The first time the Sixers met the Bucks, way back in game two, Philly essentially had their way with Brandon Jennings and gang. Jennings nearly notched a triple-double, but the game was pretty much a laugher. Since then, the Sixers have woefully underperformed while the Bucks had a nice run and have fallen on hard times since. Preview and game thread after the jump.
Time is short so I'm going to boil this preview down to two things:
1. Defending Brandon Jennings: I'm completely pumped to see how Jrue handles Jennings (for the 15 minutes or so when Jrue is on the floor). As for the other 25 minutes or so when Lou/Iverson/Willie are guarding him? Well, that's not going to be so pretty. Jennings' fast start has soured and he's only shooting 38% from the floor on the season, but he's still making plays and scoring points. Playing non-defenders on him will cost the Sixers.
2. Defending Andrew Bogut: Pretty much the same scenario as with Jennings. I'm confident that Sammy can handle him, or at least contain him. But Sammy's only playing about 20 minutes/game these days. How will Speights measure up to Bogut, who's really having a spectacular season? My gut says not very well.
I didn't have a chance to catch Ed Snider's interview yet, so I'm wondering if some kind of message was again sent to Eddie Jordan about rotations, playing time and focusing on defense? If it was, you'll probably see short-lived changes tonight.
Key to The Game: Penetration. Keeping Jennings out of the lane will be paramount.
If ___________ the Sixers will win: Bogut doesn't score 20 plus.
This is your game thread, the tip is at 8pm. I'll be right here, taking a break from work. Join me if you can.
Jeez all these local folk and not a single one caught Snider? That sucks :)
They are pretty much playing the same clip over and over from the interview with promise of more to come in upcoming days. Just another way to try to get people to tune in to some info from his laugher they've allowed this team to become.
Really it doesn't even matter what words may implicate, actions and only actions will get me to listen.
Oh - so they interviewed him and are only showing parts?
Feh
Only care about two words: You're fired- well maybe that's three words, but who's counting.
We don't hear that and I could care less about any other drivel that he proclaims.
I care about the drivel because the drivel may indicate a thought process
Barring death (or foul trouble) Holiday should get 20 minutes minimum tonight
YOU HEAR ME?
Same starters for the Sixers, unless Jordan lied to Kate Fagan again.
Wouldn't be surprised, I mean he must be jealous that she has a better basketball IQ
I think I just saw Kapono in warmups, so I guess he's active again.
Who has the better accent, Bogut or Sammy? I go with Bogut.
They really have nothing beyond Jennings and Bogut, huh? Offensively, I mean.
Jrue and Jennings were #1 and #2 in Gatorade player of the year as seniors in high school, right? Jrue won it. they're also both from CA, wonder ho familiar with each other they are.
This is a change. They have Iverson bringing the ball up the floor an they went to Jrue in the post with Jennings on him. Led to an open jumper for Iverson.
Blizzard tonight in MIL? Or are their fans just fed up like ours?
what is that noise in the background..sounds like i'm watching a soccer game
if they keep sounding those horns, they need to give whoever it is a yellow card...lol
Damnit, those horns are so annoying.
Same thing again, Jennings fouled him.
Jrue reminiscent of Andre Miller with the two post looks.
Three, he missed the shot on the third. Looks comfortable down there.
I would assume Jrue and Jennings had some good battles in AAU ball unless they were on the same team.
Anyone else just see Jrue bounce the ball off Sammy's back because no one was looking for the inbounds pass?
Yes. I actually was wondering if I was seeing things!
this is such a sloppy game so far wow
God, this is just ugly basketball being played.
The guys just look perturbed or something. Listless. They are probably pissed from the EJ comments last game. Something's lingering.
Jrue's out already.
Dude, if he keeps playing well people will realize how useless Lou and Willie are...can't have that
Yes, but Jennings is also. ??? But I doubt EJ thinks about that.....
Jennings came out too. Speights in for Sammy, they're trying to go through Bogut now.
Excellent defense by Lou and Speights. Delfino right down the lane for the dunk.
Brand pretty much can't be stopped.
He'll be sitting soon
Horrible defensive rebounding, and it's not just the bench guys. EB has lost two that should've been in his hands, AI9 got pushed under the hoop.
