Truth being revealed
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Truth being revealed
Here's the difference between the Miami Heat and the 76ers. In the first quarter of Saturday's opening game, the Sixers delivered their best shot. They scored 31 points, shot over 60 percent from the floor, led 31-19, and were bouncing all around the court. What happened? Miami was knocked slightly onto its heels, tossed a smidged off balance, and needed half of the second quarter to stand upright and reclaim the lead. Half of one quarter. Just a few minutes. You could have gone to grab a hot dog and by the time you returned, Miami had already put together its 12-0 run and was once again leading.
Today, Miami offered a return blow. The Heat swarmed on defense all game, created turnovers, and worked around an ailing Dwyane Wade to create some decent offense. What happened? The Sixers were wiped off the floor. This wasn't even the best Miami can offer. Perhaps defensively it was, but in other areas it was simply solid, strong, good. And the result was that the Sixers weren't even competitive, couldn't even score, were limited to 1 for 13 shooting from their three primary interior players (Spencer Hawes, Elton Brand, and Marreese Speights) and 2 for 8 from their best all-around player (Andre Iguodala).
Afterward, it wasn't as if coach Doug Collins wanted to pretend that this was "just one of those games" that happen in a "long NBA season." No. He gave it to you straight: when Miami is good, there's absolutely nothing the Sixers can do. Put it another way? Miami's best is better than the Sixers' best, although more accurately you could say Miami's good is better than the Sixers' great.
This is the truth, and since we said all along the truth is revealed in the playoffs, that's what's happening. The Sixers' interior is being dominated by an opposing interior that isn't actually considered top notch, but merely mediocre. Iguodala can't create any offense during the postseason, not when defenses have shifted out of their oh-it's-just-another-regular-season-game style and into do or die. And the team's halfcourt offense, when boarded inside that half-court line, just doesn't have the pieces (enough shooters, enough big men, any go-to scorer) to compete with a team like Miami.
(On a positive note: Evan Turner looked good tonight and Jrue Holiday has had a strong presence in both games. Also, Thaddeus Young continues to play 100 miles an hour and pile up numbers, which would be beneficial if they were supporting-actor numbers instead of leading-role numbers ... but that fact is just another example of why the Sixers struggle in a post-season series.)
So what now?
Realistically, sitting here after the game and listening to Collins and the guys, the Sixers now understand the reality of the sitation. It's possible that Saturday's mild success had them believing in a vision that was really just a dream. Tonight, they got clobbered over the head by real life: Miami is so much better and Miami is going to end this series in four games, lopsided ones at that, if the Sixers don't find something that will work. Hawes must wake up, Iguodala must stop worrying about every other factor on the court -- the calls of the referees, forgotten plays, miscommunicated defensive assignments -- and play like a team leader, which in other games might not mean scoring, but when your team can't even reach 75 points, definitely does mean scoring. And Lou Williams must return to being Lou Williams because without him this team won't make it to halftime within arm's reach of Miami.
And even all of that -- for anyone who watched tonight's demolition -- might not produce victory, but it will keep things from getting embarrassing.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
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Prefer watching Neumann-Goretti anyday over Sixers.— pedge- Hawes finished the season in a slump and that's continued. AI and Williams are hobbled and rusty. Speights hasn't seen any minutes so I wouldn't expect him to start netting 20 - he looks out of shape and can't hold the ball. Jrue has played OK but he needs to drive and dish and not settle for jumpers. Glad Turner played well and still has confidence after not seeing much time.— 7mel11
- Agree with you about Turner, who sat for the last month (still don't get that). He scored 15 last night, if the starters could come close to his production, the games would be a lot closer. Always see comments about what Turner can't do, play D, move without the ball in his hands, etc. He is a better facilitator than everyone else on the team as a rookie, the other stuff will get better. I would be very comfortable with Iggy gone, Turner in Iggy's place, another shooter, and a center who doesn't get destroyed by Ilgauskus (ouch). — mjc1
- I don't get it either way people are so down on Turner. He started slow in highschool and college. The same maybe true in the NBA for him. They probably are the ones who wanted a center or expected things to happen now from a number 2 pick who was slated to be the most ready rookie. Even at this point of Turner's career though, he is a better ballhandler than Iggy. His jump shot is almost as bad as Iggy's but slightly better. His passing and defense aren't as good as Iggy right now but over time it may become better. — Manok
