PLAYOFFS, GAME 9: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
05/16/12 10:19 pm EST
Boston Celtics 107 Final

Recap | Box Score

 91 Philadelphia 76ers
Elton Brand, PF 15 MIN | 1-6 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 3 PTS | -23As he has been too often this postseason, Brand was a non-factor. Well, maybe non-factor is too charitable: he had an impact on the game, but it was one that favored Boston.
Andre Iguodala, SF 32 MIN | 3-6 FG | 2-3 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | -16Iguodala, after starting the game promisingly with a dunk in transition, was similarly impotent in the face of the Celtics attack. If I were a guy who was facing an aging player with an MCL that was string cheese, I would probably challenge him defensively so I could 1.) get easy points and 2.) tire him our so he was less of a threat on the other end. Iguodala looked at this situation and decided, “I think I’ll take just six shots.” The wounded Pierce outscored him 24-10.
Spencer Hawes, C 25 MIN | 2-8 FG | 0-1 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 4 PTS | -13Entering Game 3, the word on Spencer Hawes was that he had returned to his early season form. Entering Game 4, the word on Spencer Hawes will be, can he recover from his lousy Game 3?
Evan Turner, SG 35 MIN | 1-10 FG | 2-4 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 4 PTS | -6When the team you’re playing shoots 52 percent, and you take ten shots and hit just one of them, you’re not helping.
Jrue Holiday, PG 36 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 9 AST | 15 PTS | -15Jrue’s pretty final numbers mask the (frustrating, unfortunate) fact that he didn’t do much down the stretch. In the final three quarters, he managed just five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Lou Williams, PG 28 MIN | 4-10 FG | 3-3 FT | 0 REB | 4 AST | 13 PTS | -12Lou, when things were getting out of hand–which is to say, the second and third quarters–tried valiantly to breath some life into the Sixers. He hit Thad Young with a well placed lob to, temporarily, shift the momentum, and did it on his own on a later possession when he took a bump and hit a leaner, then the subsequent foul shot. Not that this made any difference.
Sam Young, SF 3 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | +3*crickets*
Thaddeus Young, F 26 MIN | 10-16 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 22 PTS | -1After averaging only 6.5 ppg in the postseason entering tonight, Thad had his first breakout. This is the one real silver lining from a cloudy game: if that can continue to exploit favorable matchups against the Cs, the Sixers still might have a chance here.
Xavier Silas, G 2 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | +3Xavier Silas, evidently, was on the floor at one point. Good for him.
Jodie Meeks, G 17 MIN | 4-9 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 13 PTS | -1Meeks managed to do some damage in garbage time, turning what was a blowout into what will look, to the casual box score peruser, like just your run-of-the-mill loss,
Lavoy Allen, PF 20 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | -2After a very sound start against KG and Co, both in the game and the series, Lavoy came back down to earth a bit in the stretch run. That’s okay. He still looks like he belongs.
Nikola Vucevic, C 3 MIN | 0-1 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 PTS | +3Good to see you out there Nic. It had been a while.

After the Jump, Six Things We Saw


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GM 3: MUST WIN…YOU HEARD US

Posted by: Michael Kaskey-Blomain
05/16/12 2:26 pm EST

The Sixers want this series — bad. 

After the disappointment that was Game 1, where the Sixers outperformed the much more experienced Celtic squad for the bulk of the game in Boston, but ultimately still came up short, many expected the young team to come out shattered and shaken in Game 2, and all but give the series to the guys in green.  Instead they did the exact opposite.  They overcame a very slow start, battled Boston to the wire in a hotly contested game and answered Coach Collins’ plea for poise while knotting the series up at one and bringing home court advantage back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Game 3 will serve as a swing game, as whoever comes out on top will certainly snatch the momentum in this series.  The first two games demonstrated that the Sixers can not only hang with Boston and its barrage of big names, but that they can beat them as well. 

In order for the Sixers to be successful in Game 3, there are a couple keys they must focus on. 


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GROWING UP

Posted by: Tim Parker
05/16/12 10:02 am EST

Lesson learned!

Once again on Monday night, the Sixers held a 10 point lead in the 2nd half.  Once again, they saw it slip away in the middle of the fourth quarter.  This time though, they showed resolve, poise, and more importantly they made the right decisions when they had to.  Still, there were times where it looked like Game 2 was nothing more than a Game 1 replay.

Yet, in the end the Sixers were in the win column as they  earned a gigantic 82-81 victory to even the Eastern Conference Semifinals at one game a piece with the Boston Celtics.

The defining play of the game was a tough drive and lay in by Evan Turner with 40 seconds left in the 4th quarter that gave the Sixers a 76-75 lead.

Sure, it was a basket that took the lead, but what was more impressive was that it wasn’t 16 foot contested jump shot.  It wasn’t a rushed attempt in transition.  It was a concise and intelligent basketball play that showed maturity.


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CALL OR NO CALL ???

