Young's play opens up Sixers' offense

THE PAST couple of games heading into last night were not at all a sample of what Thaddeus Young is about. He scored only 13 points combined, had a total of eight rebounds and even got a rare technical foul in Wednesday's loss to Golden State. Not coincidentally, both of those games turned into Sixers losses.

So the plan was set against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both coach Brett Brown and Young knew the importance of getting him flowing offensively ASAP. So on the team's first possession, Young deposited a baby hook shot. His offensive production again went silent for a little while as the focus of the game surrounded the booing and chanting directed at Andrew Bynum. Just as it seemed as if Young was in for another night of struggles, he did what he does best - he hustled his way out of it.

With the Sixers holding a 57-52 lead, Cleveland's Tristan Thompson had just corralled an offensive rebound. As he dribbled up the lane away from the basket, Young sprinted, stole the ball from behind and took it for a dunk. He then made a hellacious block on a Dion Waiters dunk attempt, which led to another score. He was greeted at midcourt by Brown, who gave him an appreciative slap on the chest.

The Sixers rode the momentum that Young created, outscoring the Cavs, 33-19, in the third quarter en route to a 94-79 win, which improved their record to 4-2.

"For sure," Young said emphatically, when asked whether he wanted to get off to a quick start. "You just try to go out there and do things that you can do, not try to get away from the game or anything. I just focus in a little bit more. For me, it's mental, I will my way through things. That's how I've been my whole life. It might not always happen [all the time]. My confidence was hurt [the past two games], and it reminded me to go out there and do what I'm supposed to."

When he does, it opens space for so many others on the floor. Last night, Evan Turner displayed a terrific midrange game in leading the Sixers with 22 points. Tony Wroten poured in 18 off the bench, a career high, and supplied his normal amount of boundless energy, while James Anderson scored 11 and Michael Carter-Williams collected 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Spencer Hawes also jumped in the double-figure scoring column with 10.

"I've got to help him and he's got to help Thad," Brown said of Young, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. "And he will. He's such a complex player and I say that in a very complimentary way. He's so multipurposed, and has been used in such different ways, you don't just say, 'Yup, this is where he belongs.' You sort of feel him out, and he has impacts all over the place. I need to step up and help him find a way to have a good game. He's struggled, but I'm with him, and I'm going to try and put him in better positions."

No one has been in better positions so far this season than Turner, who notched his fifth 20-plus point game of the season and is playing with the most confidence he has had in four seasons. He also made 10 of 18 shots and is now 53-for-96 (55.2 percent) for the season.

For Young, the game was a chance to wipe out the agitated feeling he has been carrying the past couple of games.

"I can admit that, there was [a lot of frustration]," he said. "It was more of just being frustrated with myself. Sometimes things don't go your way and you get out of character a little bit. It's rarely been seen in my career that I've gotten frustrated or that I've shown it. I might have been frustrated [in the past] but I didn't show it.

"I'm just going to go out there and keep playing basketball. This is a new situation for everybody, a new situation for me, E.T. [Turner], Spence [Hawes]. We're in leadership roles and teaching mode. We have a lot of young guys, only a few back from last year. It's just a different situation."

Daniel Orton was out for the Sixers with a strained knee. He said after the Washington game on Wednesday that he had twisted it at some point. Coach Brett Brown said: "It's just more precautionary stuff. I think that we may see him [tonight]," when the Sixers play the Cavaliers in Cleveland . . . The Sixers all wore headbands to begin the game, at the request of Spencer Hawes. The red, white and blue head gear was in honor of Veterans Day weekend. Thaddeus Young said that if he didn't play well, the headband was headed to the stands. Many of the players discarded them before game's end.

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