The Nuggets get the press the Sixers deserve. These teams are both impressive and they're possibly challenging the "superstars win" meme in the NBA (at least through a baker's dozen games in a condensed season). One team has done it with offense, the other has done it with the best defense in the league (oh, and the #3 offense, to boot). Tonight, they go head-to-head. Maybe a chance for the Sixers to unseat the Nuggets as media darlings?
Ultimately, who cares about the media attention, I just want the win. Every night, get the win.
I was looking at some numbers this afternoon and I came across just a breathtaking number. To this point, Evan Turner has attempted 26 shots at the rim.
He's made 25. A 96% conversion rate. That's unheard of to the point where I almost think it's an error.
Anyway, these were the numbers I was looking up when I stumbled across that. I wanted to see the shot distribution for the Sixers four main perimeter players (I left Jodie out, because I see him as more of a specialist). So this is Jrue + Iguodala + Lou + Evan:
- At the rim: 131 FGA
- 3-9 feet: 69 FGA
- 16-23 feet: 160 FGA
- 23+ feet: 154 FGA
I looked at these distances in particular, because I consider the long twos to be terrible shots, and the other three distances to be very good attempts, and I also think the Sixers offense really depends on these four guys to get the ball into the paint to get the easy poins and free throw attempts their "finesse" bigs typically don't get. I'd really prefer to see more three-point attempts than long twos from this group (Turner and Jrue both have attempted more long twos than threes, Jrue is at 46/45, but turner is 34/12, in the wrong direction). Overall, though, I think these guys are doing a very good job in their shot selection as a group. These ratios are something we can keep an eye on tonight. When the Sixers are settling for long twos, that typically means they aren't working their offense. When they're passing on that jumper to drive the lane, or hit a cutter to the hoop, they're much more effective.
This game will be the Sixers biggest challenge since opening night. It looks like Turner will play, but there's no word on Hawes, yet. Cross your fingers that Spence will play, sit back, and enjoy these classically, fatally flawed teams go at each other for 48 minutes.
The tip is at 7pm. This is your game thread. I'll be right here throughout, join me if you curse every time you see a Sixer jack a 20-footer with 18 left on the shot clock.
Prediction: PHI 103, DEN 94
Is Denver actually getting more press than us? I haven't seen a lot of "Lawson's breakout year" stories, or "Gallo becomes more than a shooter" stories, though they'd both be warranted. We've gotten a fair amount of national coverage.
The Sixers have gotten a lot of "surprising team" coverage but almost no "this is a must follow team on a nightly basis" coverage.
If you weren't a Sixers fan, would you see this as a must-follow team? I'd say Jrue's one of a half dozen young point guards who are worth following, and he's not the must-follow that Rubio is. Thad's always entertaining, and Iguodala's playing really great basketball. But no one seriously believes this is a great offensive team, whereas Denver can really keep this up. Perhaps to connoisseurs of perimeter defense we're a must-follow. I'd say in terms of interest, we stack up behind the Heat, Thunder, Clippers, Wolves, Bulls, Lakers, Blazers, and maybe Denver. Then us.
Any team that is winning and winning big and often should be a must-follow team. Right now the Sixers have the third best record in the league. That's a must follow team in my book. Defense and offense are equally important. It doesn't matter what you are great at.
I think a must-follow team is one that's fun to watch. There's no imperative to watch a great but boring team play the Pistons. All you'll see is a methodical blowout. There is an imperative to watch Griffin or Rubio or the Miami offense as much as you can, because at any moment they could do something spectacular.
I agree that the 6ers aren't must watch basketball and are probably around the middle of the pack there. In and of themselves, no, they're not a huge draw. But if they sustain a top five defense and top 10-15 offense, then it will be must watch basketball for fans of the opposing team. There's nothing quite as invigorating as beating a good Philly team.
Gallo has always been more than just a shooter even if that's all D'Antoni had him do.
I agree. Gallinari has been a very good player for a while now, it's just very few people seem to notice.
His non-shooting game has improved a great deal, though.
The Sixers are finally entering a difficult part of the schedule. This is the time to show what they are made off. The Nuggets are a pretty good team, that is going to cause major problems. I've had a bad feeling about this game earlier but as time goes on i get more and more optimistic so i will predict a win.
The one thing i hope to see in this game is Jrue outplaying Lawson badly, which should silence all of the guys that preferred him in the draft (and still do) for good.
I don't think it will silence them. There's always going to be contention over who's the best point of the '09 draft class... and second, and third, and so forth. To your satisfaction however, Jrue's size, strength, and D should give him the edge over Lawson in most conversations about them and meetings between then.
Nor should it - if you make conclusions based on one basketball game - that's your problem - not theirs
I think it will be interesting to see how much each player gets paid in their next contract. Although many people think Lawson is a better player than Jrue (I don't), I also think that Jrue will command a bigger contract due to his youth.
Lawson's an extremely efficient, low turnover guard, a career 39.3% three-point shooter, and a good but not great passer. I think he's quite a lot better on the offensive end. Only argument for Jrue right now is that his defense is so much better that it exceeds the gap between them on offense.
Don't really get your point here. Yes, if it were a meritocracy, you could look at Lawson's offense vs. Jrue's defense to determine how much each gets paid. That is not the reality of the situation and perception of these players probably has more to do with their contracts than the numbers. My interest lies in the perception of each guy by GMs and how much they'd be willing to pay to sign either. Although Lawson has been great on the offensive end, Jrue may be more valuable in the eyes of GMs because he has more potential (youth) and that perception will lead to his commanding a larger contract.
@tmoorepburbs #Sixers Collins: Hawes will 'probably not' play tonight. Vucevic to start
Sigh, feel more comfortable with my nuggets +6 thing now
as long as that means you think the sixers are winning by 5 :)
Rudy Fernandez is out as well. That gives them just Miller and Brewer behind Lawson, Afflalo, and Gallinari, although they are fairly rested. Still, solid D but little-to-no shooting from their perimeter depth.
No Hawes makes me really nervous. He's somewhat important to our half court offense and grabbed 10+ boards when healthy. We're thin even with him.
Good to see Turner making a ridiculously high percentage of shots at the rim. Collins should show him that and tell him to keep freaking getting there.
I don't think it's fair to call a 16-23 foot shot a bad shot. I don't know where you look at your data or how it is sorted but 16 feet is a GREAT shot for Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday. If you could trim the data and look at shots that were maybe 19-22 feet, I might consider those bad shots for alot of players. But there are alot of instances where a 16-18 foot stop and pull up jumper is a better shot than a wild, off balance 8-12 foot shot is.
Not attempting to discount your data because generally I agree. And of the 154 23+ shots, how many has Turner taken? It can't be more than 10.