Yeah, as great as EB has been lately, his boarding has been iffy for quite some time.
those annoying horns go off every time we shoot
7 turnovers in the first quarter.
Boy, watching Sixers games used to be really fun...
willie gett'n burned
Speights with the assist. Wow.
I feel like carney would have been such a nice bench player for us last year and would be this year too if he played more but I feel like we could have used him a lot more last year.
4 minutes, 3 fouls on Willie. Heh.
Hammering OBoards.
Any relation between EJ's comments and the starters stinking it up? But really, they stunk it up the 3rd quarter Mon. night before he made the statements.
Because the run came from the bench...
nope the starters had a +/- of 5 last game. The pacers came back because we had no defense out there. so indy was hot and we were cold.
Is Iguodala even playing? Or trying?
He really appears to have checked out. Coach + trade rumors?
Could be. I'm not liking what I'm seeing on the floor at all. If MIL starts hitting some of these shots this is going to be a blowout.
I mean, he's just out of it mentally it seems. Sort of uninterested.
0 pts, 0 assts, 1 reb, and 2 turnovers. Very uncharacteristic.
Not too many minutes either. When he came back into the game in the second, looked like he was intent on getting on the board right away. Missed three shots in a row. Both turnovers were bad, stripped on his way to the hoop. He also half-assed a cut that led to a turnover by Jrue. Definitely didn't seem like himself.
On that same turnover he made no effort to contest a jumper on the other end. I rarely see that from him. But whatever, I'm dejected just watching this team, imagine being part of it? I can't even blame him at this point
Brand is doing a bad job on those P&R high on the floor. If Jrue doesn't go under, it's a free trip to the hoop because Brand isn't showing or doing anything to slow the ball down. If JH goes under, it's just a wide-open jumper. EB can't just be static there.
nope the starters had a +/- of 5 last game. The pacers came back because we had no defense out there. so they were hot and we were cold.
omg look at the analyst on the halftime show. He's like the worst pg ever. ERIC SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!11
Friday is going to be ugly, harmony and effort will be no match for Kobe.
Finally AI9 hits a shot, and it wasn't a particularly good one.
I'm actually kind of surprised they haven't switched Bogut onto Brand at this point.
Iguodala isn't even looking to push the ball on his defensive boards.
Would you play for a coach who seems to single you out as the bad seed ?
If there was even a smidgen of camaraderie, it sure is gone now. Especially with the starters, but really the whole team.
Did the whole team grow beards?
Went to Brand out of that timeout, good call. He should probably touch the ball on every half-court possession.
Three for Jrue.
Anyone surprised a poor offensive guard is having a career night against the Sixers?
I love watching Jennings play.
It makes me sad that he didn't fall to the Sixers.
But I also enjoy Jrue getting some real minutes.
Announcers saying Bell is having a career night. No mention of the lack of defense by AI.
No defense by AI is so unsurprising that it is not worth mentioning in the media's eyes.
Either that or they only bother to compliment the "star" players and do not comment on their flaws.
EB has heart at least. Good effort and his usual hard fouls.
C'mon SAMMIE. DUNK IT. AH.
The Nets are up by 11 in the fourth. Win #4?
u never know brian lol.
And, shot clock violation to end the third quarter. Iguodala got to the post, made one move too many.
Down three heading into the fourth.
Odd lineup there with Kapono at the three and Iguodala at the point, I guess (I never count Willie as a PG).
I count Willie Green as a 2 point guard.
Because that is all Willie "UNSTOPPABLE" Green does. Gettin dem buckets!
Any reason not to go through Brand every time?
He hasn't put Lou in any for the 2nd half yet. And that's not a bad thing.
Why is Kapono in there instead of Thad?
OH MY GOD!
Hahaha. When did the Bucks fans start with this horn? It's funny to hear their fans singing. Must be the jennings effect. I need to get league pass.
they just showed a section of fans w/ the australian flag. i think bogut brought the soccer element in.
Well good, we need more of that silly, but great, soccer fandom in American sports.
I love the singing especially.
EB has 24 pts.
The other 4 starters - 23 combined pts.
UGH!
Speights + Thad + Kapono up front. Keep an eye on the defensive glass.
It looks like there are about 10 people in the upper deck of the arena.
Hate to say this but.... please don't let us come back and win this game. This showing tonight is just friggin absurd.
Speights with 3 assists and the Nets win a game.
