The first half was heartening on the defensive end. The second half was a soul-crushing reminder that this team has a long, long way to go on both sides of the ball.
Here's a look at the rotations tonight, if you can pull anything meaningful from them you're a better man than I (click to enlarge):
Actually, there were two things I really liked about the rotations tonight: (1) Jrue was the first guard off the bench and got his feet wet a little bit, even if he never shared the floor with more than 2 startes. (2) I liked the idea of the big lineup, if not the personnel exactly. In the third and for a couple minutes in the fourth Jordan ran with Iguodala at the one and Carney at the two. I'd like to see more of that. I'd also like to see more of Carney in general. At some point it has to become blatantly obvious that Willie Green should never set foot on the floor.
Tonight was Royal Ivey's turn on the wheel of DNPCD Jordan spins every night. I didn't really miss him. If you want to point your finger at something, the perimeter defense is the obvious choice. Boston shot 14/20 from three (70%), and Ray Allen didn't hit a single one. Honestly, Iguodala basically spat in Allen's eye and made him a non-factor. Unfortunately, Boston didn't need him to win by 30+, so I don't think they cared much.
None of our bigs seem too interested in defending any big who will venture out past the foul line. None of our guards seem to understand how to stop penetration. Our starting small forward continues to regress on the defensive end, which I don't understand. Overall, it was just a poor performance, outside of the solid defense for the majority of the first half. Sam Dalembert actually played a marvelous 15:07 in the first half. He did everything you could ask of him and only made maybe one or two mistakes. Jordan sent him to the bench with 3:02 left in the third (with the Sixers down by 14) and let him rot there for the rest of the night.
It's a funny contrast, this time last season the team was so intent on feeding the ball to Elton Brand in the post that they eschewed every other viable option on offense in the half court. This season, they essentially play four on five, with Brand as the odd man out. Tonight, the only time I can remember Brand getting the ball in the post was when a loose ball basically bounced to his feet, he picked it up, went to the rim and got fouled. I'd say about 95% of his offensive touches came way out beyond the three-point line, where he's a threat to only pass it to a guard. Brand only attempted 6 shots, making 2, in over 27 minutes of action.
I'd like to thank Jrue Holiday for pushing the Sixers over the 70-point mark with the first three-pointer of his career. He also stopped the Sixers from being shut out from deep, they finished the game 1/16 from three.
If you're looking for something positive, I don't have something...sort of. Here's an update Lou Williams posted on Twitter after the game:
@TeamLou23: Honestly. i didnt really contribute at all tonight. kinda was just out there. Going to eat and get ready for the next day...
At least there's a healthy dose of reality in that statement. I was growing tired of the relentless positivity in the face of poor performances on the floor. Time to regroup and get ready for the Nets on Friday.
Player of The Game: Jrue Holiday (for making the only three of the game)
Team Record: 2-2
Up Next: NJN, on Friday at the Wach
Perspective: 2-2 is exactly where any reasonable human being would've predicted the Sixers would be at this point. It could be worse and you couldn't have honestly expected it to be better. Just need to keep winning the ones you should win until things start to "click." Whatever that means.
One last thing, I'm watching the Suns/Heat right now and Lou Amundson would be a perfect 4th big man for this team right now. He's a guy who does everything Reggie Evans was supposed to do, but never really did for the Sixers. Too bad they can't get guys like that on the roster...oh, nevermind.
Was there.
Best thing about the game was the $5.00 special on light beers(miller, bud & Coors). Unfortunately, I lost my appetite for anything during the 3rd qtr. Embarassing.
6-7000 fans. 2000 cheering/happy Celtics fans. Frustrating.
Thaddeus needs some balls. Elton really is looking like a colossal bust. We need a BIG Athletic big to sub for Sammy(he looked good again!). We looked very small and weak out there. This is the kind of game where Andre Miller would've provided some 1/2 court offense and leadership to keep us somewhat in the game. Where was Iggy in the 1st qtr? Enough rambling........ Had to vent.
More concerned that we had no answer for House than Wallace. Sheed is going to give every team in the NBA fits this season: too much versatility, smarts, and range. But House is a one trick pony. You know exactly what he's in the game for and yet you continue to let him come off screens open beyond the arc? I know they're a good team but damn.
Has Coach J given up on Elton already? It's possible the guy has nothing left, but if you don't ever give him the ball how would you know?
Long term, my biggest worry is that our Coach, to paraphrase Denny Green, is what we thought he was. When he gets down, he tries to catch up by adding offense. Sam was one of our two best players on the floor last night. Why no minutes? The consistent pattern so far this season is that offensive guys get the nod over defensive guys. That's what made the Wizards such an underachieving team. Hate to think we're going that route.
No real complaint about Iguodala's game - hard to get assists if no one can make a shot - but per the previous comment I would like to see him assert himself more (like Miller did last year) when the team starts to slide. Good to see his turnovers down.
I don't get the third-last line in the rotation sheet -- were there only four guys out there?
Stupefying to realize Lou's no better a defender than Miller. This is the time of year to throw stuff out there and see what (if anything) sticks. Yes, forget about giving the elite teams real trouble before the new year.
Sorry, the chart is fixed. My sheet got a little sloppy at the end there.
Stupefying to realize Lou's no better a defender than Miller
Not really, Lou never really impressed me as a defender of any merit and he doesn't have the 'nba savvy' that miller might have had.
Just a few quick comments:
(1) The Sixers' poor shooting was only partly the result of the Celtics' defense. Part of it was that they seemed intimidated by playing the Celtics (they missed a lot of open shots throughout the game that they had been hitting in the first three games, esp. Thad, Speights, and Lou). Though I don't miss Miller in general, I agree that this was one game where he would have helped -- he doesn't get intimidated by anyone.
(2) I was skeptical about Thad's ability to defend small forwards even last year, but it's disturbing that his shot is off as well. He's 1-10 on 3's for example. Let's hope it's just early season adjustments.
(3) This is at least the 3rd game where the opposition hit a barrage of 3's when the starters subbed out at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Boston starters went 1-4 on 3's and their bench went a ridiculous 13-16. The Sixers' starters showed some pretty good defense over stretches. For the season, the Sixers are now giving up 13 3's a game [dead last in the NBA] on 45% 3-point shooting.
(4) So far this year, the Sixers have beaten two teams they swept last year and lost to two teams that swept them. So Friday could be considered the first barometer game [this year vs. last year], since they struggled so much with the Nets last year. Even though the Nets lost Carter, a win against them will require good defense by Lou (on Harris) and Thad (on CDR). Keep in mind, the crowd will be either festive or downcast because of the Phillies ...
Two points:
I didn't see where the intimidation factor of the Celts affected shooting at all. We just have the same inconsistent, sporadic shooters. When a shot presents itself within the flow of a game, I seriously doubt that particular player catches a case of the ooh-these-guys-are-better-than-me.
Lou will have to worry about good defense on Rafer Alston on Fri. night as Harris is suppose to be out with a groin issue.