Stage set for Turner to shine?
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Stage set for Turner to shine?
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
The more you think about the Boston Celtics in Round 2, doesn’t it appear as if this could be a series for Evan Turner to up his pedigree?
Turner had one of his best games of the season against Boston back on March 7, posting 26 points and collecting nine rebounds (eight of them defensive) in the Sixers’ 103-71 rout of the Celtics in the first of three meetings between the teams.
The final score might be a little bit skewed because the Celtics were exhausted from winning an overtime game at home against the Houston Rockets the night before, but what’s more important is that the Sixers were able to dictate tempo against the Celtics and Turner played a huge role in making that happen.
The nine boards Turner grabbed were part of 54-35 rebounding advantage for the Sixers in that game, which marked the end of a five-game winning streak for Boston.
Boston is the 30th rated rebounding team in the league, something that Turner could help to exploit in the playoffs. If he’s getting rebounds and pushing the ball – and on the defensive end making it harder for Rajon Rondo to find openings in the Sixers’ defense – his role could be huge.
Could this be a coming out party for Turner? This would be a great time for him to take the next step.
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmitchInquirer
If he plays the point he can be a major factor!— male- would be great if he stays on the court if he starts pushing any kind of 2nd half run.— rzzzzz
- Celts 48, Sixers 47. ET: 12 pts (5-for-9 shooting), 9 rebs, 2 assts. 3 steals. Rondo, who is getting schooled by ET: 2 pts (1-for-6), 5 rebs, 10 assts.— iceman
- @omegamale.. You arent a astronaut you are a space cadet. If the Sixers can figure out how to keep the ball in the kids hands everybody on the court gets better. Dont give Iggy the ball and dont let Jrue hold it for 20 seconds then pass. Get it in Turner's hands and allow him to spin it where it needs to be. He dont have shoot to be effective. Let him pass to Holiday and turn him into an effective shooter instead of him trying to create a shot of the hesitation. Good news is we almost won playing the way that lost us most of our games during the drought. And it took Rondo a triple double and Garnett a great game for them to win by one point on their own homecourt. Thats gotta be encouraging.— Zeru
- Excellent point Zeru— Mack of the Pack
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.