Sounds about right. Watch out for the solar eclipse coming up.
Defense keying offense in the fourth quarter? Unheard of.
Do those NBA defense commercials depress you when you're watching the Sixers?
notice there is no shots of EJ and the sixers in that one.
So having our two tall defensive players in the lane actually works Ed Pickney?
Maybe you should have told EJ that at the beginning of the season.
Plz lose so we can at least get Wes Johnson or Evan Turner to put next to Jrue while we rebuild.
Man, couple bad decisions on the past two possessions by AI9. First, he had the three in rhythm, passed on it, then took a contested three. Next time down the floor they had Thad in the post w/ Charlie Bell on him and he opted to swing the ball instead.
once again nice defensive lineup
1:13, two-point game, timeout. Need a stop, you think Lou is still in the game here?
Nope, Defensive Stopper Willie Green instead.
Brand playing with a purpose tonight, would love to see this more often.
You should watch more sixers games then, he plays with a purpose every time he's on the court - it's not his fault the coach is a moron
Maybe EJ is actually trying to tank with Lou/Green in at crunch time.
But the thing is this team is even horrible at that.
second half of every 4th quarter they go to this stupid switching on high pick n roll plays. Everytime the other team exploits it. Fire him all ready.
elton is the man!!!!!!!!!!!!! but then put green on jennings........instead of jrue...
wow!!!!! this coach needs to go ASAP. Plz fire him we will never be a good team until we fire him.
Down by 2, 19 seconds left.
Math says three for the win as time expires. I assume they'll go to Brand again, not sure if MIL has a foul to give, but if you space here, you should get a wide-open three when they double Brand.
Well that missed lay up just summed up Elton's time with the sixers.
DUNK IT YOU BABY.
These are the types of things that happen to bad teams.
heh. point blank. i love this team.
I don't know about you, but i burst out laughing when he missed...am i bad fan? i just can't take this garbage anymore without a cynical attitude
If I was just starting a sixers blog and looking for a name I'd call it www.blowingbunnies.com
and you'd have to put Thad's pic at the top
Did not see it? Guessing genius EJ has done it again, having willie guard Jennings under a minute...
can't ask for a better look then the one Iggy got right?
I wouldn't put it past EJ to rip into Elton in his post game presser.
shit
Oh well, another ping pong ball.
thanks for hanging in there guys, watching this team at this point kind of makes me feel like a cutter.
BTW, he got Jrue in there for the "we have to foul them" defensive possession. So he did see the floor in the fourth.
I like the fact that we are closer to getting more ping pong balls.
But I'm even more thrilled for every loss IF it means we are getting closer to getting rid of Eie Joran (copyright I can't remember who, but someone else who reads this blog).
I get credit for so few things - it was me :)
Gotta love going to Iggy for the last shot.
BONK!
If I was making a Sixers blog RIGHT now, I'd call it "Not the Phillies, Flyers, or Eagles"
Although I am pretty sure a blog like that already exists. Maybe Red White and Blue Stepchild. That is pretty good and works on that theme.
When is management going to say enough is enough with Eddie Jordan. When..........
Soon (I hope).
A few more of these and he'll be toast. The local press (starting with Kate first) is focusing on Jordan for the most part. If we lose to the Nets that would probably speed the process up.
i would of went to brand for 3 on that last possession
He probably would have made it, and then we all would have been amazed/mad.
The Buck hit a wall down the stretch (2nd game iof a back-to-back.) The Sixers deserved to lose this one though.
The Sixers failed yet again down the stretch (in part due to Jordan) but this "Holiday should play 30 minutes every night" is a little ridiculous too. He got 21 minutes tonight and played mediocre at best. Doesn't mean he shouldn't be in the starting lineup nor that he should only get 12-14 minutes next start. Holiday just shouldn't be averaging 30 minutes right now.
Yes he struggled, but why shouldn't he be logging as many minutes as possible? If he has some growing pains, so what? This team is miserable, I'd rather watch Jrue struggle and learn his craft than watch willie green in all his mediocrity...This team isn't playoff bound regardless of playing vets or young guys, so the young guys should get the burn
I agree, Jrue didn't have a good game tonight and he did look mediocre. My question to you is, which one of the other Sixers guards looked better than mediocre, though?