You are right of course, not all long twos are created equal. Like an Iguodala step-back is much worse than a controlled Jrue 16 footer on the wing. It's just the best we gave to go by with the stats, and generally shooting further takes the percentages down. Some players are different, but it's all we have:
http://www.hoopdata.com/player.aspx?name=Evan%20Turner
http://hoopdata.com/player.aspx?name=Jrue%20Holiday
This year, Turner has been markedly better the closer he gets. Smallish sample size, but it's not a bad thing for him to get to the rim. This year, Jrue has made 50 % of his long twos, a really good number, but is it sustainable? I think even though his long twos have been better than the in between stuff, he's pretty much always going to shoot a higher percentage at the rim, which he's doing this year.
no Mosgov(back strain) for the nuggets, koufos to start
The beneficent injury bug strikes again. Unrelated: If K-Love doesn't accept the Wolves' offer and then signs his QO to become ans RFA, all the while the Sixers strike out on D12, do you then just let Brand expire or instead force a big, if somewhat overpaid, signing (say, 4y/$50M for JaVale "Off The Backboard" McGee)?
I still am baffled by how easily the Sixers got rid of Speights being this thin up front. Makes me furious watching Mo tear it up in Memphis. he's better than battie and at this point he's better than vuc.
He can't play within the team concept and this early season success is based 99% on scheme and 1% on DC optimally using his players individual strengths within it. Let him jack it up in Memphis for all I care.
100% yep! Here's a good read regarding Speights: http://www.libertyballers.com/2012/1/17/2712969/marreese-speights-memphis-grizzlies-philadelphia-76ers-doug-collins-trade
not defensively - not team wise - he's not better than either of them - he's better at shooting every time he has the ball - yes
I would only cut Brand if Howard agreed to sign here. Otherwise there's no point in cutting him. You also have to extend Jrue Holiday in 2013.
Meant as a reply to Cin.
Haha speezy was a good spare tire but his efficiency had no part in the way this team is run by collins. He didn't fit just like Dalembert and green and smith leaving helped shape the team we have now....Tony battie is the future
Defense, defense, defense, take care of the ball. Need a big game from Brand tonight, Meeks getting hot from the three would be huge. Voose getting his first start, long live the Voose.
I thought Collins hated Voose and was stunting his development by not playing him :)
Someone asked about Love. If he signs his QO, and you strike out on Dwight Howard, quickly move your eggs to his basket. That would be my plan. I wouldn't overpay for McGee.
Yeah, probably ownership talked to him, he doesn't really want to start Voose, he's just doing what he's told
Alright. I've been looking forward to this game all day. Just please don't screw me w/ a bad feed on LP, Time Warner.
While I think the percentage will come down a little bit, I'm glad to see that Turner has been so effective near the basket. I had hoped he would considering what he did his last year at OSU:
http://www.draftexpress.com/stats.php?q=shotselect&year=2009/10&league=NCAA&per=total&qual=prospects&sort2=DESC&pos=all&stage=all&min=20&conference=&sort=11
eFG% of 79% on "inside shots"
In comparison - John Wall, Wes Johnson, and Paul George were all in the 58% - 65% range.
Can't believe DC trusts Vuc that much to man up w/ Nene, seems he would have went with Battie. Maybe he's saving him for the Birdman's springy self.
Who's starting at the five for them? Or are they starting small w/ Harrington at the four?
don't know, just assumed Nene would be manning the 5
koufos(i forget his 1st name)
Kostas?
yes
I guess EB will be on Nene?!
Yeah, makes sense. I'm fine w/ that, on both ends actually. Nene will probably get his efficient 15-20pts, that's not going to beat you. Just don't let them hit a bunch of threes or get into the lane w/ their dribble.
I'm really going to laugh if the Suns beat the Knicks at MSG.
Man, I want this game sooo bad cause I feel they will take of ATL Friday, and just in case they slip up @ MIA on Saturday it's be good to have this one in the bag.
Matchups?
Jrue/Lawson
Jodie/Afflalo
Iggy/Gallinari
Brand/Nene?
Voose/Koufos?
Does that seem right or switch Brand and Voose?
I think that's probably right. DEN might put Koufos on Brand on the other end. A lot of teams use their longer big on him.
The second unit matchups are what's kind of worrying me. I don't want to see Lou on either of their PGs.
But, I would like to see Miller on Lou though.
I hope it's a late-arriving crowd tonight.
How dumb are the guys who signed to play in China, btw?
And we're off. The Voose loses the tip.
Lawson bricks a three on the first possession. EB called for loose ball foul, though.
Good D on the first pick-and-roll. Voose comes over to break up Nene's attempt.
Koufos w/ an o-boarrd putback, though. Ugh.
cough cough :)
Lawson turnover. Jodie fellates a bunny.
Another turnover for DEN. Come on.
Damn Jodie! good hands and then you blew it, didn't need to use your off hand there either.
Fuckin Meeks
Jrue
Is anyone guarding Jrue? Doesn't look like it.
Hate that step-in long two, though.
Atta boy, Voose!
Voose playing great so far!
Voose w/ the left. Nice.
Vuc w/ the left! LEt's go
David Stern in the house tonight.
Another turnover for Lawson.
Three TOs on Denver already, I like it
Uh, EB is hot. Keep feeding him.
10-0 run, timeout Denver.
Clearly Hawes was the cause of the slow starts.
Best start of the season for the Sixers
EB hot early. Good, good start. Them boys got some jet lag.
Offense looks great so far. Is this going to be one of those games EB has 10 and 4 after the first and finishes with 13 and 6?
30 and 15 for EB tonight :)
Voose looks great. Then again he's playing against Kosta Doofus.
I really like what I'm seeing from Holiday though. Really controlling the pace of the game and playing great defense.
Nice mf'in start. Solid defense being played so far.
Keep abusing Koufos on both ends on the floor.
Looks like a lot of stuff is going to drop for Jrue tonight.
Keep shooting jumpshots Nene
They're sending an immediate double whenever Nene touches w/ Voose on him, and they're sending Jrue.
It's bad when Gallo outmuscles you for a board, Voose.
Nice play by Lawson.
I am starting to cringe whenever Meeks shoots
Everytime Jodie misses an open shot I scream "If he isnt making that get him the ^$#&^% off the court"
Ugh, Jrue w/ three nice moves there, and zero points. Lawson scores, Jrue comes right back at him and gets fouled.
Damn, Jrue shook Ty w/ the spin, but bricked it.
Ty shakes Jrue w/ a shimmy fake dribble.
Jrue is a very smart player. He knows when to attack and when to dish.
Thad long deuce drops. Not sure if that's good.
Voose!
And AI9 to Thad for the slam. Awesome.
Thad looking frisky early.
Bad travelling call Ref
thats not a travel
Don't think Doug should've pulled Jrue and EB in this quarter. They were both hot, don't fuck with that. Miller is having his way w/ Lou early.
God Andre Miller is so fucking good. Honestly one of the smartest players I've ever seen.
