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 3rd and 4th 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 3rd 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 13th 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 


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GM 18: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
01/26/12 7:31 am EST
New Jersey Nets 97 Final

Recap | Box Score

 90 Philadelphia 76ers
Elton Brand, PF 28 MIN | 6-10 FG | 4-5 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 16 PTS | -6

Another day, another high efficiency, albeit losing, performance for EB. With the Sixers frontcourt thin and getting thinner by the day, here’s hoping he’s got a few more of these in the tank.
Andre Iguodala, SF 41 MIN | 4-12 FG | 4-4 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 12 PTS | -10

There was more bad than good tonight for Iguodala. Though he made a couple large-sized, quintessentially Iguodala plays—his tip-in off a Brand miss to bring the 7-6 to within 77-75 stands out—he was brutal from outside. In the final analysis, our best guy (him) wasn’t as good as their best guy (Deron Williams) and that made all the difference.
Tony Battie, C 13 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -6

With the frontcourt ravaged by injuries, and the team relying on him to contribute, Tony Battie came through with a classic Tony Battie performance.
Jodie Meeks, G 36 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | -2

Meeks somehow ended up covering the aforementioned Williams on the two crucial possessions that came immediately after the Sixers took a 90-88 lead in the extra period. Deron promptly hit a two to tie the score, then drained a three to give the Nets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Sixers worst defender on the Nets only scoring threat, while he was on fire?
“[It was] a switch on a pick and roll,” Meeks said after the game. “He’s an All-Star for a reason, and he made a good shot.”
My head hurts.
Jrue Holiday, PG 42 MIN | 5-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 7 AST | 14 PTS | -11

The good: he hit two fourth period threes—one that tied the game at 72, the other that gave the Sixers a 78-77 lead—scored 12 in the fourth period and overtime—including a dunk off an inbound steal at the other end that, temporally, put the home team in the driver seat with 1:18 left in OT—and his seven dimes were a welcome sign considering he entered the game 35th among point guards in assists per 48 minutes. The bad: he got torched by Deron Williams to the tune of 34 points and was invisible in the game’s first three periods. Dude’s got aways to go.
Lou Williams, PG 32 MIN | 7-15 FG | 2-4 FT | 1 REB | 6 AST | 17 PTS | +6

Lou Williams took a dumb 23-footer with the game tied at 80 and hit it to put the Sixers in the lead. Lou Williams took a dumb 23-footer with the Sixers down 93-90 and missed it to ensure a loss. There’s a moral here somewhere.
Thaddeus Young, F 27 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | +7

Doubt his centrality to what the Sixers do? The matchup nightmare’s back injury was the anvil that broke their…well, back.
Lavoy Allen, PF 18 MIN | 2-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | -1

Lavoy Allen got abused by Kris Humphries tonight. When a man is capable of that kind of physical violence, it’s no surprise his marriage only lasted 72 days.
Evan Turner, SG 29 MIN | 3-10 FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 7 PTS | -12

He was active, but tonight that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. His shot was off and he didn’t finish inside. He kept doing his thing on the boards though, and leads all SGs in rebounds per 48 by a wide margin. Silver linings.

After the Jump, Six Things We Saw Last Night


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NOTES, LINKS & TWEETS

Posted by: C. Smith
01/25/12 2:49 pm EST

The Sixers wil be without the services of Hawes and “Big Nik” again tonight vs. the Nets.

Which means that hopefully the Lavoy Allen lovefest will continue .  We know it’s only 2 games, but does Lavoy’s emergence signal the end of the Craig Brackins era in Philly — before it even got started?

NBA.com has a preview of tonight’s Nets at Sixers game.  The Sixers have won 8 straight against the NJN and had a +15 point margin of victory average in their 4 games from 2011-12, so we are loving the -11.5 point line that Vegas has established for the  Sixers tonight.

Sixers.com has a host of video from today’s shootaround that previews tonight’s game, including this interview with Jrue.

According to John Finger at csnphilly.com, you can forget those ideas about ‘Sheed coming home, but Francisco Elson will be in for a workout on Thursday. 

Back to Lavoy…he was a guest on csnphilly.com’s “Lunch Break” show today.

