GM49: Rapid (Entertaining) Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
02/04/14 11:50 am EST
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Philadelphia 76ers 102 FinalRecap | Box Score 108 Brooklyn Nets
Thaddeus Young, PF 38 MIN | 7-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 17 PTS | -3A 9-point first half (4-7 on FGAs) triggered a solid game from #21.  He rolled home a 3PA in the 2nd Q and also had a nice steal and lay-in during that Q.  Thad’s big slam in the 4th Q helped ignite the Sixers 4th Q push that made this game enjoyable to watch.

Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN | 3-8 FG | 3-3 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 9 PTS | -12“The Enigma” is back and that’s not going to help his trade value.  Turner did not hoist up his first FGA until there were 2 mins. remaining in the 1st Q and we all know he is at his best when he scores early in the game.  In the 3rd Q there was a Sixers possession during which Turner dribbled the shot clock out and than attempted a shot with 3 Nets on him.  KG blocked that weak s***.  On the next trip he had a TO that led to a Nets FB bucket.

Spencer Hawes, C 35 MIN | 3-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 6 TO | 8 PTS | -6Don’t let the stat line fool you.  If you watched this game closely, you know that Spencer was his usual ineffective self when KG is present. He hit a 3-ball in the 3rd Q and another in the 4th — that’s about all folks.  Unless you want to discuss his 6 turnovers.

Michael Carter-Williams, PG 36 MIN | 6-17 FG | 6-7 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 6 TO | 21 PTS | -12MCW continues to struggle with his shooting stroke (2-8 in 1st half) and last night he was also a little careless with the ball — 6 turnovers.  However despite those woes, he kept the Sixers in this game all night with big plays.  11 points in the 2nd Q; a big 3PM to open the 3rd Q; a steal an lay-in in the 4th as well as a 3-ball in that Q. Without #1 last night, the Sixers would have gotten blown out.

James Anderson, SG 27 MIN | 5-8 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -12A nice 7-point scoring burst in the 2nd Q included a fantastic lay-in.  His 3PM in the 4th Q made the score 104-102 and gave the Sixers one last shot of hope in this one.  However, JA couldn’t guard anyone last night and that’s not helping the Sixers’ defensive issues.


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WIggins Watch: Episode VI

Posted by: Alex Gorge
02/03/14 11:12 am EST
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wigginsblackbckdropWhy do people go back to the same barber over and over again?

Consistency.

They know they will get the same top quality haircut every time they go in for a visit.  Consistency is the one thing Kansas star Andrew Wiggins has not shown in his hair styles, nor his play, and it could be the reason the Jayhawks are not seeing their full potential.

Saturday afternoon in Austin, the Jayhawks fell to the Texas Longhorns 81-69 in a game that was not as close as that score might indicate.  Shot blocking and rebounding are usually statistics that fall in the favor of Kansas (thanks to Joel Embiid), but on Saturday that was not the case and it turned out to be a deciding factor for the ‘Horns.  The Longhorn front-court of Cameron Ridley and Jonathan Holmes was a force to be reckoned with as they helped Texas to twelve blocks and the shocking victory.


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GM48: Rapid (I’m Done) Reacts

Posted by: Philadunkia
02/02/14 11:32 am EST
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Philadelphia 76ers 96 FinalRecap | Box Score 113 Detroit Pistons
Thaddeus Young, PF 32 MIN | 7-14 FG | 0-3 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 5 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | -17Thad was simply over matched on the defensive end, but did manage 5 steals. A decent night on offense was overshadowed poor FT shooting and an O-fer night from three.  In his last 5 games, Thad is shooting 7-24 (29%) from three. In his last 3 games, Thad is 4-14 from the charity stripe.  When a player with Thad’s silky shootin stroke is missing that frequently, it indicates to me that #21 is simply tired.

Evan Turner, SF 33 MIN | 5-13 FG | 5-6 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 15 PTS | -17“The Enigma” is alive and well.  A 1-5 start from the field produced a typical inefficent scoring night for Turner.  And in a shocking turn of events, Turner got emotional and showed his temper last night.  Turner is now 13-40 from the field in his last 3 games and 0-7 from the 3-point line.  Add 8 turnovers in those 3 runs to the stats and you have player that is becoming increasingly difficult to trade for a 1st round pick.

Spencer Hawes, C 28 MIN | 2-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -23I know the Pistons are a massive team down low, but have some stones and provide a little resistance.

