GM 14: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: C. Smith
11/26/12 11:54 am EST

Phoenix Suns

101

104

Philadelphia 76ers

	Lavoy Allen, PF 26 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 11 PTS \| +2 A solid night for LA overall, but his bucket at the 9:24 mark of the 4th was HUGE as it ended an 11-0 run by the Suns and kept the Sixers afloat in this one.
	Thaddeus Young, SF 36 MIN \| 5-7 FG \| 0-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 10 PTS \| +11 I was expecting a bigger scoring punch from Thad last night, but with Holiday going off it wasn’t really necessary. His defense (along with the rest of this team) is still a work in progress.
	Evan Turner, SF 32 MIN \| 4-13 FG \| 5-6 FT \| 9 REB \| 3 AST \| 16 PTS \| +2 Poor overall shooting aside, I thought ET played a very solid game. I’m not sure I want him shooting so many 3-balls every night (career high three 3PM), but the one he knocked home in the early 4th was big. Of course he also gave me at heart attack with the missed FT at the end.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 39 MIN \| 13-21 FG \| 6-8 FT \| 3 REB \| 13 AST \| 33 PTS \| +11 Only two players in the last 35 years of Sixers basketball have put up numbers like ‘The Jruth” did last night. The other one was “The Answer” — 38 points and 15 assists against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 26, 2006. – and he’s headed to the HoF…Just sayin’ (More on Jrue’s night later).
	Jason Richardson, SG 34 MIN \| 3-7 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +5 Obviously the Sixers need J-Rich to shoot better, but still a decent night all-around. His 3PM in the 4th that pushed the Sixers out to a 00-97 lead was clutch.
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 7 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -6 He was probably so shocked at getting playing time that he didn’t know how to react.
	Dorell Wright, SF 20 MIN \| 1-4 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| -2 Another effort by Wright that should help pull him out of DC’s dog house. Love that his FT shooting is automatic.
	Spencer Hawes, C 20 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 6 PTS \| -3 An okay night from Hawes, but he can not fall off if this team is to succeed without Bynum. 20 mins of play and only 2 boards is unacceptable.
	Kwame Brown, C 6 MIN \| 1-2 FG \| 0-1 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 2 PTS \| +2 My favorite stretch took place near the end of the third quarter and than into the 4th Q when Kwame air balled a FT; had his slam attempt blocked at the 3rd Q horn and then got called for an illegal screen to open the 4th (?able call).
	Nick Young, SG 12 MIN \| 1-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 3 PTS \| -3 The FG Swaggy P hit in the 3rd Q was huge as it allowed the Sixers to keep pace with PHX. Other than that, he was a non-factor.

GM 5: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: C. Smith
11/10/12 9:44 am EST

Philadelphia 76ers

106

FinalRecap | Box Score

100

Boston Celtics

	Lavoy Allen, PF 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| -5The C’s seemed to have solved this riddle that was Allen on KG during the 2012 playoffs — go right at him and send Lavoy to the bench in foul trouble.
	Dorell Wright, SF 36 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 15 PTS \| +9A number of NBA folks told me that I was going to like Wright a lot for this Sixers team and they have turned out to be correct. He’s better defensively than I thought and he is scrappy as hell. His follow bucket at the 3:33 mark of the 3rd Q was key for the Sixers at the time and capped his 12 point explosion in that Q.
	Thaddeus Young, SF 41 MIN \| 7-13 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 5 REB \| 2 AST \| 15 PTS \| +13I can’t say enough about how well I think that has played to open this season. His pure hustle AND 1 at the 8:30 mark of the 4th was just awesome and capped a 10-0 Sixers run. Thad’s post up bucket late in the 4th out of the Sixers timeout was huge as well.
	Evan Turner, SG 41 MIN \| 9-19 FG \| 5-7 FT \| 11 REB \| 4 AST \| 25 PTS \| +1That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Back-to-back solid nights for The Kid. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but has ET finally seen the light?? I hope so, because he makes a huge difference in the Sixers offense. The stretch at the end of the 3rd Q where he buried 2 FTs and then on the next trip down the court hit a big FG was awesome.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 42 MIN \| 7-16 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 4 REB \| 14 AST \| 21 PTS \| +14Yes, Jrue had some stupid turnovers last night. And yes, he still can’t keep Rondo in check (Really who can??), but overall Jrue was ridiculous last night. We were especially impressed with how he did not force things and scored in the flow of the game. The dime he dropped to Thad in the late 4th to put the Sixers up 6 was a thing of beauty. Then he followed that up with a clutch 3PM. A career night for Jrue and possibly one that springboards him to that “next level”. This is the type of performance the Sixers brass are looking for out of their $41 million man.
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 6 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -9Ohh DC does know who Moultrie is…Yeah I know he got beat badly on a pick-n-roll alley-oop to KG, but he also had a huge O-rebound in the 3rd Q and a blocked Rondo’s buzzer beater lay-up at the end of the same Q. Also I think once he has a better understanding of the NBA game who could be a solution to the KG issue that plagues the Sixers.
	Spencer Hawes, C 22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +14A solid night for Hawes overall, with the exception of his headband which was an outstanding choice to compliment his mullet.
	Royal Ivey, PG 12 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| -8Another good effort from Royal off the bench and I understand why DC likes him. Still, a part of me would rather see his minutes given to Maalik Wayns in an effort to get the ball going towards the hoop more in the Sixers offense.
	Nick Young, SG 18 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 10 PTS \| +1Has anybody else had enough of this guy? I don’t care what his stat line reads, he is “turrible” as Charles would say. There was a 3-play stretch in the 3rd Q where he hoisted up an ill-advised 3PA early in the shot clock, then followed that up with a missed FGA and finished it all off with a TO. J-Rich can not get healthy fast enough.
	Kwame Brown, C DNP LEFT CALF STRAIN MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| PTS \| So far this has NOT been money well spent.