Wish Dre wouldn't be so quick to fall in love w/ those pullups
Two on Voose. Get ready Battie.
Turner can miss 24 consecutive layups and still be shooting 50% at the rim.
Ugh, Meeks back in. Not a big fan of that move.
Aaaand, he hits an immediate three.
meeks 3
Jodie the only starter on the court... SPLASH
Good drive and kick Lou. Meeks!
Don't leave Harrington.
I totally forgot about Al Harrington
Fucking Violet Palmer. Garbage.
ET got all ball there. Not a foul Violet Palmer
Lou long two drops.
Turner vs Miller
Turner should really blow by Miller.
Thad hits another J.
Is the bad shooting by the nuggets good defense or they're just missing good looks?
thad hits long 2 not sure if thats good
Thad w/ the step back J. And then a steal!
Lou 3!
Great job by ET drawing the defense and finding the shooter.
The crowd is loud tonight
Wow, that was a fucking sick move by Turner.
I think andre miller cuts his own hair
Looks to much like Richard Pryor for me. LOL
...and sleeps all the way up until tip off.
we're better than them. cool.
PHI 28, DEN 19 after 1.
19 points for the vaunted Nuggets Oh-fence in the first. I like it, give me three more like that.
Pretty good first quarter. We settled for jumpers a little bit too much but made them. Hopefully Doug gets on the guys about getting to the cup.
Iguodala sucks - no points
Didn't love the Night Shift's shots. A couple of Thad fadeaways. I hope Turner isn't still hurt, there's no reason he should be initiating so far from the hoop. I'd hope that behind the back move will wake him up.
The shots were falling and the D was great!
Good ball movement there. Nice feed down Lou to Thad.
Great play to start the quarter, Thad with a man's dunk.
Thad one handed board, then goes right up w/ the same hand!
Thad o-board putback one handed!
Turner is soooo much better when he is looking to score
Turner misses his first shot at the rim :(
Gets his own board and hits the next one :)
Bad charge call Ref
Damn, Turner missed at the rim. Got it back though.
If Lou is on Lawson, shit is about to get ugly
Turner goes right to the blocks w/ Lawson on him, rims out.
Damn Battie! Hell of a hack
This zone hasn't slowed them down much. Odd he took Meeks out when they went to the zone.
Not to me. Meeks isn't hitting his shot consistant enough. Good ball movement is just as efective versus the zone.
D first. Doug wants to keep Gallo a non factor and brings back Dre.
ok time for jrue to come back in
Agreed.
Our energy level is as good as you can ask for. Thad's straight beasting all over the floor.
I have no idea where that one-handed thing came from, but that was awesome
Well - there was that iguodala put back dunk a few games ago - maybe thad was jealous :)
JRUE43!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jrue 3!
jrue is on tonight
Maybe he reads this blog and would like to tell all lawson lovers to cram it
Give Lawson those long twos all night.
Come on, Lou.
Where is Voose?
In foul trouble
Gotta move the ball against the zone.
ugh, Thad, still don't have good enough touch around the rim
Get Lou out for Turner. That Jrue three needed to drop, ugh.
and if andre miller is on him again he needs to be agressive going to the basket
Sloppy sloppy last few minutes of play. Pick it up
Iguodala should be looking to score in transition tonight. He could run the Nuggets out of the gym all by himself.
Iggy is 0 for 3 tonight
Why the fuck is Jodie back in??
seriously i don't get it. but now that i've said that he's going to drop 4 3's in a row
Miller schooled him on that last play.
Let's go, don't let this become a game by the half.
Jrue to EB on the blocks, good.
Not enough attacking the basket.
Ugh, they need Turner in there for defense.
Eat it, Afflalo.
More of that Dre please. Attack, attack.
3 on voose
Small lineup. Push this back to 10 for half.
Don't like that early pull up Jrue.
Come on, Jrue. Go to the hoop.
hate that shot jrue
F me! 2nd Miller 3 ughugh ugh
Fucking Miller hits two god damned threes. You've got to be kidding me. Collins better lose it here.
Okay, he's making shots. Fucking cover him.
You gotta love Dre Miller
Andre Miller is too damn good
not at shooting threes he isn't - for his career he sucks at it
pretty sure leaving andre miller to help out inside was part of the gameplan
16-4 run for Nugs I think. That just negated our big run early.
i like wayne simmonds but he was wearing a blue jays hat
Dammit. Lou.
There goes the lead. Pretty pass by Miller.
So 2 ft's to 10 - that isn't right
Until that shot, Nene and Lawson were a combined 2-11.
Thad is hitting.
Miller has taken this game over nearly all by himself. One year contract offer my ass, he says. heh
Miller is absolutely destroying us
So he puts Lou in, to what, cover Miller? Don't understand Doug tonight.
Come on, get to the hole.
I fucking hate the see-saw.
Dre too easily settling for those elbow-extended J's.
get in the lane and get to the line what the fuck
We've had a shit ton of possessions with only one guy touching it. And Miller obviously flopped. As soon as he got the whistle he popped up.
nice flop miller
Just because you have a chance to get 2 for 1 doesnt mean its okay to take a retarded floater.
time for the god damn lou show
Two FTs in a half is not going to cut it.
That EB elbow connected on Miller on replay.
Just an absolutely pathetic second quarter.
Those calls are getting ridiculous.
I have no idea how Miller was not called for a foul when he repeatedly hacked Brand before Brand got called for clearing out.
And lots of no calls on the other end: Thad got hacked twice under the rim, Battie got pushed out of bounds by the Birdman, ...
He puts in Meeks, and then we lose the fucking rebound over Jodie's stretched hands. Great call Doug.
Nearly everything they got in that last 3 min was right at the rim wasn't it?
That's fucking great, he goes small on the FT, they get the o-board, then you have Jodie on Lawson, and of course he drives right by him. Unreal.
26-6 finish to that quarter. Get your shit together.
team stats are pretty much even except for free throws. That is not surprising
Maybe I'm mistaken but haven't they attacked the basket quite a bit more? When we do get to the basket, we get weakly contested layups.
And Gallo ripped the ball out of our hands twice. Either he has damn good hands or there was contact.
If I ran a basketball team of any level... NOONE would EVER play if they gave up a offensive board on a free throw. Just fucking unacceptable.
Can someone explain to me why Jodie played 15 fucking minutes and did nothing for us?
Tonight is a perfect example of when +/- can be meaningless. Jodie is +11 and Thad is -7.
PHI 45, DEN 51 at the half.
Pitiful quarter. Just pitiful. As good as the first was, the second was bad. They need to make some adjustments here, and Collins needs to with JTI whenever they put Lawson and Miller on the floor together. Meeks and Lou were absolutely abused in that second quarter.
Forget the refs, the Sixers need to start being aggressive. Settling for jumpers when they have mismatches, lazy defense. That second quarter was an abomination and it starts on the defensive end. Denver only had 3 turnovers.