Posted by: Philadunkia
05/15/12 3:16 pm EST

To say that the moving screen call by referee Michael Smith on Kevin Garnett in the finals seconds of Game 2 has raised some controversy and discussion is an understatement. 

In case you some how missed the foul, here is the replay…

 

 

Obviously all of us here in Philadunkia nation were delighted when KG got slapped with the call.  In our opinion, were not sure what all the crying is about as even without our Philadunkia tinted glasses on, it appears to be a legitimate foul.  However, Garnett himself did not share our opinion.

 

 

You could argue that Garnett is right and that the official should have let the players decide the game.  Still, the officials had already warned KG about his moving screens and he chose not to heed those warnings, so didn’t Garnett (a player) actually decide the game by ignoring the rules and warnings?  You could argue that point as well.

It’s likely we will all never agree on the validity of Smith’s call on KG in Game 2, but one thing is for sure, it was a rare whistle.  But just how rare is an offensive foul call in the final seconds of a close playoff game?  Well thanks to the crack research staff at ESPN.com and our friends at Elias, you can find out after the jump.


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PLAYOFFS, GM 8: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: C. Smith
05/15/12 10:17 am EST
Philadelphia 76ers 82 FinalRecap | Box Score 81 Boston Celtics
Elton Brand, PF 18 MIN | 3-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 7 PTS | -7

For all but an 8 minute stretch of the 3rd Q, the “Ol’ Skool Chevy” was simply terrible.  EB was clearly scared to challenge KG on the offensive end and on defense, #42 had no answers either.  There is some talk of a shoulder injury and the C’s present some match-up issues for Brand, but we’re not sure those items can fully explain his disappearing act in Games 1 & 2.  Still, for one glorious stretch in the 3rd Q Brand simply carried this team when they needed someone to step up in th worst way.  EB led the way with 7 points in the Q, including scoring 4 straight points for the Sixers.
Andre Iguodala, SF 37 MIN | 5-11 FG | 2-7 FT | 6 REB | 7 AST | 13 PTS | +8

A solid all around night for Dre, including a reverse lay-in over KG for an And 1 that is all over SC’s Top 10 plays.  His defense on Pierce was absolutely suffocating (2-9 on FGAs).  However his FT shooting remains a major issue and his missess from the charity stripe last night almost cost us this game.
Spencer Hawes, C 27 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | -12On the offensive end, I’ll take 8 & 10 out of Hawes every night, but his defense on KG is brutal.  He simply can not guard #5 on Boston, so why Collins keeps sending out there is beyond me.  Every time he comes out on KG, Boston quickly sets up a pick-n-pop for Garnett and it’s an automatic bucket as Hawes can not close out on the jump shot.  By my count the “Hawes Hand off” was only run twice last night which is good news for the Sixers.
Evan Turner, SG 28 MIN | 4-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | -15

I had a very tough time picking a grade for ET as he was a roller coaster in this one.  For most of the game I thought Turner was terrible on offense.  He took several ill-advised shots including a 3PA on which his feet were not set, had 5 TOs and in general seemed to be out of sync for three Q’s.  However he was simply huge in the 4th Q.  Obviously he scored two big baskets down the stretch, including a carzy lay-in with 40 ticks remaining, but I thought the key play from ET came with 5 mins. remaining and the score 65-63 Sixers.  On a defensive switch, ET got caught on Garnett, so of course KG tried to back him down.  Turner did a nice job of holding his ground and when KG spun for the fade-away jumper, ET striped the ball from him.  Well done kid!
Jrue Holiday, PG 41 MIN | 7-15 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 18 PTS | -7

Another hot start by Holiday as he hit two 3PAs and scored 8 points in the 1st Q.  He followed that up with four more points in the 2nd Q.  Then he disappeared for a time during that hard-to-watch 3rd Q.  But he came out like a man possessed in the 4th.  “The Jruth” had two dribble-drives (1 for a bucket; 1 that led to a follow tip by Hawes) to open the 4th that were simply beautiful.  Then his 3-ball with just under 2 mins. remaining brought us out of our seats.  His defense was solid through out Game 2.
Lou Williams, PG 39 MIN | 3-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 8 PTS | +17

LW’s struggles continue and last night it was enough to make you throw the remote.  He continues to force ill-advised long jumpers or fade-aways or off-balanced runners.  The shot he had blocked by Pierce in the 4th had me cursing up a storm.  When he was forced to guard Rondo in the 3rd Q, you could actually see Rondo smiling.  Louis — watch some game tape and get a clue.
Thaddeus Young, F 13 MIN | 0-3 FG | 4-4 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 4 PTS | +1

When he was inserted into the game in the 1st Q, Thad came out aggressive and went on the attack. Unfortunately his shot was not falling, but he did nail all of his FTA’s.  Collins limited his minutes because of “match-up” problems on the perimeter, but Collins must find a way to keep Thad in the game because the Sixers need to get this key member of the “Night Shift” going if they want to win this series.
Jodie Meeks, G 6 MIN | 1-2 FG | 2-2 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 4 PTS | -1

A not so bad effort from Capt. Streaky, but watching him chase (more like trail) Ray Allen all over the court was uncomfortable.
Lavoy Allen, PF 30 MIN | 4-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | +21

The rookie has been huge in games 1 & 2.  Last night, he held KG in check, rebounded the ball, blocked some shots, hit a few buckets and for good measure tossed in a miracle bank shot with 4 mins left in the 4th Q and the shot clock running out.