CLOSURE ?!?

Posted by: Tim Parker
10/31/12 9:31 am EST

At the start of every new NBA season, there is a renewed of belief, hope, and confidence. For the Sixers, 2012-2013 is no different. Even though, the true (unspoken) goal is to just be able stay in the same ballpark of class as the Miami Heat.

Nonetheless, there is a unique, almost poetic feeling about Wednesday night’s season opener at the Wells Fargo Center. As the Sixers begin a new chapter of their franchise’s history, they will be forced to look their past dead in the eyes; in the form Andre Iguodala.

As Iguodala brings his Denver Nuggets to Philadelphia, he carries a truckload of baggage with him, including memories (both good and bad), 8 years of frustrations, and a fractured relationship with the 76ers’ faithful.

Whether he was loved or hated, he was a much maligned, polarizing figure, partly because of his salary, demeanor, skill-set, and lack of team success.

Ironically enough, his final season as a Sixer would be the one where he actually began to be appreciated. He earned his only All-Star appearance; he led his team to their first playoff series victory in a decade, and nearly took a talent deficient team to the Eastern Conference Finals.

But, by then it was already too late.

IVERSON UPDATE

Posted by: C. Smith
10/09/12 9:54 am EST

Via HoopsHype, we discovered this video clip of former 76er and future Basketball Hall of Fame member Allen Iverson balling in China over this past weekend.

As we all know, there have been numerous rumors since the end of the summer that “The Answer” was headed to China in an attempt to continue his basketball career. Former two-time NBA scoring champ Tracy McGrady, who had a decent season for the Atlanta Hawks in 2011-12, recently made the jump to the CBA and will officially sign with the Qingdao club later this week.

Anyways…on Saturday, Iverson and some other NBA cast-offs appeared in an exhibition game against the Beijing Ducks who are the reigning 2012 Chinese Basketball Association champions. As you may know, the Ducks’ roster boasts the rejuvenated Stephon Marbury (33.4 pts., 6.2 dimes & 4 rbs. a night during the CBA Finals back in April). The Beijing Ducks beat the USA invitational team in the exhibition game, and Iverson scored only four points.

Iverson video clip after the jump as well as an update on Allen’s potential move to China.

REPORT CARD: THAD YOUNG

Posted by: Michael Kaskey-Blomain
06/26/12 9:13 am EST

Looking back upon the 2011-12 season, it is somewhat difficult to grade Thaddeus Young’s fifth season with the Sixers’ franchise. While he performed his role well and played very solidly throughout the season, you can’t help but be left with the feeling of wanting more from the lanky lefty.

Since the Sixers selected Thad in 2007 after just one successful season at Georgia Tech, Philly has kind of been waiting for him to come into his own. The raw skills were obvious immediately, and after a sophomore campaign in which he started 71 games for the 7-6 and averaged a promising 15 points per, he seemed poised to push the team, and himself to the next level.

The next couple seasons however saw Young relegated to a role on the bench, and while still productive, many felt that he was not quite living up to his potential. 2011-2012 saw similar inconsistencies from Young, who could often go from anemic to incredible in the same game. While his numbers didn’t dip, 12.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg this season, compared to 12.7 and 5.3 last year, they didn’t improve either, which is what you look for in a promising young player. In fact, Thad’s numbers have only fallen since that promising second season; not a great sign for Sixer fans hoping they had found a starting 4 for the future.

