Take one team, with nothing at all to play for, on the second night of a back-to-back, with injury problems and questionable effort. Make them play on the road against a relatively well-rested, physical, defensive team, coached by Larry Brown fighting for playoff seeding, and well, this just simply isn't going to be pretty. Preview and game thread after the jump.
Any which way you look at it, this is shaping up to be an embarrassment of epic proportions. Heavy minutes for Brand last night. The foot injury for Iguodala. No rest between games. Eddie Jordan's pea-brained schemes vs. Larry Brown.
Under the best of circumstances, Larry Brown teams will kill you if you're willing to settle for long jumpers. How do you think a tired team running a lazy system that
WANTS to shoot nothing but 20-footers all night long is going to fare?
Every time I've predicted a resounding loss this season, the Sixers have actually won. Well, I think this one is such a lock that even my reverse, reverse jinx can't affect the outcome. I doubt this one will even be fun to watch.
This is your game thread. I'll be here throughout, suffering in silence. Join me if you just realized we only have
8 more EFJ-coached games to watch.
Jordan seems like the anti-Brown -- Brown wins with defense, which allows his teams to be competitive even when they don't shoot well. Jordan's teams typically have to outscore their opponents to win.
Brown has a clue
Eddie is an idiot
Both of them will throw players under the bus to cover their own ass though
They also have in common that i want neither of them to coach the sixers ever again
"Jordan's teams typically have to outscore their opponents to win."
Don't all teams have to outscore their opponents to win....
sw (sarcasm warning)
Best coaching advice i ever got
"If we score more than they do - we'll win" (Hockey)
I think you know what I mean.
Tom,
That was a great article today in the paper. Loved the first paragraph "... younger, better coached team...". The sad part is it that you could use the 2nd adjective with every team the 76ers play this year!
I feel like Elton is going to chip in his solid 5 points and 3 rebounds off the back to back. But hey, he gets those 5 points with class, hes a really great guy and a solid voice in the lockeroom, so its totally fine.
Sixers are only dressing 9 tonight. Who's out?
Solid start. EB in the post, no double, no one moves. 8 seconds later EB misses a turnaround.
Next play, Jrue drives, hits Kapono for a wide open corner three, he bricks it.
Brand padding his o-board stats.
did elton just get blocked by the rim?
I think it was the backboard.
JRUE 4 3!
First one in a while.
Sixers start 6/11.
Theo is about 56 years old and is still far more athletic than Elton.
Theo's also an even worse rebounder than Brand, if that's possible.
Iguodala and Brand to the bench first. Good, please don't push them to 40 minutes tonight.
SAC is playing the twolves tonight, maybe the sixers can still catch them?
I think it's 2.5 games w/ 8 to go? That's probably a stretch. Something to root for, though.
that loss they had last week to really NJ really hurt our chances
Yup, NJ beat Sacto and Detroit. Completely screwed us. I hate the Nets. Last year they swept us when we needed wins, this year we sweep them when we needed losses.
The nets claim they want to catch minnesota
Well that makes sense. Is Eddie Jordan their coach?
From Kate Fagan via Twitter:
How about monitoring them at zero?
But he was cleared to play
Yeah, I'm still wondering why. I guess Lou has the right idea. Back spasms = two weeks in a bad suit.
If the trainers say he's cleared to play what kind of team mate is he if he sit s- i mean - come on - really
:D
WTF is Willie Doing?
I'm going to go with sucking?
It's so funny seeing tall alligator swat at rebounds.
Jrue hurting his 3pt% with a three-quarter court heave at the buzzer. He'll learn.
Wow, Meeks really can't shoot, huh?
Air Jodie
hey his initials are the opposite - why shouldn't his game be the opposite
Brand getting the ball outside of three-point range with Chandler on him. This is like a clinic on bad offense.
Nice show by Brand on that P&R, huh?
Willie and EB is probably the worst P&R combo we have right now.
aaaand, down 15.
I think they're booing Iguodala for that pedestrian dunk.
Sixers making a run, down only 9. Smith actually grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic. Then Kapono drives to the hoop to cut it to 7.
Sixers with a monster run, still trail by double digits heading into the half.
52-42, Bobcats.