After the Jump, Six Things We Saw


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SHOULD’A, COULD’A

Posted by: C. Smith
05/14/12 12:14 pm EST

After nearly two days of reading comments and emails from readers and listening to sports talk radio, it has become clear that the Philadunkia scribes are not the only 76ers supporters who feel the team let one slip away from them on Saturday night.

For those of you who doubt the validity of the above anlaysis, go back and look at the tape again.  We bet when you are done reviewing the evidence, you’ll ragree that the 7-6 lost a golden opportunity to draw first blood in this series when they pissed away Game 1.  But this post is not about dwelling on the negatives that came from the 92-91 Game 1 loss in Boston. 

Nope.

This post is about what we took from Game 1 that gives us hope for a Sixers victory tonight in Game 2…

 
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THE DIFFERENCE IN GAME 1? EXPERIENCE

Posted by: Tim Parker
05/13/12 2:04 pm EST

Experience.

It’s a word that every young hungry, ambitious, and aggressive person loathes, but it the end, learns to accept. Around this time of the year, college graduates with grandiose dreams will have their goals and career hopes dashed by this very sentence:

“You’ve got to get some experience.”

Most of the Sixers are the same age of those same graduates currently receiving their degrees and they, too, received a rude awakening about experience in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in a heartbreaking 92-91 loss to the Boston Celtics.

It seemed that the Sixers did everything right. It seemed that that they had everything it took to win. It seemed that the Sixers had their game plan executed to perfection, and it seemed that they were about to take a big first step to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 11 years.

One thing stood in their way.

Experience.


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TIME FOR THE TRUTH

Posted by: Philadunkia
05/12/12 1:52 pm EST

With the Chicago Bulls now in the 76ers rear view mirror, it’s time to focus on the Eastern Conference semi-final series vs. our arch-rival Boston Celtics.  As we all know, the Sixers went an encouraging 2-1 vs. the “Big 3″ & Co. in 2011-12.  Included in those two W’s was a 45-point whooping by the Sixers.

However, if you read this site, you are hoops savy enough to realize that Boston has been playing significantly better baksteball since we last saw them back in April — a 103-79 win by the C’s.  So you can pretty much throw the regular season results out the window as we prepare for Game 1 tonight.

With the regular season contests nearly useless as a barometer for this series, we thought it would be a solid idea for a couple of the scribes here at Philadunkia to highlight some of the keys to this second round playoff mathc-up as well as provide you the the readers with some predictions for who will move on to the Conference Finals.

Our predictions after the jump.

 
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BACK TO REALITY

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
05/11/12 10:15 pm EST

Embrace the feeling.  Dig deep into your closets.  Find those old Sixers car flags which became so popular during the Iverson era and put them on display.  Play this old school tune and enjoy every last minute of it.  Take a week off from watching the Phillies (you’ll probably save yourself from a week of anger and disappointment anyway).  It’s officially time to rally around the Sixers.

They have been team irrelevant in the city of Philadelphia for too long, and it’s time for them to receive their proper due.  It doesn’t matter how it happened, or for that matter what could happen next.  What matters right now is displaying appreciation and gratitude for this eighth-seeded Sixers team, that just knocked off the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.  It was only the fifth time in NBA history, that an eight seed was able to knock off a one seed.

What can be said about this Sixers season and this Sixers team is that they are far from normal.  In terms of the playoff teams remaining in this fight for the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Sixers stand on an island all by their lonesome.  They went from second place in the Eastern Conference in February, to barely squeaking into the playoffs as an eight seed come April.  They lack a superstar.  They have a coach in Doug Collins who went from a coach of the year candidate to nearly getting fired.  Their starting lineup shuffled throughout the season more than a blackjack deck at a casino.  They have a defense ranked third in the NBA, but an offense that stands all the way down at 22nd.  They play in a city which by all rights wrote them off months ago.  Yet this unconventional, under-appreciated team has placed itself a couple steps closer to an NBA Championship.


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WHEN IT WAS ALL ON THE LINE

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
05/11/12 1:50 pm EST

When Andre Iguodala stepped to the foul line with 2.2 seconds left last night — the Sixers trailing 78-77 and their grip on a series that seemed won just days ago slackened, if not broke entirely — he was thinking about his son.

With the Wells Fargo Center roaring — reaching, and exceeding, the sort of decibel level that makes reporters with sensitive ears wonder if cochlear implants hurt — he imagined himself, he later told the press, explaining to his boy how to shoot free throws: It’s alright son, it’s easy work.  Bend your knees, he said he hummed at the eye of the storm.


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