PLAYOFFS, GM12: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
05/23/12 11:47 pm EST

Boston Celtics

FinalRecap | Box Score

Philadelphia 76ers

	Elton Brand, PF 34 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 10 REB \| 0 AST \| 13 PTS \| +11 After struggling for much of the series–and the one that preceded it–Brand was large tonight for the Sixers. With 2:09 left, after KG cottoned a jumper to silence the “DEFENSE” chants echoing through the Wells Fargo Center and breath new life into beleaguered Boston, Brand buried a j to give the 7-6 a 78-69 lead and effectively ice Game 6.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 38 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 3-7 FT \| 6 REB \| 2 AST \| 12 PTS \| +2 Iguodala’s shot was absolutely brutal on Wednesday — he missed a few free throws in a way that would get a kid cut from most middle school basketball teams — but his defense was stout, he attacked the rim, and he came through when the leverage was highest. Up six and on the line with under a minute left he drained a pair of FTs. Shades of the last series’ Game 6.
	Spencer Hawes, C 21 MIN \| 4-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 9 PTS \| +8 The final numbers aren’t overwhelming, but Spencer turned it on in the back end. As the Sixers took and protected the lead after the half, he scored seven points on four shots.
	Evan Turner, SG 38 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 2-5 FT \| 9 REB \| 4 AST \| 12 PTS \| +7 Entering the game shooting just 32 percent from the floor in the series, Turner had a (slightly) more efficient offensive night than we’ve come to expect and continued to do work on the glass.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 39 MIN \| 7-15 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 6 AST \| 20 PTS \| +5 Holiday was outstanding tonight. He flummoxed the unflummoxable Rajon Rondo — who had absolutely owned the series first five games–and was perfect from the line on a night when the rest of the 76ers decidedly weren’t.
	Lou Williams, PG 27 MIN \| 5-13 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 0 REB \| 6 AST \| 11 PTS \| +1 With Allen Iverson in the house, the hope was that his spiritual successor would recover from a sub-par Monday with a big performance. Well, that didn’t quite happen, but ll the same, Lou, after a miserable first half, was 4-of-8 from the floor after the half.
	Thaddeus Young, F 11 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| -1 Thad struggled all game, and didn’t play a minute after the half.
	Jodie Meeks, G 13 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -2 Jodie Meeks did about as much to help the team win as I did tonight.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 19 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 3 PTS \| +4 The defense was there – the Sixers, via ESPN Stats and Information, held the Celtics to under 40 percent shooting from inside five feet — but he didn’t do much on the offensive end. We’ll take it.

NOTES, LINKS & TWEETS

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
03/09/12 1:18 pm EST

The Inquirer’s John Mitchell collects impressions from Andre Iguodala and some other Sixers’ vets on Evan Turner’s brilliant effort against the Celts.

“We see him in practice, so we know what Evan can do,” power forward Elton Brand told Mitchell. “He’s been working hard and being patient, very supportive. He’s going to continue to work hard and try to get better as a player because he’s a professional.”

Bob Ford breaks down Turner’s game on Wednesday in the context of Stan Hochman’s head scratching “something is wrong with Evan Turner” innuendo. A thoughtful treatment of the situation.

As we keep on the subject of Turner, the indispensable NBA Geek performs an autopsy on his game and says the patient’s fine. He posits that the reason ET isn’t logging a ton of minutes isn’t some mystery illness, or that he’s run afoul of Doug Collins, but that Jodie Meeks is actually, sneakily, pretty good. Not sure we can follow you there NBA Geek, but we appreciate the math.

Bob Cooney says the Sixer’s biggest deadline addition is likely to be Spencer Hawes. Hawes appears to be recovering well (finally) from his bulky Achilles. Given our 12-2 record with him, and deep mediocrity without him, Cooney just might be right.

GM 25: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Tim Parker
02/06/12 11:07 pm EST

