All Star Break. He's just a terrible, terrible coach.— Ellidyr
ah ha. so maybe there plan really is to tank the season. hell, that even almost backfired on them…Go Sixers! (being sarcastic)— bboybeballin- Eddie Jordan is a bizarre man. His small lineups have failed all season. But almost beating a red-hot team on the road the second night of a back to back with a lunatic as coach makes me think this team could go two rounds in the playoffs with a sensible person in charge.— riprepulski
Comment removed.- The longer this fraud remains coach of the 6ers the bigger freakin' idiot Ed Stefanski becomes!— khouse
Seems this ones on the coach-tinkering again-and they still almost pulled it out.Maybe Eltons on to something?But one thing for sure-they woke up in the 4th quarter.— HO HUM- Overlooked is the fact that for the first time since returning from his broken jaw, Lou Williams played a superb game offensively, carrying the Sixers until they tied the game. Jason Smith also played well, but he appears to be an injury waiting to happen, tonight the ankle. Maybe the NBA should mandate hightop sneakers for better protection of ankles. Iguodala played a particularly poor game offensively.— chuckw
- Keep yer chin up Kate, yeh could be in Alaska covering dog sled races! What's that yeh say Lass? It would be an upgrade! Yeh, see yer point I do!!!— DJ
- 8 points and 5 turnovers from Iguodala in 41 minutes? Maybe Jordan should have pulled him instead of Brand. Great contribution by Lou to get the Sixers back in the game, but I think he wasted 3 straight possessions in the last minute or so (shot of the SIDE of the backboard, turnover, etc.). I think he learned this from Iguodala.— syracusenats
- Coaches are suppossed to give the players the best opportunity to win. Jordan does the opposite. He does everything to make it harder to win. Let's not forget that he allowed an 18-0 run without calling a time-out a couple games ago. Notwithstanding, the team won anyway. This team was ready to move into the upper echelon until we let Andre Miller leave and hired Jordan. Now we are nowhere; going nowhere.— burg1013
- I refuse to watch anymore. I've been a fan for 40 plus years but until QOACH QUIRKY is fired, that's it - I'm history.— voodooguru
- I refuse to watch anymore. I've been a fan for 40 plus years but until QOACH QUIRKY is fired, that's it - I'm history.— voodooguru
- The team sucks, Jordan's worse. The number of ways this organization exists largely as a league-wide punchline can hardly be counted. But here are just a few. Since the trip to the finals, NINE years ago, the team has a .480 win percentage; in the last six years, we've gone though SIX coaches; we kicked Iverson out of town for his sucky attitude, only to bring him back this year to sell tickets; attendance-wise, we're in the bottom three of the league; our only all-star from our roster in the last nine years, Iverson (voted in by fans who don't seem to realize he's washed up), hasn't played in the last five games and a handful of others this year; ex-NBA players turned analysts (Barkley, Jalen Rose, Legler, Reggie Miller, Mashburn), recent former 76ers (Miller, Marshall, Ratliff), analysts (Stein, Sheridan, Broussard, etc.), former coaches (Collins, Van Gundy), local and national beat writers (Fagan, Cooney, Jasner, Smith) have all lambasted this team at one point or another since last June; various players (Williams, Brand, Carney) have directly or indirectly indicted the coach's decision-making skills; fans on the newspaper forums regularly contribute to "Fire Eddie Jordan" threads and concoct insane trade scenarios involving half of our roster; we have NO cap room until 2011; our two best "veteran" players have, respectably, sizeable or absurd contracts; the team is among the league-worst in 3-point shooting, yet keeps nailed to the bench a player who broke a 3-pt shooting accuracy record two seasons ago; and our current coaching staff, made up largely of coaches we fired previously and former 76er players and former front-office personnel, looks like an advertisement for in-breeding. Future look any brighter? Not really! Except the charity-case of Iverson, we've got no all-stars on the team, no rookie-of-the-year players, no sophomore standouts, and a record that seems unlikely to land a top-five pick in a weak draft. Bad bball? Yes! Bad business? Hell yes!— Hobbes
- Geez, how clueless is this coach. Worst job of coaching since Doug Moe. When will this guy begin to understand the game and the players he has to work with. This is just awful. Guess the Sixers will be paying yet one more guy not to coach.— trainrdt
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.