James Anderson, SG 28 MIN | 5-11 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | -19Anderson started his night with two smooth drives to the rack for layins in the 1st Q.  After a couple of nice buckets — including a tear drop floater — in the 2nd Q, I thought Anderson was headed from a big night.  It didn’t pan out that way, but still a nice performace from JA.  Great draw of a charge in 2nd Q.  I thought the 3PA his missed at the 8:45 mark of the 3rd Q with the Sixers down 10 was the turning point in the game.  He can’t go 1-4 from three if the Sixers are to compete on a nightly basis.

Tony Wroten, SG 35 MIN | 8-19 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 6 TO | 18 PTS | -11Coming off a 1-13 shooting night vs. Atlanta, Wroten got his stroke going early with a 3-5 start in the 1st Q.  He ended the 1st half 6-12 from the field for 12 points.  TWroe also had a nice give and go with Lavoy in the 2nd Q for a hoop.  But Wroten’s hot hand stayed in the locker room at the break as he shot 2-7 in the 2nd half.  He also turned teh ball over 6 times and was out of control on a number of drives to the tin.


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Is Hollis Thompson A Keeper?

Posted by: Alex Gorge
01/31/14 9:54 am EST
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Thompson-300x222Remember when the Washington Redskins started out less than stellar in Robert Griffin’s rookie year?  This prompted Head Coach Mike Shanahan to say after one his many losses that year,  “We’re not playing for the playoffs, were playing to find out who will be on this roster for years to come”.   Well that is what is taking place during 76er games this year, especially with the reserve players.

We all know that the 76ers are tanking this year but there are still pertinent tasks that need to be completed.  One of these tasks is finding out who will be able to be a reliable option coming off the bench for the foreseeable future.  The answer might be former Georgetown Hoya / D-Leaguer, Hollis Thompson.  The 6’8, two hundred and six pound rookie has had an up and down season but might finally be hitting his stride going into the All-Star break.  If Thompson can continue to make positive contributions, he may play himself into a new contract and could be 76er for some time.


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GM46: Rapid (Beating Boston) Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
01/30/14 10:15 am EST
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Philadelphia 76ers 95 FinalRecap | Box Score 94 Boston Celtics
Thaddeus Young, PF 32 MIN | 7-14 FG | 0-4 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 16 PTS | -6I don’t understand how a player with such a smooth stroke shoots 0-4 from the FT line, but other than that it was another solid night for Thad.  He hit 2 clutch threes in the 3rd Q and had a nice dunk in the 4th Q.  Is anyone else worried about the physical pounding Thad has taken in the last couple of games?

Evan Turner, SF 38 MIN | 6-17 FG | 4-6 FT | 6 REB | 8 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 16 PTS | +21A less than spectacular shooting night filled with ill-advised jumpers (especially from three) was erased when Turner scored the winning bucket on a leaning floater as time expired.  I tought he also did a nice job of seeing the floor and finding open teammates.  Turner had zero turnovers, but missed or was late on a number of defensive rotations.

Spencer Hawes, C 35 MIN | 7-14 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 20 PTS | +13Spence tied his career high with four 3-pointers and had his offensive game working last night.  The illegal screen he set on JA’s 4th Q drive down the left side for a dunk was the key to that huge possession for the Sixers.  He’s just soooo bad on defense.

Michael Carter-Williams, PG 35 MIN | 4-14 FG | 2-5 FT | 5 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 3 TO | 10 PTS | +10MCW continues to struggle with his shooting stroke.  I was looking forward to seeing him face Rondo especially after the Boston PG’s pregame comments on the Sixers’ ROY candidate.  I can’t wait until the day MCW dunks on Rondo and asks, “What’s my name?!?”  The rookie only had 3 turnovers.  It had to be disappointing that MCW shot so poorly in front of his family and friends in Boston.

James Anderson, SG 29 MIN | 6-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +7Four points in the early 1st Q and a dunk by Anderson in 4th Q was that key to the Sixers comeback produced a very solid night for the Sixers shooting guard.


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Fo’ with the Foes: Boston Celtics

Posted by: C. Smith
01/29/14 1:52 pm EST
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celtics-dancereditThis edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Boston Celtics who have lost 6 of their last 7 games and received a 26-point smackdown from the New York Knicks last night.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game. Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into this Boston team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Kwapt B at red’sarmy.com, as Kwapt B will answer Fo’ questions on his Celtics squad from us here at Philadunkia.