Los Angeles Lakers

FinalRecap | Box Score

Philadelphia 76ers

	Andre Iguodala, SF 38 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 1-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 5 AST \| 12 PTS \| +9 If Collins had locked Iguodala in on Kobe Bryant from the start would this game have been a blowout? His defense on #24 in the 2nd half was excellent and was a major reason the Sixers were able to pull this one out. He didn’t score much until the second half but he had an active and solid night overall. Coach Collins’ decision to halt all the defensive switches the Sixers typically execute and have Dre stay on Bryant late in the 4th Q totally saved this W for the 7-6.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 14 MIN \| 2-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 4 PTS \| +7 He’s not Elton Brand and he certainly did not play like it. Though, he didn’t hurt the Sixers in a game where everyone’s best effort was needed. Allen is continuing to show good court awareness but has to grow especially defending down low and grabbing boards.
	Spencer Hawes, C 32 MIN \| 3-10 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 5 AST \| 8 PTS \| -1 Hawes was horrendous in the 1st half. He didn’t shoot well and was an absolute non-factor against Andre Bynum and Pau Gasol on the boards. His lack of toughness didn’t hurt the Sixers in the end but midway through the 4th it looked as if his lack of physical play would have been a major factor to a Lakers win. His teammates bailed him out.
	Jodie Meeks, G 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 9 PTS \| -6 Meeks had the worst possible start that he could have imagined. He earned 2 quick fouls on two questionable calls that sat him on the bench. Though, that turned around quickly as he began to drains his 3′s and showed great hustle defensively, including diving for loose balls and sacrificing his body.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 36 MIN \| 6-12 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 6 AST \| 13 PTS \| +11Holiday had an impressive 3rd quarter that kept the Sixers in the game. He worked quietly and efficiently. He ddin’t do anything fancy or amazing but he got better as the game went along and played solid defense along the way.
	Lou Williams, PG 25 MIN \| 7-12 FG \| 7-8 FT \| 2 REB \| 4 AST \| 24 PTS \| +3 Mr. Willams was fantastic. He simply took over the game for the Sixers in the 4th quarter — 14 points (He also scored 12 of the Sixers last 14 points.). It seemed almost that he couldn’t miss. The Lakers had no answer as Williams drained shots from all over the court including 2 monster shots from downtown. One coming with Sixers trailing in the 4th, the other would propel the Sixers final run to pull away.
	Thaddeus Young, F 24 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| -7 Young didn’t get much play late in the second half. Though, when was in the game he had an ok performance. He was solid defensively but the matchups were not there for him on the offensive end unless he was being guarded by Troy Murphy.
	Evan Turner, SG 22 MIN \| 4-8 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 8 PTS \| 0 His first task was to help guard Kobe Bryant. That ddin’t go over so well. At times Kobe took Turner to school which ultimately led to the end of defensive switching among he and Iguodala. Turner was solid otherwise in this one.
	Nikola Vucevic, C 25 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +9 Vucevic did not back down from the challenge of playing against Bynum and Gasol. He actually held his own. Out of the Sixers big man rotation, he had the best game of them all. That’s not much though. The good news is that his post game is continuing to improve.

FO’ with the FOES: LA LAKERS

Posted by: C. Smith
02/06/12 12:52 pm EST

This Monday 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 dreaded Los Angeles Lakers.

The Sixers — winning 5 of their last 6 — are about as hot as they have ever been over the last two years and outside of the 3^rd and 4^th quarters against the Heat, we really like the way the team is playing right now. We’re getting contributions from everyone of offense – including the rookies Lavoy Allen and “Big Nik”. On the other end of the court, we are playing the usual lights out defense that Collins preaches.

Throw in the fact that this is the 3^rd game in a 6-game east road swing for the LAL as well as this stat — the LAL are 3-8 on the road this season — and we really like our chances of seeing the Sixers get their 13^th home victory of the year tonight.

That being said, this will not be an easy win for Philadunkia’s home team to grab. There are a couple reasons for that statement. The first is that this group of Lakers has simply owned the Sixers in recent years. The Lakers have won 5 of the last 6 between the two teams, beat the Sixers twice last year and have won four straight at the Wells Fargo Center. So history is not on the 7-6’s side in this match-up. Of course the Sixers team that will take the court tonight vs. the LAL is vastly different then the one LA has faced in recent years, so this could be the night LA’s dominance of this Sixers roster comes to an end.

The second is the obvious one — that guy named Kobe. “The Black Mamba” loves to put up big numbers in front of the perceived “hometown crowd” that hates him so much. Much like MJ he feeds of the hatred spewing from the seats at the WFC and it drives him to put the dagger in our hearts every trip to Philly. Last season the Sixers tried Holiday, Iguodala and others on Kobe in an effort to slow him down and were met with mixed results. At the WFC in early December last season, the Sixers (mostly Iguodala) held Kobe to 9 points on 3-11 shooting. Then late last December in LA, Kobe rang the Sixers up for 33 & 4 when Dre missed the game because of injury. For the record that’s a 21 ppg. average vs. the Sixers in 2010-11. We think the 9 point effort was a rare happening for #24 in blue and gold and you know the moment the booing starts tonight you’ll see the fire in Kobe’s eyes and a wicked grin on his face – so look for another big run from Kobe tonight.

The third reason the Sixers will need a max effort tonight in order to pull of a win is the two headed monster that is the Lakers frontcourt. Andrew Bynum is back and looks great and Pau Gasol has been rock solid this season. Gasol absolutely owned the Sixers during 2010-11 as he averaged 20 & 10.5 in the two games between the teams in last year. In the first game last season Bynum had 8 & 15. Because of injury, Bynum was a non-factor in the second run last year. Just as an FYI, Bynum is hitting for 21 & 10 in his last four games. The stats say the Sixers interior defense has improved only slightly since last year, which is not good, thus we expect the Lakers to pound the ball inside and let these two go to work. Unless Hawes, Brand, Allen and Vucevic can make a surprising stand against the Laker bigs, that LAL game plan will spell tough sledding for the Sixers.

Still if the Sixers can slow down one of these two facets of the Lakers attack, while also getting out on the break and running vs. the ancient Lakers and playing up to the solid overall standards they have established for themselves over this 2011-12, a win is an absolute possibility tonight.

