 .500 Reasons To Win Tonight
Tonight, the Sixers have two choices. They can rest the starters and try to go into the playoffs with fresh legs, or they can take the court with their usual rotation and go for a .500 record. In the ledger, this game doesn't mean anything. The Sixers will face the Pistons in the first round. There's no hope of this win having anything to do with home court in an upcoming round. The Sixers are where they are, record-wise. That being said, they have to go out there and win this game for a couple of reasons.
First of all, there's a big psychological difference between being a losing team (40-42) and a .500 team. The word "losing" in that sentence pretty much sums it up. This is the first reason, but really not the most important one. The main reason this game really is important is that the Sixers aren't good enough to press the on/off button. They coasted through a home game against the Pacers and lost. The intensity wasn't there at the Wizards and they let that one slip away. The first three quarters against the Cavs, same story. This team cannot afford to lose its edge. In fact, if the players on the team are still steaming about the way the game was stolen from them on Monday night, I'd be surprised if they allowed Mo to bench them. Tonight's game isn't just about finishing .500. It isn't just about putting the robbery behind them. It's all about momentum. They need to out there to show the fans, the media, the Pistons and most importantly themselves that the team we saw in the fourth quarter on Monday night is the team we're going to see from here on out. This team does not take games off, they can't afford to. If you're playing Philly, you're in for a fight.
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Apparently Mo will start them but play Sammy, Iggy and Miller for limited minutes.
I am cool with that because we will need a lot of help from our bench in the playoffs so it would be good to put them in a bit of a groove. We would need the likes of Louis Williams and Jason Smith to produce in the playoffs and playing them a lot tonight Mo could do some experimentation or even call plays for them.
Speaking of calling plays, well, let's start calling some plays for Thad. If we really want to give the Pistons a challenge Thad has to start so yeah we need to unleash the beast in him.
Ugh. I don't like that at all. Hopefully the second team can bring it home.
The number one change that needs to be made is getting Thad more involved in the offense. They started doing it in the past week or so, he's taken a lot more jumpers, especially from the baseline. If he can knock that down with regularity, it should open things up for everyone else going to the hoop.
Look for Lou and Thad to put up 45 combined tonight. They are going to have to.
We should start a pool for who gets the most shots up, Lou, Green or Carney. If Giricek was still here my money would've been on him. I think my money is on Green. He's going to think he's the best player on the floor.
I think Willie believes he's always the best player on the floor, the way he just throws it up sometimes.
I like Lou most when he uses his speed to get in the lane, usually drawing a foul and taking free throws as a result. That performance in the 4th quarter against Cleveland would have done him a lot of good. He was back to that great form he showed in the early/middle stage of the season.
I gotta disagree. It's about positioning not record in the NBA. If they were .500 or better but the 9th seed what good is that?
I am glad Mo is resting his starters - this game means nothing except an opportunity for disaster if someone gets hurt. Iggy has been laboring from that lower left leg bruise he got last Friday I wouldn't play him one minute after the performance he gave on Monday. He had no legs at all. A. Miller needs to be as fresh as possible having to keep up with Billups all series. And Sammy, well his brain probably needs a rest at this point.
They've got 2 days off minimum before game 1. That's plenty. I'm more worried about rust than rest.
I think if you ask professional athletes, they would say .500 means a lot more than a losing season. I have never spoken to one personally though, so who knows.
I think limiting those 3 guys to 20-25 each isn't a particularly bad idea. I certainly wouldn't be putting them out there for 35 or anything. I just hope Smith, Carney, Lou and Thad are on the court and Willie isn't down the stretch.
Most shots on the night? Tough choice. I got Carney. I am gonna predict a season high in points somewhere in the mid 20s.
Willie lives for these game, I'm putting his over/under for shots at 20.
looks like you nailed it haha.
"Garbarge time" Green (How do you think he got the name?) by a landslide. He dropped 39 last year on Toronto in the last game of the season. He's gonna play like the playoffs started already.
The Andres and Sam have played every game so far and huge minutes in basically all. Plus Dre is ailing and DreMillz is probably hurting but just conceals it due to his character. Sam has been playing through injury all year, from training camp and a few new additional bumps along the way.
I don't think this game is too important since the saying is playoff basketball is a whole new season.
Well I'm with Brian on this one, I think it is important to go into the playoffs with a winning atmosphere, not a 4 game losing streak.
That being said the game is over and the record says 40-42, it's just depressing to look at, especially knowing that if we would have just won 1 of the last 4 we would have at least been at .500.