Actually several reasons:
1. Young players can lose confidence if they repeatedly struggle early on especially if they have struggle with their shot & struggle to score.
2. They can develop bad habits if they are playing tired or being asked to do much.
3. They hit the rookie wall sooner if they play alot of minutes early in the season.
I like Jrue as the starting PG right now and around 20-25 minutes a night. Don't mind if he sees 30 minutes a night every now and then either. Just not necessarily every night especially if he struggles a bit on both ends of the floor like he did tonight.
Can young players lose confidence if their minutes never increase even if they're playing well? How about if their minutes are cut even if they're playing well?
The point of my earlier post was that Jrue has earned the right to play 30 minutes/game and prove he either can or cannot handle it. Tonight was probably the worst game he's played in over a month, when he's playing like that, it's fine to cut his minutes back a little. When he's playing well, though, he should be getting more.
Brian - You missed my point. I have no problem with Holiday getting 30 minutes if he is playing well (decent shot selection, not in foul trouble, etc).
I would like to see a minimum of him starting, 20-25 minutes a night on average, and giving him slightly more/less time than that given on how he performs. Just not the crazy stuff Jordan does where he yanks him quick in the 1st quarter or goes from playing him 24-25 minutes one night and 12 the next.
If the Sixers are actually going to win games (or attempt to), they also do need to mix in Williams enough to give him a chance to contribute on the offensive end. Hard to do that if Holiday is getting 30 minutes a night. I like Williams a guy who gets 20-25 minutes, contributes some badly needed offense off the bench, and hopefully gets the message that he really need to work on his defense commitment if he wants to start full-time in the NBA.
Not I not down on Holiday by any stretch. He will struggle plenty this year and frankly I don't mind that one bit. It drives me crazy that Jordan is willing to give him a quick hook/inconsistent playing time.
As much as it pains me to say this, the Sixers do need to use Green/Williams a bit more especially on night when Jrue is struggling so much.
I can't wait until Willie Green is out of a Sixers uniform. Watching him fail to execute time and time again over the 3+ years has gotten really tiresome. Yet he still continues to get a fair amount of playing time and crunch minutes despite being at best a 10th/11th man on the roster.
agree w/ you and tk. Problem w/ Willie Green is he is mediocre, just like this team. He is a perfect EJ player. Need I say more!
Thing I always hated about Willie wasn't his mediocrity but just his continued insistence on doing dump crap time and time again and his lackadaisical approach on defense. Superstars can get away with that. Not marginal scrubs like Green but he has been allowed to for years on this team.
Carney might not be the most talented player by any stretch but he generally gives you energy/hustle when he plays. You can't say the same about Green. Reminds me of the same indifferent attitude the Eagles got from LJ Smith.
How Willie Green ever got a reputation as a 'defensive-stopper' is beyond me. If anything, he gives a half-a$$ed effort out there way too often when he could play with a bit more intensity. Superstars can afford to get away with that. Not marginal scrubs like Willie Green yet he has for years in a Sixers' uniform.
Question: Are Charlie Bell and Willie Green the same player?
I was almost ready to hear Zumoff say, "Charlie bell has it going on."
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=greenwi01&y1=2010&p2=bellch01&y2=2010
Career comps of the two most mediocre combo guards I can think of.
Funny thing is they both have about the same 5 year contract (why?) and have started way to many games and played too many minutes.
I believe John would describe them as "fungible" bit I'm still not sure what that means or how to treat it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungibility
It's basically a term used for middle relievers who shouldn't be signed for more than a year - i apply it to guys like willie and eddie house
Tonight was a night where the Iggy bashers were well-justified. Poor decisions on both ends of the court marked by 5 3-pt attempts among his 11 shots and a 4 A/3 TO night.
Not an Iggy hater by any stretch but he has nights like tonight too often during the season. I also find his act of acting/speaking like a leader who has accomplished something a bit of stretch & I think his teammates do too.
Forgot to add - Iggy didn't get to the line once tonight and now hasn't been to the foul line in 3 of the last 4 games. Decent scorers just don't go through mini-droughts like that.
These numbers aren't accurate. He didn't go to the foul line at all in 2 of his past 4 games. 3 of his past 7.
Can you define "too often during the season?"
Right after he clears up that whole nonsense about how Iguodala acts and his teammates react to it?
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