- Watching Hawes in these games, actually made me wish we had Dalembert back. He actually put in a basket for the Heat once. Iggy is Iggy -- cannot score; has been playing fairly good defense. Brand and Speights have been shut down. Sixers have been out-sized; out-muscled and man handled. Tough to watch; trying to take solace in a few good plays by Dru, Thad and Evan.— gba
- Spencer Hawes as a center is really two people in one. He can intimdated or the intimdator. He must be that latter for us to win this series. The guy is 7 foot tall, he can shoot and block he needs to do this the entire time hes on the court. I dont want to see a soft Hawes — DonovanMcNabb
- Kate, with all due respect to your writing--which I've very much enjoyed, though this year's stuff seemed a bit more 'party-line-ish'--nothing has really been "revealed": we're an upper-middle talent, that's all. And there's a ten-mile gulf between "upper-middle" and "upper-tier." Can we have the 'old you' back, the one that actually crituques without reservation what deserves critique (i.e. Thorn, Stefanski) and that actually acknowledges that this roster from top to bottom is really pretty lame.— Hobbes
Comment removed.- Miami is showing why people picked them to win the East and to win it all. We were incredibly unlucky to draw this team in the first round and would have been better off as the 8 seed facing Chicago. Their stars are finally clicking and their defense is amazing. You saw tonight how they took EB and Thad basically out of the game early, while Iguodala seemed to think he had something to prove to the people who felt he needed to create more offense. What did Dre do? He didn't attack the rim like we needed and get to the line, instead he hoisted bad jump shot after bad jump shot. This team had its heart stolen from them in game 1 and it will be a miracle if it comes back. As far as the stupid front office goes, I know they realize that this team isn't talented enough and in order to keep Doug here they will have to make moves to get needed pieces. Doug has continued to say that the playoffs are an evaluation process for him as well. He is finding out who he can go to war with and he knows that they need size and they need a scorer. Mo Speights is the biggest knock against this front office and no matter what happened this year it makes it disappointing. They clearly didn't go after a big and left themselves thin upfront because they thought Speights would be a major contributor this year. We kept hearing how great his per minutes stats were and what upside he had. What we he have seen is a kid who couldn't even bring it on a nightly basis at summer league and who has not seen minutes this year because he is soft, doesn't play defense, and flat out doesn't get it. Doug has thrown him into the fire twice this series and so far he has far from delivered.— Mattb
- Whats with the bummed out article, Kate? What really matters is that our young guys Jody, Jrue and Evan got "playoff experience" right? Its pretty clear how valuable that is, just look at Ig, Lou and Thad. Those guys are leaning on past playoff knowledge to help make this sixers team a real threat in the playoffs!
Truth? Objective observers could have seen this coming from miles away, or perhaps i should say months away, like January/February when silly fans started gulping down the cool-aid.
Contrary to the nonsense spouted out since collins has taken over, teams dont slowly work their way up through playoff seedings, they take leaps! Celts a few years ago went from 2nd worst record in league to NBA Chamaps, Ais Sixers went from 2nd round playoff losses straight to the NBA Finals. Chicago this season - 8th to 1st. How much you wanna bet OKC goes from never winning a playoff series to getting to the Western Conference Finals?
This season should have been about evaluating (which Collins originally stated it was) instead about running Igs knees into the ground and leaning on a 30 year old Brand to nab that elusive 41-41 record!— Xdaxblessedx - This series will provide Doug and Rod the necessary courage to make the tough choices with the roster this off season. I am sure Doug will want to build around Jrue, Thad and Evan and do whatever it takes to add players that complement that trio.— JBP
- We need to make some trades...Brand,Jrue,Thad,Lou, should stay, I want to say meeks too but if we can get some major bigs for him in a deal let him go and we will find another 3pointer .— filly fan
- An unfortunate matchup, but them are the breaks. The injuries just accentuate the relative shortage of talent. The season is over . . . Start planing for next year.— CouchKing
- Sixers are a totally lesser team without a healthy Lou Will. Remember how they used to come in waves. Now, the bench isn't the same spark -- it's no longer a delayed entry first team. Why is Speights on the floor so much? Why can't Hawes, Speights, and Meeks finish at the rim? So many shots were off, which happens for a quarter sometimes, but c'mon Sixers -- you guys are better than that. It might be that the Heat at home vs a banged-up Sixers (broken hand for Brand, knee and achilles for Iggy, hammy for Lou) is way too much for the team to overcome? Stil have a minimum of two games to go before the team returns next year with upgrades over Kapono, Songalia, and (I hope) Speights.— Leegles
- Well said, totally agree. — evolutionary
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.