That was actually a nice P&R by Sammy and AI9.
I don't dislike the guy but EB is borderline garbage. Shouldn't his nickname be 'Hamstrung', cause that's what he's gonna be for this franchise for at least 2 1/2 more years.
This is probably what he's going to be on the second night of back-to-backs when he played 40 minutes the night before, yes.
Just like that EB. Pump faking 3 times and then blowing the bunnie. And a foul on the other end, get his ass on the bench and evaluate some of that other fodder sitting over there.
Kapono with the & 1. Look at that dribble drive!
Sixers down 13.
Why is Rodney out tonight?
Apathy? Dunno, haven't heard, just heard they only dressed 9.
4 on Brand, 4 on Iguodala. Thought he maybe would've given it up to Brand there, but probably would've been the same result.
Somebody was screwed up on rotations off that P and R there. Jrue and EB both ended up near the block/baseline and both wanted to run out to the corner to challenge the cross court pass for the three.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's by design. :)
Damn Jrue! With the left handed throw down.
Wow. That's how I like my PG to finish!
5 on Brand? Yep.
Wow, what a pass by Jrue to Speights.
That should've been 2 assists on the last 2 possessions, nice drive and kick to Kapono (miss) then the blown bunny by Speights.
And another, Sammy fouled on the dunk.
Willie and Speights stand and watch while a Bobcat dives on the floor to save the possession. Typical.
Tech on Speights. I guess that means he cares.
27-6 free throws in favor of CHA.
Fuck Kapono. Jrue is spoon feeding him and he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.
Between the shooting by the 76ers and the refereeing, this is a VERY UGLY game. And Willie hogging the ball on top of it.
Yeah, Marreese cares enough to hustle back to stop that lob from Felton to Wallace for the dunk. heh
Sixers down by 18 after three. I'd say empty the bench, but does it really make a difference? Sit Iguodala and Brand the rest of the way, at least.
How many assists should Jrue have? I think like 9 or 10.
Minimum. I mean he's getting guys high-percentage looks for guys.
Serena flopped on that backcourt play.
Nice offense Willie. Dribble for 6 seconds, shoot a contested twenty-footer.
I liked the contested pull up on the fast break no balance with 22 seconds on the shot clock better.
lolol @ only 7 free throw attempts vs 29 free throw attempts.
No foul there?
That's fucking hilarious.
I actually smell a Jrue/AI9 led comeback here. Nothing big, just will make it a little more respectable.
How about Jordan getting himself tossed? How 'bout he shows some life outside of press conferences where he's ripping his players?
I like how Jodie ran away from that play. Terrible pass by Jrue.
Speights is looking good on the midrange J.
What a terrible pass by Meeks.
Fuck you, Kapono.
Opening day 5 days away.
Am I off punishment now? Thank goodness. Only a few more days of punishment left.
Man, Jrue has had some ugly turnovers tonight. Just ill-advised.
did it look at all like Jrue was showing off in front of MJ? getting a little fancy with the behind the back stuff and lost the ball twice tonight
25 turnovers. I think 75 personal fouls. But Jodie Meeks was able to score a meaningless layup to make sure the Sixers didn't lose by 20. Great work, small alligator.
Sixers lose 84-103
Jordan postgame: "We played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. ... You don't feel like you're shorthanded when guys are competing like that."
gotta love some good sarcasm...at least i hope its sarcasm
He said those things with a straight face.
I almost feel bad for Eddie Jordan, as bad as I can for a guy who's still going to get the remainder of his contract honored upon termination...But seriously, the guy comes out in front of the media every day and its just painful to watch. We know he's a goner, he knows he's a goner...just end his misery so he can go fill out his applications for NBATV and ABC. I'm saying all this under the assumption that we're pretty much locked into that 7 spot at this point.
Jodie Meeks - Poor man's Willie Green?
I love basketball and couldn't watch that slop in the 2nd half even in the background. Just an unwatchable game all-around especially from anyone in a Sixers' uniform.
Highlight of the game might have been Spreights' jumpers.
These sac losses to Indy and Minnesota are killing us.
I wish we could tank that effectively.
this is ridiculous. 7 is our BEST case. at this point i am worried about catching the knicks and pacers.