If you want aggresive that mean Ihuodala has to sit down. Thats not his game.
No, that means he needs to take Afflalo to the blocks again.
What are the chances of him pullimg off another drop step, post up dunk? That's totally not his game. You gotta know that yourself.
Bad Lou out there. Like Brian said, they need Turner's D out there. Very impressed by Jrue tonight and Brand looks like he has his legs back.
Jrue took one really bad shot, otherwise thought he was great in the first half. He's stoning Lawson whenever he's on him, but when they went to that 2 PG look, they just went after whoever Jrue wasn't guarding. Have to see more than 6 minutes for Turner in the second half.
Bench scoring is 24-21, them.
jrue, turner, lou, dre and thad need to go to the basket relentlessly in the 2nd half. There is no one on the nuggets that can stay in front of any of those guys and the bird man can't really get up like he used to, so there isn't that much to be scared of once you're in the paint. If they do that hopefully they'll get to the line and keep the nuggets from running and gunning
What the hell happened.. had to run for groceries.. left with huge lead and come back to this crap.
Even when we were up big, all I could I think was that this team will need to make a deadline deal to compete for a high playoff seed.
So basically you're making a rash conclusion based off of pure emotion.
Zumoff is sitting so close to Malik it looks like they're spooning.
Put Iguodala on Lawson and Thad on Gallinari, Sit Meeks to start the second half
Team needs to forget about the second quarter. Start the game over Defense, defense, defense.
Wipe that goofy smile off your face, Spencer. The team is fucking losing.
Great first possession.
Ugh, way too long to get into that set. Rushed shot by Jrue at the buzzer.
They start small w/ no Koufus. We go small immediately w/ Thad.
Yup, Karl started w/ Miller/Lawson.
Yeah Jodie 3. D up!
Gotta get Turner on Miller
Jodie Meeks is the worst starter in the history of the NBA. HE FUCKING SUCKS
I swear jodie's shooting percentage is worse when getting a pass from jrue
Meeks three, then he gambles for a steal and it costs them. Didn't see a foul there. That's three on Jrue. Voose picked up his fourth.
Lucky to get that hoop there. Dre missed Thad cutting early on that break.
Iguodala passes up another transition bucket
OK, let's go. Let's fucking go.
why did jrue double clutch there just shot the god damn ball
If Collins doesnt get Turner in the game for Meeks he's a moron.
Tough shot by Jrue
Jrue to the hoop w/ the leaner. I'd love to see a Sixer go to the line, just once.
Come the fuck on.
Thad taking a charge.
They're struggling with penetration because Collins is letting Karl dictate the matchups, and getting Lawson w/ Meeks on him.
I am going to turn off the game for five minutes. If Jodie Meeks is still in the game when I turn it back on, I'll rip my hair out.
Also, another great slide by Thad.
Come on Thad, you know you can't fadeaway to your right hand. sheesh
Thad is holding the ball too much
haha brand looked like he wasn't 45 years old there
Old man moves!
Off arm on Nene, no?
that was clearly a push-off ... but well, as you said, let's not focus on that.
Offense is stagnant right now.
Good pass down low from Thad to Meeks.
Nice pass, Thad. OK, get a stop now.
Get Jodie out of the fucking game, I don't care if he hit a couple shots.
Wish Jrue would stop w/ the early one-on-ones.
Nene is killing us.
Thad vs Nene. I dont like that at all
jesus thad refuses to use his right hand to finish
Man, their offense has just completely gone in the shitter. Defense actually hasn't been bad this quarter.
Looks like Collins/Thorn trading away a backup big man for nothing and not replacing him has come back to haunt them. Shocker.
4 on nene
4 on Nene.
Meeks getting major burn. WHY?
Coach's Pet. He probably went into Collins' office again to kiss his @$$
Wish I could tell you.
Nice play, Thad.
But, they're free.
MAAAAAAKE FUCKING FOUL SHOTS
please put turner in soon
F me! another Miller J. ugh
Im starting to get frustrated with Collins decisions tonight
I haven't seen someone dominate a game like Andre Miller is dominating this one.
We've committed a little too early to show/hedge/trap on these P&R's that they're just slipping them. Nene a couple times and that time Danilo
Turner in for Thad, huh?
the screener needs to dive to the basket once their defender commits to hedging. The nuggets are helping way too early on screens make them pay for that
Is it me or is Meeks looking kinda buff?
ANother tough shot by Jrue. contested, ugh
Gotta get this under control here. Hit these freebies, AI9.
CMon Lou, spark us
Lazy close out on Harrington by Iguodala
There you go Lou. Go to the rack. Get to the line.
Not the game we needed so far from iggy
The Nuggets are a very good team
well done evan
What the hell was Lou doing on that board? He just stood there and watched Denver get it.
Pretty move by Turner in transition. Hit the freebie.
Turner being aggresive!! Big bucket
Good strong take ET. He is ALWAYS under control.
ET! Coast to coast. Make this and-one plz.
thats why turner needed to be in this game 10 min ago
I agree
Good hustle Jodie.
Doesn't Miller need some rest w/ his half old self?
8 on the shot clock when they come out of this timeout. Nothing easy, need this stop.
Sixers are playing well with Nene off the floor, but they have yet to prove they can stop the Nuggets when he is playing.
Nice call Violet.
Violet Palmer is probably the worst official in any major sport.
Yeah Lou. To the line again. Make em count
OK, hit 'em, Lou.
Really good D by Turner on Miller. Not sure why it's taken 34 minutes to figure out he's the guy you need on Miller when they go w/ 2 PGs.
Damn, Harrington 3. ugh
Had it at 2, they hit back-to-back threes. Pitiful.
Dammit ET! too much one on one
ugh Brewer 3 sheesh
Awful shot Turner. Three at the other end, fuck
5 on birdman
get jodie out put jrue or thad in
Jodie played that whole quarter right? And no one else did? Unbelievable. Coach's Pet to the Max!
C'mon close out this half
They're free.
Iguodala on Lawson. Turner with the bucket
Good job Evan! If they're gonna give you an opening like that TAKE IT!
Atta boy, Turner. That was wide open.
looked like evan almost losing the ball there helped him make that bucket
Turner playing well. Good job to tie up Brewer.
Damnit, Jodie, where were you?
that was all battie's slow lazy asses fault
Sheesh
Damn Battie, go after the damn jump ball
Afflalo 3 w/ shot clock ready to expire. .1 sec left FUCK
PHI 72, DEN 78 after three.
Tie quarter. Not gonna cut it.
only down 6, get some stops and run an offense
this game is just ugly.
Is it me or did they not start the shot clock in time after the jump ball? There was 8 on the shot clock, 28 on the game clock, and the jumper was made with 18 seconds left. Should have been a shot clock violation, right?
I dont have a DVR so I cant confirm this, but the shot clock on the television scoreboard definitely did not start in time
I didn't notice.