In his latest power rankings, ESPN.com’s John Hollinger has the Sixers sitting pretty at #2.


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GM 12: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Philadunkia
01/15/12 10:32 am EST
Philadelphia 76ers 103 Final

Recap | Box Score

 90 Washington Wizards
Elton Brand, PF 23 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | -5

Five games in six days for the 32 year old Elton Brand has to be tough on his body. Brand looked slow, out of it and simply worn down. But what can you expect from a player his age in a condensed season? There’s going to be nights like the one against the Wizards, where Brand’s legs are going to be heavy and he’ll struggle to perform.
Andre Iguodala, SF 35 MIN | 9-16 FG | 4-6 FT | 7 REB | 5 AST | 23 PTS | -2

Iguodala was great. He was aggressive from the opening tip, looking to create shots for himself on the offensive end and setting up teammates in transition. AI9 was in a good rhythm against the Wizards and he continues to excel pushing the ball for fast-break opportunities. Collins also praised his defensive efforts following the game.
Spencer Hawes, C 19 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 4 PTS | +1

Remember when Spencer Hawes came out really hot to start the season? Remember when he had four double-doubles in the first six games and was equally impressive in the other two contests? Yeah, I miss that Spencer Hawes. I guess we’ll just blame it on the nagging back injury.
Jodie Meeks, G 31 MIN | 1-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 5 PTS | +2

Meeks went from scoring a career-high 26 points against Washington on Friday, to hardly being relevant the next night. His five points all came in the first quarter of the ball game.
Jrue Holiday, PG 40 MIN | 5-17 FG | 3-3 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | +12

I still can’t tell if Holiday taking 17 shots is a good or bad thing. The positive: He’s being aggressive and attacked the lengthy JaVale McGee at the rim several times. The negative: The 7-6 have plenty of guys that can score, maybe 17 shots is too high. It’d be nice to see him create more as a passer (averaging 4.5 assists heading into Saturday’s game).
Tony Battie, C 12 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | +6

In only his fifth game appearance of the young season, Battie showed why he rarely gets on the floor. Battie is simply a solid veteran guy who’ll warm the bench when Hawes and Vucevic are healthy. Tonight he received minutes once Collins felt uncomfortable putting Hawes in due to his back injury.
Lou Williams, PG 26 MIN | 7-12 FG | 6-6 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 24 PTS | +13

After a 19 point performance on Friday night, Lou-Will did not disappoint in DC. Williams was feeling it from downtown and connected on four long distance treys. He finished with a team-high 24 points and is the Sixers leading scorer on the season.
Thaddeus Young, F 31 MIN | 6-13 FG | 6-6 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 18 PTS | +11

In the post game media questioning, Doug Collins mentioned only running a single play for Thaddeus Young the entire ball game. And yet, Young was still able to deliver with 18 points off the bench. When asked how he was able to score 18 while only being called upon once, “Just from having a natural feel for the game and knowing where the ball is at all times,” he explained.
Evan Turner, SG 13 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 2 PTS | +15

Turner never got in rhythm on the offensive end and although he made a few good passes, he rarely looked to create for himself. Turner’s thigh looked to be the reason for his lack of production. ET said he caught a bruise from JaVale McGee’s thigh during a moving pick. Turner said “I’ll ice it and rest it and be good to go.” So Philly fans should not be concerned.
Nikola Vucevic, C 10 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | +12

Just like Battie and Hawes, the rookie struggled to keep up with JaVale in the paint. However, he did grab a pair of offensive boards over him during the 2nd quarter.
Lavoy Allen, PF DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS |

No, the rookie did not accumulate any floor time in the contest, but he did get an assist in the locker room after Lou Williams shouted “Hey Lavoy, this chicken ain’t going to cut itself.” Allen promptly found the veteran a knife to eat with.

After the Jump…Six Things We Saw Last Night


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3-2 & READY TO GO

Posted by: Jerry Scherwin
01/06/12 10:47 am EST

With all of the Disney Princesses admirably rescued from the dangerous ice of the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers find their way back home to the P-H-I after a long trip out West.  With the lowly Pistons on the docket for tonight, the Sixers are sitting in an unfamiliar spot from a year ago; they are 3-2 in their first five games, all of which were played in the Wild Wild West. 