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GM45: Rapid (Rock Bottom) Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
01/28/14 11:32 am EST
3 Comments
Phoenix Suns 124 FinalRecap | Box Score 113 Philadelphia 76ers
Thaddeus Young, PF 37 MIN | 9-15 FG | 2-3 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 21 PTS | -10A solid offensive night for Thad.  Thad’s steal and AND 1 in the 4th Q was smooth.  However the ill advised 3PA he missed with 3+ remaining in the game and the Sixers down 10, was a killer.  I also have to ask…How does a 6-foot-8 small forward who is athletic, fast and has a high basketball IQ, only grab 2 boards in 37 minutes of play?

Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN | 7-12 FG | 6-6 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 21 PTS | -7A nice scoring 1st half — 13 points on 4-8 shooting — helped Turner stuff the stat sheet.  Still, his defensive lapse on the Suns 1st possesion of the game set the stage for an epic collapse by the Sixers at that end of the floor.  Also when he got T’d up in the 3rd Q after MCW’s AND1 play had cut into the Suns lead, I threw my remote.

Spencer Hawes, C 34 MIN | 6-12 FG | 4-4 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 18 PTS | -9A near double-double on 50% shooting from the field and from three along with 100% shooting from the FT line out of your center should be enough to help you win a game.  It wasn’t…You know why?  Because Spence was MIA last night on the defensive end. How funny was it to watch #00 back pedal hard as he could as the Suns FB blew by him like an orange practice cone?

Michael Carter-Williams, PG 39 MIN | 7-19 FG | 7-7 FT | 2 REB | 11 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 22 PTS | -11I’ll start with the positive…I liked that MCW made a concentrated effort to get to the rim last night.  He seemed determined to score by going past and over Dragic.  The result was 7 FTAs and he knocked them all home.  However his shot is still off and Dragic simply killed him at the other end of the floor.

James Anderson, SG 32 MIN | 3-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | -5JA played no defense last night and I still am wondering when he is going to start hitting some 3′s again.


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Fo’ with the Foes: Phoenix Suns

Posted by: C. Smith
01/27/14 2:17 pm EST
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sunsggirlThis edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Phoenix Suns who have cooled off a little since their ridiculous start to the 2013-14 season, but are coming off a tremendous comeback win in Cleveland on Sunday night.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game. Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into this Phoenix team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Kevin Zimmerman at valleyofthesuns.com, as Kevin will answer Fo’ questions on his Suns squad from us here at Philadunkia.


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GM44: Rapid (KD’d) Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
01/26/14 11:16 am EST
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Oklahoma City Thunder 103 FinalRecap | Box Score 91 Philadelphia 76ers
Thaddeus Young, PF 36 MIN | 5-17 FG | 2-3 FT | 10 REB | 3 AST | 8 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 13 PTS | -16Thad’s energy and hustle last night were amaizng and the physical beating he took reminded of watching Iverson play. He posted a double-double and just missed a triple double (8 steals).  Howver #21 had a terrible night shooting the ball.  Is it me or is Thad suddenly fading away on almost every 3PA he takes?  FYI…Thad is 3 for his last 26 from deep.

Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN | 4-11 FG | 7-8 FT | 5 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 15 PTS | -3Since Turner’s career high 34points against the NYK, “The Enigma” has returned to action vs. Toronto on Friday and last night against OKC. Turner has his best games when he scores early in the 1st Q and gets into the flow.  Last night he only attempted (and missed) 2 shots in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Spencer Hawes, C 32 MIN | 6-15 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 14 PTS | -8Except for his one scoring bonanza in the 3rd Q, Hawes looked intimidated and hesitant most of the night.

Michael Carter-Williams, PG 33 MIN | 4-13 FG | 0-1 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | -11MCW has collided head first with the rookie wall.  Of course it would be stupid not to acknowledge that OKC’s smothering defense had something to do with his poor performance Saturday night.

James Anderson, SG 33 MIN | 7-16 FG | 4-5 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 19 PTS | -7Last night JA shot 43% from the field and 14% from three.  I thought he was brought here to be a big 3-point threat?!?  But he has stepped up his scoring since being put back into teh starting lineup — 15 ppg. in his last 3 runs.


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Fo’ with the Foes: Toronto Raptors

Posted by: C. Smith
01/24/14 2:59 pm EST
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nina-marie_toronto-raptors-dance-pakThis edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Toronto Raptors who are currently holding down the 4th spot in the East despite posting a 2-3 record in their last 5 games.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game.  Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into this Toronto team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Sam Halako at  raptorsrepublic.com, as Sam will answer Fo’ questions on his Raptors from us here at Philadunkia.


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