Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 8:29 AM | 10 comments |
 

Iguodala, Team USA win opener

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Sixers forward Andre Iguodala was in the starting lineup as Team USA opened play in the World Championships with a 106-78 win over Croatia in a Group B game in Istanbul.

Iguodala had five points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals and saw 14:24 of action.

Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers) had 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) contributed 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds; Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) finished with 12 points and four assists; while Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) scored 10 points each. Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) led the USA on the glass, recording a game best 10 rebounds while adding seven points.

Team USA faces Slovenia today in its second game of the tournament.

Here are some of Iguodala's thoughts ... Plus look for another edition of Dre's Diary in Monday's Daily News.

On the game, good to finally play in the tournament?
It was good. Training camp went well. Exhibition games went well. We are trying to take it one game at a time. Tonight really showed if we clamped down our defense, it’s going to be tough to beat us. We got to continue to focus on that area and let the game be easy for us.

On the second period run:
It started from the first possession. We really clamped down. Our point of emphasis was to make them take tough shots and make them play out of their comfort zone and we did that. They didn’t have too many turnovers – they took care of the ball, they only had two in the second quarter – but we were able to get them out of their comfort zone, get out on the break, use our athleticism and make the game easy for us.

On protecting the ball:
We just got to make simple plays. We got all the best players in the NBA … we’re all the go to guys on our team so we just need to make the game easier for each other … not press too much … just play easy basketball and defense.

What is the focus on improvement for Slovenia?
We got to play better defense. We got to follow the mode of the second quarter for the first, third and fourth quarters … put teams away early and not let them really get their confidence up.

On thoughts on playing Slovenia:
We’re going to get everyone’s best game so tomorrow, they have a few guys that play in the league. (Goran) Dragic had a great year with the Suns. I know he’s looking forward to having a good game. They are going to come out and try to have their best game.
 
Posted by Daily News staff @ 8:29 AM  Permalink | 10 comments
10
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:04 AM, 08/29/2010
    He played 14:25 min too many.
    — MaxDom
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:24 PM, 08/29/2010
    MaxDom, I couldn't agree more. Please continue to enlighten us with your unlimited knowledge of basketball.
    — jefuuetsukusura
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:12 PM, 08/29/2010
    this is only going to lead to him taking more bad shots next season thinking he is a better player than he is. worst thing that could have happened to the sixers. wish he would have got cut
    — amann08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:23 PM, 08/29/2010
    Coach Collins will decide how many shots per game each player takes and from where on the court they are taken.
    — incog69
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:32 PM, 08/29/2010
    "We got all the best players in the NBA … we’re all the go to guys on our team," says Iguodala. Actually, virtually all of the best players, other than Durant, Rose, Gay, and Billups, are sitting this one out, James, Wade, Bryant, Anthony, Nash, Howard, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, David Lee, Chris Paul, Stoudemire, to name a few. As for go to players, Iguodala has been the go-to player by default, which is a major problem for the Sixers. Igoudala is a very good player, a complementary player on most teams, an average mid-range shooter, a mediocre three-point shooter, an average ball-handler and passer, solid on defense (although not a defensive all-star), excellent filling the lanes, fine defensive rebounder (less solid offensive rebounder), leads the break far too often, many times with poor results as he gets too deep and fails to get the ball to teammates in good position. He is underrated by many fans of the Sixers, but overrated in his own mind. In a salary cap league, he needs to play better to justify his extremely large salary. Thus far, he has been adequate for the U.S. team, doing very little offensively in the three exhibitions and in this game, playing solid defense and getting quite a few steals. Doubtless, Rod Thorn and Doug Collins will be watching him very carefully as they try to rebuild this team, a team capped out at present.
    — chuckw
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:32 PM, 08/29/2010
    Iggy hasn't played for a decent coach (sorry Cheeks) since Larry Brown left town, all you Iggy haters will be pleasantly surprised in our guy Iggy once Doug Collins gets a hold of him.
    — The Time Is Now
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:14 PM, 08/29/2010
    Iggy has always been a solid player, I'm not taken by surprise at all, this goes back to his college days. The only things that you can't get from him are consitant outside shooting.....cause he is a high energy guy this hurts his shooting, and he is not a go to guy. But when surrounded by some good players this kid can help stablize a team. the Sixers have failed in getting a player that can complement him and his game. Carmelo Anthony and Iggy would be great together, iggy and Durrant would work and I can see Jrule and Iggy teaming up making a great team but they havent messed yet Jrule game has elevated tremendously over the summer, he's confident he can rule the court and he will. If the big the Sixers just picked up can play with his back to the basket this will also be a plus for Iggy's slashing game.
    — rayzoe
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:01 PM, 08/29/2010
    rayzoe: I think the key for Iguodala is to continue his fine defensive rebounding, but rather than take the ball the length of the court himself, often with mixed results, he needs to get the ball to Holiday and fill the lane. He also needs to play the three and forget about shooting the three, IMHO.
    — chuckw
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:12 PM, 08/29/2010
    Yeah, there haven't exactly been any Phil Jackson's coaching the Sixers the past few years, but the roster has stayed intact for the most part. That group of players (Iguodala, Young, Lou, Green, Dalembert-even though he is now gone, etc) has resulted in the same mediocre results. So I find it difficult to direct all the blame at the coaches, when there has been somewhat of a constant throughout this run of mediocrity (the players). This international play has proven even more that Iguodala is not suitable to function as "the man." Problem is, they are paying him to be "the man", or at least option 1-B. So then he'll come back to the Sixers and be competing as "the man" against all the other guys on this current national team, in addition to those that skipped the tournament, who have proven they are better at functioning as "the man". So I don't expect drastically different results for the Sixers.
    — LeoVanPotts
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:27 PM, 08/29/2010
    chuckw: your assessment of Iguodala is more balanced than that of most Sixer fans, but you are also underrating him. For his position, he is not an "average" passer, he is an excellent passer, #3 in the NBA last year in assists per game among all shooting guards and small forwards (only Wade and LeBron were higher), with an assist-to-turnover ratio of over 2, also good for his position. And by most advanced defensive metrics such as defensive PER, Iguodala is not merely a "solid" defender but an elite defender. He has not been named to any all-defensive teams yet (though he gets votes every year) because the Sixers are almost never on national TV. But I do not disagree with the assessment that he is best-suited as a complementary player in the halfcourt (he takes a back seat to no one as a finisher in the open court), which is why he is so well-suited for this USA team, particularly playing next to Durant. Nice win by the USA today, their second easy win in a row.
    — Statman


10 comments
About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

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