After starting last year’s season off 1-9 in their first ten road games (the only win coming in Madison Square Garden where five Sixers players had to score in double-figures to get the win) and finishing 15-26 away from the WFC, there were a lot of skeptics around the Greater Philadelphia Area that said the Sixers seemed doomed to repeat another lousy start in 2011-12. 

Well that has not been the case this year boys and girls.  It’s actually quite the contrary.

 
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MORE DRAMA FOR IVERSON

Posted by: C. Smith
12/10/11 2:52 pm EST

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend — unless you are Tawanna Iverson.

According to TMZ Sports, former 76ers legend and future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson went on a significant spending spree after she filed for divorce, leaving her completely penniless.  Allegedly among the purchases “The Answer” made was $20,000 worth of diamond jewelry.  Court documents that Tawanna filed indicated that Allen’s spending habits put their account in the “red” and left her unable to provide for their children.

Also According to TMZ Sports, Allen denies Tawanna’s allegations in the docs (of course) — and they will now head to court to settle the dispute.

One other interesting fact from this story after the jump.


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THE LAST SHOT?

Posted by: Tim Parker
11/07/11 1:46 pm EST

Considering that last Wednesday night’s lead story on SportsCenter was the Temple – Ohio football game, it’s become more than obvious that the NBA lockout has left a void for not only players, owners, and the game’s legion of fans, but that it has also drastically altered the plans of the sports media world including the “World Wide Leader In Sports.”

While NBA enthusiasts are twiddling their thumbs, and star players are living out their football fantasies due to pure unadulterated boredom, there is one man who stands to benefit from the lockout.

“Who is this man?”, you ask.   The answer is quite simply…

“The Answer.”


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NOTES, LINKS & TWEETS

Posted by: C. Smith
10/27/11 9:58 am EST

Allegedly there was some positive progress on the NBA labor front yesterday.  NBA scribe / radio host Stephen A. Smith believes the lockout will be over within a week.

“I’ll play for anybody…”  That’s what 76ers legend Allen Iverson told Yahoo Sports when the topic turned to the possibility of “The Answer” coming back to the NBA during an interview promoting  his Las Vegas Superstar Challenge.

As you may have heard or read yesterday, Dr. J is auctioning off a host of his personal ABA / NBA memorabilia, including his 1983 NBA Championship ring.  Rumors immediately started flying that Julius is in financial trouble.  That was hard to believe for us considering his vast success in the business world.  The Doctor is now saying he’s not in financial trouble, “To claim it’s a firesale or to clear up some debt, I don’t think so.”  That’s good news.  

The Raptors hired recently fired Sixers GM Ed Stefanski.  Why we ask?

A quick “76ers” search on craigslist.com produces this Barbie doll gem. 


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INTERVIEW: THAD YOUNG

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
07/08/11 8:52 am EST

Recently Philadunkia scribe Jeff McMenamin spent some time with 76ers forward Thaddeus Young (@yungsmoove21). 

Thad talked to our man Jeff about what he’s been up to the summer, his basketball camp, Doug Collins, the Sixers 2011 Draft, the lockout and of course whether or not he thinks ’Dre will be back in a 76ers uniform next season.  

Philadunkia:  What have you been doing this summer to get ready for next year?

Thad:  I’ve just been working out.  Lifting, running, and just doing the normal things I usually do that are part of my everyday habits. I’ve just been hitting the gym and getting up shots and doing the things that the coaches have asked of me. Just trying to stay in sync and stay in the midst of things.


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CLASSIC IVERSON

Posted by: Philadunkia
04/07/11 1:09 pm EST

76ers legend Allen Iverson had a run-in with the law last night down in Atlanta.

According to police reports, “The Answer” who is still stateside rehabbing the leg injury that caused him to leave his Turkish Basketball League team in the middle of the season, was riding in his Lamborghini Wednesday night when an Atlanta police officer pulled the car over for changing lanes without using a turn signal.

During the stop the officer noticed that the gray 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago had expired dealer tags – from 2009 – and had the exotic ride impounded.  Sidebar here…tags for that kind of whip cost around $10,000.

Needless to say Iverson did not handle the stop very well.


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