For a little more insight into the Lakers team the Sixers face tonight, we turn to our man Brian Kamenetzky from ESPNLA.com / Land O’Lakers to answer four questions on this Lakers squad from an insider’s perspective

GM 21: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
01/31/12 8:09 am EST

div class=”thn-reaction”>

Orlando Magic

Final

Recap | Box Score

Philadelphia 76ers

	Elton Brand, PF 31 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 7 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +3 Wow. What a defensive performance from Brand in this one. Brand played 31 tough minutes and played great defense on Ryan Anderson as well as help defense on Dwight Howard all game. He also added 4 blocks and 2 steals to his defensive stat sheet. Howard shot 6-17 on the night and that was in large part of Brand on the blocks. Coach K would’ve been proud.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 42 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 3-9 FT \| 11 REB \| 6 AST \| 14 PTS \| +12 Iguodala played a solid game. He filled the stat sheet and the team was +12 with him on the court. He held Hedo Turkoglu to a season low of 1-9 from the field. He also notched another career milestone, surpassing Sir Charles on the Sixers all-time steals list putting him in fourth place with 1,007 steals. I’m still disappointed though that the man cannot hit his free-throws. Going 3-9 on the night is unacceptable, considering only a few weeks ago he missed a free-throw that could’ve given the Sixers a win against Denver. For the sake of his team, he has to put in some extra time in the gym at the foul line. Can we get Herb Magee to come over to PCOM for an hour or so?
	Tony Battie, C 17 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 9 REB \| 0 AST \| 8 PTS \| +8 He sure didn’t seem like the oldest man on the team in this game. Battie held his own against Howard and played well on offense and defense. 8 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes is a great night for Tony Battie.
	Jodie Meeks, G 24 MIN \| 2-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 7 PTS \| +8 Meeks played a solid game. He defended J.J. Redick very well, limiting him to 3-13 shooting. Outside of that he didn’t need to do too much in this one. It’s worth noting that the 3-headed monster at the shooting guard spot of Meeks, Williams, and Turner had nearly identical minutes in this one however with 24, 25, 24 respectively.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 30 MIN \| 3-11 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 6 AST \| 6 PTS \| +4 Jrue was cold from the field, but defended well and distributed the ball effectively as well. The Magic were without Jameer Nelson which made Holidays job a lot easier. With the toughest stretch of games coming up for the Sixers, Holiday has to find his rhythm for the team to have success. He has the task of defending two of the best in the game in Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade next. It’s his chance to make a statement around the league.
	Lou Williams, PG 25 MIN \| 4-13 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 9 PTS \| -4 Awful shooting from Lou in this one. His 9 points stopped his streak of five straight games hitting for double digits. As I said for Jrue Holiday, Lou needs to be on point for this tough stretch of games coming up. He’s still leading the team in scoring and will be looked to often to provide that scoring in the next few games.
	Thaddeus Young, F 31 MIN \| 5-13 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 10 PTS \| -3 He tested Dwight Howard and Howard showed him why he’s one of the best defenders in the League. Young scored 10 points but on 5-13 shooting as many of his drives to the cup were defended well by Superman. He’ll have an easier time with those takes when he’s not going in against the 3-years and counting NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 17 MIN \| 0-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 5 REB \| 3 AST \| 0 PTS \| +7 He did an outstanding job for a rookie making Howard work for his looks. Lavoy continues to shine in the absence of Hawes and Vucevic. He’s done it offensively on a couple occasions, but against Howard it was his defense that made the difference. It seems for the moment that even when Hawes and Vuc return that Lavoy has earned some minutes of his own. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Collins uses him the rest of the season.
	Evan Turner, SG 24 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 4-6 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 12 PTS \| -10 Besides Tony Battie, Turner was the only Sixer to shoot above 50% from the field. Turner had 12 points on 4-7 shooting, and it was nice to see him use his size and strength to get a few looks from the free-throw line. He’s currently third on the team in FTA’s behind Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala, but only shooting 63%. He averaged 75% from the line in his final season at Ohio State, so at least we know he’s capable of hitting them on a more consistent basis if given the opportunity.