The shot clock and game clock both started on time. Brewer released the ball with around 3 seconds on the shot clock and it went through the basket with 18.2 left on the game clock. It was good all the way.
Correction, it shouldn't have counted. Shot clock did not start on time. Shot clock did not start until 24.5 seconds were showing on game clock. Almost 4 seconds elapsed of game time before shot clock was activated again. Sorry about the first post.
Knew it. Fuck that. It's not like the 3 points they scored after that would have helped right! Hey Coach, thanks for keeping your eye on the clock!
What kind of home cooking is that? One of the coaches or one of the refs should have seen that. Wonder if that's reviewable like between quarters or something? If that doesn't count it doesn't even matter if AI9 choked on that free throw at end of regulation.
Time for Iguodala to Lawsin the whole 4th quarter
if jodie and battie play under 3 min in this quarter each I think the sixers will win this game
ditto
and look who's starting the quarter
Offense started to look better at the end of the third but the defense and effort was fucking pitiful. Not rotating to shooters on D and not coming up with any loose balls. Don't have a good feeling at all about this one.
Is Jodie still in there? Yup.
Does Jodie have pics of Doug in compromised positions? Maybe that's what the meeting in his office was about.
We got to the line 12 times that quarter. More of that. Oh, and make em.
Come on, Lou.
no more birdman
Get Nene his fifth.
Take it to Nene! 4 fouls on him
Great move by Turner, make the 10 footer.
Turner has to made these open shots
thad got fouled there
Good steal ET. Thad blows another close one. They convert on other end. damn damn damn
Lawson vs Lou is a bad matchup
got the right squad in there. now here comes the sixers run
Man, not for nothing, but wish we had a guy to throw it to in the post.
Dre w/ another fadeaway. He's patented it.
Iguodala putting on a clinic of what shots not to take.
This game is over, bad shot after bad shot. Fuck
Just nothing but long jumpers. Sixers look like the tired team tonight. Except Turner.
lets go!!!!!!!
evan seems to be the only one that is getting it right now
smh at Jodie's 30 minutes and Turner's 15 minutes at this point in the game
Turner is gonna keep shooting. I like it. Just make'em count
Make this free throw please Evan.
Still too much one on one from our guys. Early long jumpshots in the clock too.
Our offense is fucking embarrassing right now. Turner is the only one who is getting good shots. And our defense is pathetic.
Iggy and Lou are a combined 3 for 16 on the night.
OK, D up now.
great d from jrue there
That's how you defend, Jrue. Fucking sick.
Playing the exact offense our D tries to force: long 2's.
Making a run
Turnover! Layup. come on D the F up!
there you go!!!!!!
LETSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
fucking right. play good d and see what happens
Meeks finally gets benched, Sixers go on a tear. Sorry but that's not a coincidence.
Iguodala with back to back plays. One lucky assist, one perfect transition dunk!!
Heck of an effort by EB there to keep after that loose ball.
Dre dunk! The crowd is pumped! So are we .....!!!!!!!!!!
in a moment, everything can change.
Great work by Elton on that steal and finish. When was the last time he got to do that?
That's probably the loudest I've heard the crowd in a non-playoff game in years. Come on, keep the pressure on. This is the lineup that can stone them.
Bet Miller comes in here.
this is the squad that needs to be in at the end of games. They will win just by d'ing up
YEAH!!!!
Welcome to the game #9
Andre putback! got the lead. stops please
Iguodala on Miller, Turner on Afflalo. Great move.
Come on, let's go!
@tmoorepburbs #Sixers attendance is 15,201.
jrue needs to take control on offense now
Funk yeah
Jrue and Turner played GREAT D tonite!
Lawson long two, clank!
Turner looking to score
L'il lift on that shot EB? little elbow extension no?
Yeah, Turner!!!!!!!
evan with the killer instinct
Sweet ET! 13-0 run now. D up!
Fucking walk man
Come on, that was a fucking walk. You knew Miller was going to eventually end the run.
Iggy on Miller, love it. Jrue has to man up.
Let's go, get the lead right back.
perfect pass by turner
Use the glass ET. ugh
Three great shots in a row don't fall. And EB in transition! Great find by Turner. Let's go.
Do not make a sub here, Doug. Don't even think about it.
Let's go!!!
Too many open looks missed, but I like the effort
Turner's crossover and finish was awesome. Love the crowd reaction.
Hit 'em both, Turner.
That was a great move to go baseline, Evan. No one expected that! :)
Yeah, best perimeter defender in the league, folks.
fuck me, miller for 3
AI9 finally hits one!
hate the shot love the result iggy
No EFFING way. Nother miller 3? SHIT
I'm speechless. COme on, close this shit out!!!!!!
ETs best game as a sixer even if slightly inefficient. Terrific effort
iggy should have known better bad foul
Bail out call there for Miller - bullshit
Gallo touched that ball out of bounds. FUCK. God damn you, Andre Miller.
Andre finally makes a J.
ET off the nice feed from Jrue.
SLow it down Jrue here.
thad and brand should not have tried to put the ball back up on those offensive boards kick it and burn more clock
Andre Miller. Every single game he amazes me.
Fuck if this didn't turn into a game.
Why? Why run that?
Awful shot
why would they not run a normal set with 1 min to play what the fuck doug
jrue, D-Up!!!!!!!
Jrue!
turner get a fucking hand up on andre miller.
holiday awesome!
An Andre pullup again? F me. Come on Doug, if you in fact called that.
Andre FUCKING MILLER again. dammit
JRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Put Iguodala back on Miller for this last possession. He's getting the shot.
jrue i love you
Dre has to be on Miller on this last play. He is there guy tonight, we need our best defensive player on him.
DEFENSE!!! (Stomping his feet)
I think Karl will go to Nene.
just leave Iguodala on Miller here
Andre Miller will hit the game winning skyhook as time expires.
Unreal
No way. No fucking way.
ok who gets it?
Miller is killing to so called best defender int\ the league.
Your irrational hatred of Iguodala prevents you from saying ANYTHING good about him doesn't it?
Damn. If Iggy shoot a jumper, I'm punching the TV.
Andre Miller, I knew it was a reason I always liked the hell out of you.
I'm going jrue here
Jrue or Turner, and I can live with it either way. Don't want an Iguodala fade away here.
you just knew that was gonna happen.
You knew THAT was gonna happen
please make them!!!!!!!
good move dre now make these
any chance we're hitting this last shot? 20/80
FUCKING ATTACK THE BASKET!
Just make 1 plz
Can't fucking watch. Cannot fucking watch.
Not showing much confidence in your boy
What would it matter to you - if he made them both you would have found something else to bash him about - he's the best player on the team and you can't appreciate it - you are a perfect example of why i want him traded
Soft front court (even with Hawes) exposed again tonight as well - team continues not to add a speights replacement - new owners continue to act like carnival barkers
They aren't off to a good start in their ownership tenure in my opinion
A replacement for a player who never played? They drafted his replacement in the offseason.
