And the Sixers' impersonation of the New York Mets in September continues...
Forget the fifth seed. The Sixers will need a minor miracle to hold onto the 6th seed at this point. Truth be told, I'd say there's a 90% chance they wind up #7, with a 40-42 record. Incidentally, the other 10% chance is that they'll finish #8, not #6. How can you look at yourself in the mirror after
losing to the Raptors in this situation?
Let's take a look at the rotations first, and get Tony DiLeo's portion of the blame out of the way quickly:
Two things jump out at me right away, and I mentioned both in the comments during the game.
- The Sixers went on a huge run when Lou first entered the game, and there was a reason for it. No one on the Raptors could even come close to keeping him out of the lane. Why DiLeo waited until the third quarter was almost over to get Lou back in there is beyond me. Lou should've started the second half, and they should've run more iso plays for him. He went to the line 14 times in 30 minutes, and he really should've been out there for more of the game, especially considering how Andre Miller played.
- This was one of the most-effective games Sammy has had in a long time. 18 points and 12 boards in only 29 minutes of action. Sammy saw exactly 5:05 of playing time in the fourth, during that stretch the Sixers outscored Toronto 16-7. In his 6:55 on the bench in the fourth, the Raptors outscored the Sixers 30-8. This is not a coincidence. DiLeo went with a stupid small lineup for the first 2 minutes which led to a 6-0 run, then he brought Ratliff in and things got even worse. Sammy was not in foul trouble, this was strictly a coach's decision, and it was the wrong one.
Now, while DiLeo made some boneheaded calls in my opinion, he isn't the reason they lost this game. This game falls squarely on the shoulders of the Andres. I'm not just talking about their piss-poor play, I'm talking about their "leadership." Miller is supposedly their "coach on the floor," and we've heard Coach DiLeo talk about how Iguodala has taken more of a leadership role in the locker room. Well, where the hell was that leadership tonight? The Sixers were playing for a very important seed in the playoffs, they knew they had two nearly impossible games left on their schedule and they were flat out embarrassed in the hustle and heart departments by a team with nothing to play for but avoiding a 50-loss season. That cannot happen. There's no way a "leader" can allow that to happen to his team.
Since I touched on it a little bit, let's take a closer look at the games turned in by the Andres. Iguodala notched his 12th double-double of the season. Unfortunately, the second double came in the form of turnovers. He coughed the ball up in every imaginable way, and it's fitting that the game was put away on his turnover with 36 seconds left. But hey, he did score 21 points, so I'm sure
this guy is pumped up. Can't wait for his "
Loosing (sic) link dump" column tomorrow. (Yes, I'm in a very bad mood tonight).
And the other Andre, the one whose agent is apparently looking for a bigger deal this Summer? Well, that Andre shot 2/14 from the floor for 10 points. Need I say more?
I firmly believe that seeds 2 through 4 in the East all have some serious flaws that can be exploited in the playoffs. I no longer, however, believe the Sixers are capable of exploiting anything.
Just in case you're still interested, here is the playoff picture breakdown.
If the Sixers lose their final 2 games, they need Chicago to lose it's final 2 (@ Detroit and vs. Toronto) in order to finish with the #6 seed. They need Detroit to lose 1 of its final 2 games to finish with the #7 seed (vs. Chicago, @ Miami). If Chicago wins 1 of 2, and Detroit wins both of their games, the Sixers will drop to #8.
If the Sixers split their final 2 games, they need Chicago to lose one of it's final 2 games to finish with the #6 seed. Otherwise, the Sixers will finish 7th.
If the Sixers win their final 2 games, they finish 6th. Fat chance.
Player of The Game: Lou, for leading the team in scoring and finding a way to get that final three at the buzzer off. Excellent work.
Team Record: 40-40
Up Next: Boston on Tuesday night.
The really is not much worth saying at this point. Its all been said.
I'm looking for positives to focus on, and all I can think is that in 2 more years Sam, Evans and Green will no longer be Sixers... and if any are re-signed I might blow a gasket!
All I can manage is shaking my head and swearing under my breath.
Five straight road losses.
The game marked the fourth straight time opponents scored 100-plus against them for an average of 108.3.
I give Iguodala a little credit for taking the blame afterward: "I just had some bad turnovers and miscommunication, so it is all on me."
I'd rather not be in the situation where our best player has to admit he blew the game, but I guess it's good that he owned it.
Any word on Dalembert's hand? He was grimacing and holding it after just about every play he was involved in tonight.
Again looking for silver linings in a hurricane... but any shot DiLeo makes a change in the starting line-up? Maybe sitting WG or Evans so we don't have to look at players in a Sixers uniform starting who 90% of the fanbase dislike?
I'm not suggesting changes would yield more wins, just maybe a line-up that is easier on the eyes?
I doubt it. They're so stubborn with their starting lineups. This time last year we were begging for Thad, and it only happened when Evans got injured, then they went back to Evans for the playoffs.
Lou Williams with a career high in foul shots made, tied his career high in foul shots attempted. Williams is, by the way, tenth in the league in foul shots attempted per minute. So if you're looking for a silver lining in the all-too-often inefficient cloud that is Louis Williams... there you have it.
3 good things to take from this streak; 1]moving up in the draft 2]maybe E.S. will bring a toughminded coach 3]maybe this small lineup thing will be rethought next year