	Lavoy Allen, PF 26 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 11 PTS \| +2 A solid night for LA overall, but his bucket at the 9:24 mark of the 4th was HUGE as it ended an 11-0 run by the Suns and kept the Sixers afloat in this one.
	Thaddeus Young, SF 36 MIN \| 5-7 FG \| 0-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 10 PTS \| +11 I was expecting a bigger scoring punch from Thad last night, but with Holiday going off it wasn’t really necessary. His defense (along with the rest of this team) is still a work in progress.
	Evan Turner, SF 32 MIN \| 4-13 FG \| 5-6 FT \| 9 REB \| 3 AST \| 16 PTS \| +2 Poor overall shooting aside, I thought ET played a very solid game. I’m not sure I want him shooting so many 3-balls every night (career high three 3PM), but the one he knocked home in the early 4th was big. Of course he also gave me at heart attack with the missed FT at the end.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 39 MIN \| 13-21 FG \| 6-8 FT \| 3 REB \| 13 AST \| 33 PTS \| +11 Only two players in the last 35 years of Sixers basketball have put up numbers like ‘The Jruth” did last night. The other one was “The Answer” — 38 points and 15 assists against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 26, 2006. – and he’s headed to the HoF…Just sayin’ (More on Jrue’s night later).
	Jason Richardson, SG 34 MIN \| 3-7 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +5 Obviously the Sixers need J-Rich to shoot better, but still a decent night all-around. His 3PM in the 4th that pushed the Sixers out to a 00-97 lead was clutch.
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 7 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -6 He was probably so shocked at getting playing time that he didn’t know how to react.
	Dorell Wright, SF 20 MIN \| 1-4 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| -2 Another effort by Wright that should help pull him out of DC’s dog house. Love that his FT shooting is automatic.
	Spencer Hawes, C 20 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 6 PTS \| -3 An okay night from Hawes, but he can not fall off if this team is to succeed without Bynum. 20 mins of play and only 2 boards is unacceptable.
	Kwame Brown, C 6 MIN \| 1-2 FG \| 0-1 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 2 PTS \| +2 My favorite stretch took place near the end of the third quarter and than into the 4th Q when Kwame air balled a FT; had his slam attempt blocked at the 3rd Q horn and then got called for an illegal screen to open the 4th (?able call).
	Nick Young, SG 12 MIN \| 1-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 3 PTS \| -3 The FG Swaggy P hit in the 3rd Q was huge as it allowed the Sixers to keep pace with PHX. Other than that, he was a non-factor.

	Lavoy Allen, PF 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| -5The C’s seemed to have solved this riddle that was Allen on KG during the 2012 playoffs — go right at him and send Lavoy to the bench in foul trouble.
	Dorell Wright, SF 36 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 15 PTS \| +9A number of NBA folks told me that I was going to like Wright a lot for this Sixers team and they have turned out to be correct. He’s better defensively than I thought and he is scrappy as hell. His follow bucket at the 3:33 mark of the 3rd Q was key for the Sixers at the time and capped his 12 point explosion in that Q.
	Thaddeus Young, SF 41 MIN \| 7-13 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 5 REB \| 2 AST \| 15 PTS \| +13I can’t say enough about how well I think that has played to open this season. His pure hustle AND 1 at the 8:30 mark of the 4th was just awesome and capped a 10-0 Sixers run. Thad’s post up bucket late in the 4th out of the Sixers timeout was huge as well.
	Evan Turner, SG 41 MIN \| 9-19 FG \| 5-7 FT \| 11 REB \| 4 AST \| 25 PTS \| +1That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Back-to-back solid nights for The Kid. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but has ET finally seen the light?? I hope so, because he makes a huge difference in the Sixers offense. The stretch at the end of the 3rd Q where he buried 2 FTs and then on the next trip down the court hit a big FG was awesome.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 42 MIN \| 7-16 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 4 REB \| 14 AST \| 21 PTS \| +14Yes, Jrue had some stupid turnovers last night. And yes, he still can’t keep Rondo in check (Really who can??), but overall Jrue was ridiculous last night. We were especially impressed with how he did not force things and scored in the flow of the game. The dime he dropped to Thad in the late 4th to put the Sixers up 6 was a thing of beauty. Then he followed that up with a clutch 3PM. A career night for Jrue and possibly one that springboards him to that “next level”. This is the type of performance the Sixers brass are looking for out of their $41 million man.
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 6 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -9Ohh DC does know who Moultrie is…Yeah I know he got beat badly on a pick-n-roll alley-oop to KG, but he also had a huge O-rebound in the 3rd Q and a blocked Rondo’s buzzer beater lay-up at the end of the same Q. Also I think once he has a better understanding of the NBA game who could be a solution to the KG issue that plagues the Sixers.
	Spencer Hawes, C 22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +14A solid night for Hawes overall, with the exception of his headband which was an outstanding choice to compliment his mullet.
	Royal Ivey, PG 12 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| -8Another good effort from Royal off the bench and I understand why DC likes him. Still, a part of me would rather see his minutes given to Maalik Wayns in an effort to get the ball going towards the hoop more in the Sixers offense.
	Nick Young, SG 18 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 10 PTS \| +1Has anybody else had enough of this guy? I don’t care what his stat line reads, he is “turrible” as Charles would say. There was a 3-play stretch in the 3rd Q where he hoisted up an ill-advised 3PA early in the shot clock, then followed that up with a missed FGA and finished it all off with a TO. J-Rich can not get healthy fast enough.
	Kwame Brown, C DNP LEFT CALF STRAIN MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| PTS \| So far this has NOT been money well spent.