Miller has the Nuggets last 10 points, with Meeks on the bench and our best defenders on the floor. ugh
Dre, make em for once huh?
c'mon Iguodala. For all that is good in life please make these free throws.
Good for you Iggy - that second one wasn't easy.
He put motherfucking Jodie back in for one play? Unreal
A friggin' free throw. Just a free throw. He was tight as hell on the first one and leaning back on it.
4 seconds. Come on. COME ON!
switch switch switch
....it could have been worse?
play for OT.
Andre Miller sky hook for the win.
overtime
god damn, miller almost made that last shot too
Most exciting game in a longgg time. I couldn't even watch the last shot by miller
PHI 96, DEN 96 at the end of regulation.
Can that unit last another five minutes? You have to find out. I don't want to see anyone else on the floor.
keep that same squad i dont care how tired they are
cotgt
WOw, how did that shit NOT drop? Andre Miller step back 3? Save me please.
5 more? Gonna be hard to take if they were like the last five.
I woke up the kids like halfway through that amazing run.
Let's go.
I can't believe iggy made that 2nd ft! He is clutch!
this is exactly how this game should be, these teams are mirror images of themselves
and Brand loses the tip.
Brand loses the tip. 0/1 on the season.
Atta boy, Evan.
Two nice dimes by iggy
EB!
OK, more D. I'd like to see a Lawson long two clank again.
Iguodala dropping dimes
EB. D up now!
Lawler's law guys. Lawler's Law.
Why the continued one on one Jrue? Jumpers at that...
Where was Brand on that p&r?
thad jumper
Yes Thad! One stop?
Thad!
wow thad sick
Bad call bitch
+1
Fucking bullshit. MOTHERFUCKING BULL SHIT!
So so so bad
she could not wait to make that call unreal
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME????????????????????
this crew sucks!!
Violet? that was a clear block. Nene slid over into him.
TERRRRIBLE CALL!!!!!
That call screwed us. Are you fuckin kidding me???
Brand is gassed.
Can someone please fire that bitch ref?
Denver announcers said bad call by ref on the charge call. said it was a block, Denver was lucky
how many stops have the sixers had in ot 1 or 2?
Lou and Jodie in. Fuck my life
Uh, not liking this lineup.
Lou + Jodie? Why?
So Collins takes out his best 2 players in the 4th and OT?!?!? REALLY?????
what is doug thinking with this line up
DAAAAAAAAMN JRUE
Eff. Terrible
Jrue? Really?
Fuck me.
F me! Jrue! terrible
I put this loss squarely on doug's shoulders.
+1.
Meeks had no business playing a single minute in Q3
+2
sunk.
this sucks
Great decision by Collins. Unfortunately the Sixers youth showed tonight. Williams misses the wide open 3. Jrue makes the stupid turnover. Nuggets are just the better veteran team.
Violet Palmer.....
So disappointed. I know Jrue threw that ball away, he had no idea what he was doing and looked scared, but I'm blamin this loss on Doug.
Does it make any sense to take Turner and Thad, who have been your 2 bet players in this great run, out for that last play?? Even if what you wanted was to spread the floor...take out fucking Jrue Holiday. Not to mention he went ahead and ran the last play of regulation for Iguodala...again. Shit.
Andre. Miller. Is this the first time an opposing player wins POTG? wow, just wow
He's better than Iguodala, isn't he?
fuck that ref. srsly. just fuck him.
her, you mean. although that makes your statement a little bit awkward.
PHI 104, DEN 108 Final.
I'm gonna go walk the dog for a couple of hours and hope someone tries to mug me.
cotgt
Can somebody tell me why - on the two biggest possessions of the game (end of regulation and OT) - Evan Turner was on the bench?
Why the fuck were the only two players keeping us in the game on the bench when we needed a Fucking bucket. Screw Doug
wiz beat the thunder
Got to make your FTs in the end and/or hit an open 3. I think the Nugs are the better team but that loss stings
I think the idea of inserting turner into the starting line up needs to be seriously considered. Meeks is really starting to hurt the team and turner has shown he is improving constantly.
If anything the refs favored us. We got a lot of iffy calls go our way. It ended up evening out toward the end. Collins coached a fine game, making the necessary adjustments to come back. Unfortunately the Nuggets are just more clutch. Andre Miller clearly wasn't going to leave the stadium losing that game.
Ugh. I just vomitted.
Collins coached a terrible game, I don't know what you were watching. And I'm not a Doug hater, I love Doug. Karl destroyed him tonight in their chess match.
destroyed? Really?
Yes, destroyed. Karl owned him tonight.
Hilarious that you think that. Wasn't his best coaching performance, but he wasn't destroyed by any means. Maybe in the second quarter, but he had the right lineups in there in the fourth.
It's hilarious that you're defending him, he did a shitty job tonight. It can happen to anyone, even the great Doug Collins.
Nice observations you made to back up your point (opinion).
He left Meeks in the game way too long earlier in the game, and he never should have brought in Lou and Meeks near the end of OT when they had been sitting on the bench for so long before that. You don't bring in cold shooters, especially when you don't need a 3.
I think the idea was to bring in Meeks for floor spacing. You didn't need a three in that situation, but you don't want the Nuggets to abandon the idea that the three is a possibility.
Thad and Evan carried us offensively, you don't take them out of the game at that point. You just don't do it.
Sure, then go small and put Thad at center.
Are you his son? Is this really Chris Collins?
Fairly immature comment. Thought you were capable of handling a discussion. I guess I was wrong.
It wasn't fairly immature, it was completely immature. I'm fucking pissed off right now and I don't want to argue with a guy who looks exactly like Eddie Jordan, right down to the can opener tooth! Kidding, of course
Thad isn't a "clutch" guy. He hustled everywhere tonight but unless he's crashing the glass off a quick shot for a putback I don't see the need for him to be in there. It doesn't hurt to have Meeks in there because if he's getting the ball it's likely an open look and that's a good shot.
Lol. Nah.
Karl destroyed him early on then Doug made great adjustments, putting Iggy on Miller and Holiday on Lawson and then denying the post.
Doug had a great play for Lou which gave him a wide open 3 but unfortunately he missed.
The Nuggets are simply a better team than us right now which is the reason they won despite playing on a back-to-back.
Because he had been sitting on the bench for 10 minutes. You don't put a cold shooter in at that point of the game.
Lou does just fine coming off the bench and making shots. That's what he's used to doing. I'd much rather have Lou taking that 3 than Turner.
bringing a player who's been sitting for almost 10 mins for 1 possession; not the best decision IMO
not that that might have changed the outcome anyway
Word.
Turner was - by a fair margin - the best player the Sixers had out there late in the game. To put Meeks in at the end of regulation was a curious decision, to say the least...if it is not going to be Turner, at least let it be Lou...who has made shots in situations like that before.