	Elton Brand, PF 34 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 10 REB \| 0 AST \| 13 PTS \| +11 After struggling for much of the series–and the one that preceded it–Brand was large tonight for the Sixers. With 2:09 left, after KG cottoned a jumper to silence the “DEFENSE” chants echoing through the Wells Fargo Center and breath new life into beleaguered Boston, Brand buried a j to give the 7-6 a 78-69 lead and effectively ice Game 6.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 38 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 3-7 FT \| 6 REB \| 2 AST \| 12 PTS \| +2 Iguodala’s shot was absolutely brutal on Wednesday — he missed a few free throws in a way that would get a kid cut from most middle school basketball teams — but his defense was stout, he attacked the rim, and he came through when the leverage was highest. Up six and on the line with under a minute left he drained a pair of FTs. Shades of the last series’ Game 6.
	Spencer Hawes, C 21 MIN \| 4-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 9 PTS \| +8 The final numbers aren’t overwhelming, but Spencer turned it on in the back end. As the Sixers took and protected the lead after the half, he scored seven points on four shots.
	Evan Turner, SG 38 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 2-5 FT \| 9 REB \| 4 AST \| 12 PTS \| +7 Entering the game shooting just 32 percent from the floor in the series, Turner had a (slightly) more efficient offensive night than we’ve come to expect and continued to do work on the glass.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 39 MIN \| 7-15 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 6 AST \| 20 PTS \| +5 Holiday was outstanding tonight. He flummoxed the unflummoxable Rajon Rondo — who had absolutely owned the series first five games–and was perfect from the line on a night when the rest of the 76ers decidedly weren’t.
	Lou Williams, PG 27 MIN \| 5-13 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 0 REB \| 6 AST \| 11 PTS \| +1 With Allen Iverson in the house, the hope was that his spiritual successor would recover from a sub-par Monday with a big performance. Well, that didn’t quite happen, but ll the same, Lou, after a miserable first half, was 4-of-8 from the floor after the half.
	Thaddeus Young, F 11 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| -1 Thad struggled all game, and didn’t play a minute after the half.
	Jodie Meeks, G 13 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS \| -2 Jodie Meeks did about as much to help the team win as I did tonight.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 19 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 3 PTS \| +4 The defense was there – the Sixers, via ESPN Stats and Information, held the Celtics to under 40 percent shooting from inside five feet — but he didn’t do much on the offensive end. We’ll take it.

	Andre Iguodala, SF 38 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 1-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 5 AST \| 12 PTS \| +9 If Collins had locked Iguodala in on Kobe Bryant from the start would this game have been a blowout? His defense on #24 in the 2nd half was excellent and was a major reason the Sixers were able to pull this one out. He didn’t score much until the second half but he had an active and solid night overall. Coach Collins’ decision to halt all the defensive switches the Sixers typically execute and have Dre stay on Bryant late in the 4th Q totally saved this W for the 7-6.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 14 MIN \| 2-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 4 PTS \| +7 He’s not Elton Brand and he certainly did not play like it. Though, he didn’t hurt the Sixers in a game where everyone’s best effort was needed. Allen is continuing to show good court awareness but has to grow especially defending down low and grabbing boards.
	Spencer Hawes, C 32 MIN \| 3-10 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 5 AST \| 8 PTS \| -1 Hawes was horrendous in the 1st half. He didn’t shoot well and was an absolute non-factor against Andre Bynum and Pau Gasol on the boards. His lack of toughness didn’t hurt the Sixers in the end but midway through the 4th it looked as if his lack of physical play would have been a major factor to a Lakers win. His teammates bailed him out.
	Jodie Meeks, G 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 9 PTS \| -6 Meeks had the worst possible start that he could have imagined. He earned 2 quick fouls on two questionable calls that sat him on the bench. Though, that turned around quickly as he began to drains his 3′s and showed great hustle defensively, including diving for loose balls and sacrificing his body.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 36 MIN \| 6-12 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 6 AST \| 13 PTS \| +11Holiday had an impressive 3rd quarter that kept the Sixers in the game. He worked quietly and efficiently. He ddin’t do anything fancy or amazing but he got better as the game went along and played solid defense along the way.
	Lou Williams, PG 25 MIN \| 7-12 FG \| 7-8 FT \| 2 REB \| 4 AST \| 24 PTS \| +3 Mr. Willams was fantastic. He simply took over the game for the Sixers in the 4th quarter — 14 points (He also scored 12 of the Sixers last 14 points.). It seemed almost that he couldn’t miss. The Lakers had no answer as Williams drained shots from all over the court including 2 monster shots from downtown. One coming with Sixers trailing in the 4th, the other would propel the Sixers final run to pull away.
	Thaddeus Young, F 24 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| -7 Young didn’t get much play late in the second half. Though, when was in the game he had an ok performance. He was solid defensively but the matchups were not there for him on the offensive end unless he was being guarded by Troy Murphy.
	Evan Turner, SG 22 MIN \| 4-8 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 8 PTS \| 0 His first task was to help guard Kobe Bryant. That ddin’t go over so well. At times Kobe took Turner to school which ultimately led to the end of defensive switching among he and Iguodala. Turner was solid otherwise in this one.
	Nikola Vucevic, C 25 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +9 Vucevic did not back down from the challenge of playing against Bynum and Gasol. He actually held his own. Out of the Sixers big man rotation, he had the best game of them all. That’s not much though. The good news is that his post game is continuing to improve.