It was a tough loss, but having some time to decompress, I am not as upset. Miller played out of his freaking mind...if you want to analyze coaching decisions, Karl let his hot hand close it out, while DC sat his hot hand for the two biggest possessions of the game.
And the clueless/gutless (pick your choice) gave Collins a pass on it in the post-game presser.
They didn't need a 3, they were down 2. It was a bad decision.
it was an open shot period. created within the flow of the offense. Unless it's Brand standing behind the 3pt line, the player should take the shot. Lou's 3pt% is above 37 I believe. good chance.
Not when he's been sitting on the bench for so long. It was a bad decision putting him in.
yup, i agree with that.
DC destroyed himself. Wised up in the nick of time.
but Meeks playing = the unforgivable sin
Meeks was getting destroyed by Lawson. Karl kept going to that 2 guard lineup with Miller and Lawson but Doug kept trying to counter it with Jrue and Meeks, which absolutely killed us in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Doug figured out just to put Jrue on Lawson and Iggy on Miller, but it was late at that point. And the players couldn't bail him out at the end with unclutch play.
This has been going on for the last 3 years. The Sixers simply struggle to win close games. That's where youth and not having a superstar really kills you.
in this case, it was just Andre Miller. not the lack of a superstar. But it should never have come to that.
You're never going to coach and play a perfect game and win by double digits every game. That's just not going to happen.
That's why you have to be able to win close games. Usually having veteran players helps with that. But this Sixers team is really young, so that's always going to be a weakness.
you are beating a dead horse. Everyone gets that.
But for THIS game, we could have won, without the superstar.
Why the fuck were the only two players keeping us in the game on the bench when we needed a Fucking bucket. Screw Doug
Ugh, both Turner and Thad out at the end? Don't like fanning the flames but there's no "I play who is playing well" defense there.
You know what I find weird though, even on a night where Turner's playing so well, he still has just 20 points on 17 shots and 5 FTA (comes out to a .521 TS%). By my count he was 2-10 on jump shots, which isn't that unusual in a year where he's shooting 31% from 10-15 feet and 26% from 16-23 feet. It makes you wonder how much of a weapon he can ever become.
His jumper though it looks a lot better, still isn't doing much damage. I think it will improve a good bit eventually just judging on the form, because it's a huge adjustment. You can look at it as glass half- full/empty.
Yeah, it doesn't look half as ugly as it used to. Shooting in general is a team weakness. Iguodala and Lou will soon regress to being below league-average shooters, Turner's a non-shooter and none of our bigs can shoot at all, leaving just Meeks as our one very good shooter and Holiday as our one average to above-average shooter. Teams like Denver have a whole lineup's worth of decent shooters (Rudy, Harrington, Lawson, Afflalo, Gallo, Brewer). We have a lot of roster change to cycle through before we're there.
I feel like Turner is not used to consciously playing ball. Like he's so good with the change of pace moves because he senses what's happening with the defender and then does whatever will throw them for a loop. But when he gets the ball in a situation where he wasn't expecting it or something, or out of his rhythm I guess, he's kind of surprised/ overwhelmed, like, "whoa, I have the ball, what do I do now." That's a self-conscious moment that he's not comfortable with. He's good at taking it coast to coast because he skies for the rebound, decides he's gonna dribble it down, and does it. He has a plan. But when he doesn't have a plan (like when he is open and receives the ball for a jumper despite not expecting it), he hesitates or is not sure what to do. It's already been established that confidence is an issue for Turner. I think self-consciousness has a lot to do with it too.
This has kind of been a psychoanalytical tangent but what do yall think?
None of the postgame reporters asked him why he took out thad and turner
around the atlantic division: suns beat the knicks, celtics beat the raptors
That game hurts, but it's a good learning experience for the guys. After Denver made that last basket, Doug could've called timeout, but kept going. I really can't remember a time where Jrue had the ball on the final possession. He looked tentative, but it was better than the iggy iso play. They'll learn from this later.
I'm starting to hate Jodie a bit, ET is playing much better, I want him in starting lineup instead of Meeks.
Soft front court (even with Hawes) exposed again tonight as well - team continues not to add a speights replacement - new owners continue to act like carnival barkers
They aren't off to a good start in their ownership tenure in my opinion
Didn't get to watch the game. How'd ET get his 20 points? How big of an impact did he make and if you remember, who was guarding him when he scored most of his points?
He scored most of his points in the guts of the game...and he scored them on everybody - including taking one right into Nene's grill.
He was by far the best player the Sixers had on offense late in the game...which is why I am SO pizzed that nobody in the media had the cojones to ask DC why he pilled Turn for the two biggest possessions of the game.
Huge impact, scored a lot late in the game in transition but some in halfcourt, virtually all of his points within 3 feet of the basket. Missed almost every midrange jumper he took.
Basically, Meeks played the entire 3rd quarter (only guy on the team to do so), and he also started the 4th. Finally Doug took out Meeks, Turner took over the game, we took the lead, we had our natural close-game breakdowns, then Turner got removed for the key final possessions, in favor of Meeks, and we lost. Basically that's what happened.
Best game of the young season, really thrilling.
Despite all the lauding Young has received for his electric play there's in one critical flaw that has to be pointed out: 22 FGA and only ONE FTA. He does so well with all of those hustle plays but can not draw contact to save his life.
Turner was obviously the catalyst for the late game resurgence. He was incredible on his drives and off with his jumper as usual, but he's looking so much smoother with them as Rich pointed out. It was only a matter of time before his aggression started to pay off (three and-1's!) and I think the same is true for his jumper. This also applies to Thad, keep at it.
Jrue and Dre really sank them towards the end with long contested two's off the dribble. Too often they look determined to shoot as soon as they got the ball in their hands. They are really doing a disservice to themselves when they don't work off the dribble to create for others. Of course, without their defense this would have been a very different ball game.
Last note. Meeks was a total revolving door. How the hell did he possibly earn himself 30 minutes out there? Ty Lawson got past him at will. Those easy baskets really kill momentum and in my opinion were the reason for the lackadaisical D in the middle quarters.
Agreed. It wasn't a coincidence that we made our run almost immediately after Meeks FINALLY got removed in the 4th quarter. He was the only guy who played the entire 3rd, it was truly incredible.
Turner brought us back, almost by himself, then got benched on the biggest plays of the game in favor of Meeks. smh
At least Collins got it right with Lou tonight. I'm seeing less and less of the new Lou that was passing within the offense and making smart decisions. He brought some energy and that was nice, but his minutes were what he earned.
Yeah, I'm happy about that because it means Lou is definitely leaving. He was pissed once again about his 4th quarter benching, there's no way he's coming back. That pleases me.