	Elton Brand, PF 31 MIN \| 4-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 7 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +3 Wow. What a defensive performance from Brand in this one. Brand played 31 tough minutes and played great defense on Ryan Anderson as well as help defense on Dwight Howard all game. He also added 4 blocks and 2 steals to his defensive stat sheet. Howard shot 6-17 on the night and that was in large part of Brand on the blocks. Coach K would’ve been proud.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 42 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 3-9 FT \| 11 REB \| 6 AST \| 14 PTS \| +12 Iguodala played a solid game. He filled the stat sheet and the team was +12 with him on the court. He held Hedo Turkoglu to a season low of 1-9 from the field. He also notched another career milestone, surpassing Sir Charles on the Sixers all-time steals list putting him in fourth place with 1,007 steals. I’m still disappointed though that the man cannot hit his free-throws. Going 3-9 on the night is unacceptable, considering only a few weeks ago he missed a free-throw that could’ve given the Sixers a win against Denver. For the sake of his team, he has to put in some extra time in the gym at the foul line. Can we get Herb Magee to come over to PCOM for an hour or so?
	Tony Battie, C 17 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 9 REB \| 0 AST \| 8 PTS \| +8 He sure didn’t seem like the oldest man on the team in this game. Battie held his own against Howard and played well on offense and defense. 8 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes is a great night for Tony Battie.
	Jodie Meeks, G 24 MIN \| 2-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 7 PTS \| +8 Meeks played a solid game. He defended J.J. Redick very well, limiting him to 3-13 shooting. Outside of that he didn’t need to do too much in this one. It’s worth noting that the 3-headed monster at the shooting guard spot of Meeks, Williams, and Turner had nearly identical minutes in this one however with 24, 25, 24 respectively.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 30 MIN \| 3-11 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 6 AST \| 6 PTS \| +4 Jrue was cold from the field, but defended well and distributed the ball effectively as well. The Magic were without Jameer Nelson which made Holidays job a lot easier. With the toughest stretch of games coming up for the Sixers, Holiday has to find his rhythm for the team to have success. He has the task of defending two of the best in the game in Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade next. It’s his chance to make a statement around the league.
	Lou Williams, PG 25 MIN \| 4-13 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 9 PTS \| -4 Awful shooting from Lou in this one. His 9 points stopped his streak of five straight games hitting for double digits. As I said for Jrue Holiday, Lou needs to be on point for this tough stretch of games coming up. He’s still leading the team in scoring and will be looked to often to provide that scoring in the next few games.
	Thaddeus Young, F 31 MIN \| 5-13 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 2 AST \| 10 PTS \| -3 He tested Dwight Howard and Howard showed him why he’s one of the best defenders in the League. Young scored 10 points but on 5-13 shooting as many of his drives to the cup were defended well by Superman. He’ll have an easier time with those takes when he’s not going in against the 3-years and counting NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
	Lavoy Allen, PF 17 MIN \| 0-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 5 REB \| 3 AST \| 0 PTS \| +7 He did an outstanding job for a rookie making Howard work for his looks. Lavoy continues to shine in the absence of Hawes and Vucevic. He’s done it offensively on a couple occasions, but against Howard it was his defense that made the difference. It seems for the moment that even when Hawes and Vuc return that Lavoy has earned some minutes of his own. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Collins uses him the rest of the season.
	Evan Turner, SG 24 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 4-6 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 12 PTS \| -10 Besides Tony Battie, Turner was the only Sixer to shoot above 50% from the field. Turner had 12 points on 4-7 shooting, and it was nice to see him use his size and strength to get a few looks from the free-throw line. He’s currently third on the team in FTA’s behind Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala, but only shooting 63%. He averaged 75% from the line in his final season at Ohio State, so at least we know he’s capable of hitting them on a more consistent basis if given the opportunity.

GM 14: RAPID REACTS

GM 5: RAPID REACTS

CLOSURE ?!?

IVERSON UPDATE

REPORT CARD: THAD YOUNG

PLAYOFFS, GM12: RAPID REACTS

NOTES, LINKS & TWEETS

GM 25: RAPID REACTS

FO’ with the FOES: LA LAKERS

GM 21: RAPID REACTS

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