I'm convinced Meeks has naked pictures of Collins somewhere. I still can't believe Meeks went to Collins' office to kiss his @$$ after he got benched in the Knicks game. It's like we're dealing with a junior high team.
No. He didn't bring us back all by himself or even close to by himself. He was 3-7 in the fourth quarter with 3 foul shots, scored 9 points. In the 11-0 run that took us from down ten to 1 point ahead, he scored 3 points. Iguodala played just as great a role.
There was an instant change when he was on the floor without Meeks. It totally turned the game around. Turner took over the game.
+1
After watching jumper after jumper after FUCKING JUMPER in the 3rd quarter and start of the 4th quarter, it was refreshing to see somebody take the ball to the rack...say, "here I come - stop me if you can". That is what Miller did for Denver. That is what Turner was doing for the Sixers - until Jrue and Iguodala started shooting jumpers again and DC put Turner on the bench for the game's two biggest possessions.
I also don't understand DC's love for not calling TO's in some of these crucial situations...since when has this team's late- game execution gotten so good that it is better to just let them push the ball instead of calling a TO and setting up a play - huh? I guess that I have missed ALL of those games where the Sixers forgo calling TO's and flawlessly score game-winning baskets.
+1 right back. The jumpshots killed us, Turner's drives brought it back, jumpshots killed us again.
Collins made so many late-game mistakes it's hard to pick one. I don't know what to think about the timeout thing. Obviously not calling the timeout has failed twice, and if I had any confidence in Collins in a close game, I'd insist on a timeout. But Collins is just gonna call an Iggy iso anyways, and that has failed 96 straight times on the final possession (ever since he hit the buzzer-beater in LA). I guess the potential benefit of no timeout is that maybe the ball will accidentally end up in Turner's hands, which in my opinion is where it should be to close out the game. He's our best finisher on drives and that's how we should be closing.
This is a fantasy. 10 of Turner's 17 shots were jump shots. He made 2. We started playing defense, Iguodala and Turner and Brand made some plays, we got back in the game. Turner played a role but that's all.
It is not a fantasy...it is my opinion.
I did not say that Turner was not part of the jumper-loving crowd...and he certainly missed his share. I would also agree that their defense (on everybody but Miller) was key to getting back in the game. But - especially with the way they were shooting from the outside - there is no way they take the lead and hold it late without Turner's offense...and I still cannot understand why bringing in a cold Meeks over Turner to score the ball in those key possessions made sense.
I replied to someone else's post, not yours. Stoned81 wrote, they were taking jumpers and then Turner went to the rim and then Turner left and they just took a lot of jumpers. Actually, Turner probably took more jumpers tonight than anyone.
Eh. In the fourth, Turner was really driving aggressively, but he does need to limit his jumpers. From the 10 min mark, when Collins finally got the right lineup in there, Turner was 4/7 for 11 points, with 3 d-boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover (that BS charge), and he was 3/3 from the line (drew 4 fouls total). He was also a big part of the defensive effort. He was my potg.
Is this your thing, Tray? ET had a very very good game. I'm not certain any players on the team had a better game. So semantics about who brought who back aside, you seem to be nitpicking.
Iguodala (11, 10, 9, defense, 0 turnovers to Turner's 3) probably had a better game. I agree that Turner should have been in over Meeks, not that that's saying much, but characteristically, stoned81 is hugely exaggerating how well Turner played. Turner had a better version of the sort of game he always has - great finisher and rebounder, takes too many jump shots and misses them all, doesn't get to the line at a very high rate, all adding up to an inefficient bottom line. Today, he got more shots, got to the line a little more, and had an even better than usual rebounding night. Made some big shots in the fourth quarter.
No. We were down 80-72 when Turner was in and Meeks subbed out, and the game did turn around at that point. Only thing is, Battie and Lou subbed out as well, and Brand and Iguodala subbed back in. Since Turner was already in when we cut the lead to two in the third and saw it balloon to ten again, one could much more easily say that the player whose appearance in the lineup magically caused us to get back in the game was Iguodala. Of course, it's really stupid to look at who subbed in before a team goes on a run and assume that he made the difference.
No matter how much you analyze, overanalyze, critique every little thing (just make one more free throw!), this loss and the Knicks loss can be summed up in the dreaded lull, 'a' dreaded lull. Knicks in the 1st and maybe start of 2nd quarter. And tonight in the 2nd quarter - think DEN went on a 16-4 run. If the guys don't go long stretches without stringing together some stops or just getting one hoop / trip to the line, may be a whole different ballgame. Who knows?
Loved the effort though, sure would be mighty nice to have a competent and capable big man in the mold of Nene. If they had just that one missing piece, look out.
Is another big man really going to solve the key problem that Collins can't coach a close game? We lost them all last year, we've lost them all this year. So many coaching mistakes at the end it was unreal.
Sure, cause more than likely those games won't be nowhere near that close with all the things a capable big man can provide - on both ends.
Sometimes I do wish he'd use timeouts more, but not in the guts at the end of the game. Like tonight, coming out of a timeout late, Andre jacks a fall-back 20 footer? I'm hoping that is not the look Doug drew up, if it is, oh well we're all f'd. I wish he'd use timeouts more like when I mentioned our opponents are going on those lenghty runs, or when we're in a offensive lull.
>
I assumed it was. Typically when it's the final couple possessions, from my observations, Doug draws up an iso for Iggy or Lou.
Lulls happen. Denver nearly lost the game thanks to a huge run.
Just thinking - what was Jrue trying to do with that last pass? It's like he got mixed up and thought Andre Miller was his teammate or something. Because he just attempted to throw the pass so gingerly or softly it looked like. I mean, he didn't even try to loft it over the defender to get it out to the arc to Iguodala. It just sort of fell right in Miller's hands. It looked like Lawson got his left hand in there at the last minute and may have just barely touched Jrue's elbow, making the supposed pass come out weird.
I have no idea. Looked like he thought Miller wasn't even there. When he was asked about it after the game, he said he had a layup if he just took one more dribble, which was probably the case. He did something similar against the Bucks (I think) last season. Growing pains, I guess.
I'm not really a big fan of either how Jrue is approaching the game right now, or how Collins has decided to use him (and I can't tell which is the cause), but he's looking kind of like Lou on a lot of possessions, where he gets his hands on the ball and he's just bound and determined to get a shot up.
Yeah, I agree. At first I thought it was how Collins was using him b/c he was off the ball spotting up so much w/ Lou or ET initiating. Now, I'm not so sure that's the case. Mainly because he will come right down and dribble for a few and try a shake/crossover/spin move and fire away - that is, if he doesn't just pull a quick early shot clock jumper. Hard for me to believe Collins wants him doing that. Lou off the bench - yes, DC I think wants him doing that to a degree. Jrue, with 3 or 4 somewhat capable shooters out there - no.
The only reason I'm not sure is because (1) I think Jrue listens and responds to coaching (2) I think Collins would be sitting him more if he was really going off script.