The good teams beat the bad teams. If you don't beat the bad teams, you are not a good team. Simple as that. If the Sixers want to convert doubters to believers, they need to win games like this one tonight, against the Suns. Time for the game thread.
A couple of things to look for. We're only two games into the season, and the Sixers have another off day tomorrow before their first back-to-back on Saturday/Sunday. If Doug Collins wants to stick with the same eight-man rotation, he can do it tonight. Hopefully, the Sixers will build up enough of a lead to where he can afford to dip a little deeper into his bench and steal some minutes for the more important players, but he's not at a point where he has to. Earlier today, Collins said he'd like to use 10 tonight, so we'll see how that works out.
Evan Turner had the
best game of his short career in Phoenix last season. Iguodala was out with an injury and Turner destroyed the Suns. Expect him to a have a big game tonight as well. I'd like to see the Sixers go big for a stretch or two when Nash is in the game, but they don't have the personnel to put Turner at the point and Iguodala at the two, unless we're going to see Brackins or Thad at the three, which is doubtful.
It would be just super if Jrue could make the first game a hiccup, and avoid it becoming a trend. He needs to make strides this season, and the sooner he gets started, the better.
One thing I've seen in the comments today was an expectation that Thad would be able to handle a stretch four better than Brand. That's no entirely true. Thad
should be able to handle a stretch four better, but his tendency to over help is a big problem, maybe as big of a problem as Brand's lack of mobility. He needs to be aware of his man and keep contact with him, let the five be the weak side helper.
That's all I've got. The tip is at 9pm. This is your game thread. I'll be right here throughout. Join me if you're sick of moral victories.
Prediction: PHI 115, PHO 103
This game still gets me a little nervous, but i think the turnovers will die down, sixers win 96-89
This is the team that Sam Dalembert was able to get 20 (or more I think) rebounds against once, and while the players may have changed, and the coach as well they still seem to be the same type of team...sixers need to do better on the defensive glass and take better care of the ball...jrue needs to shake off that first game big time, one of those step up nights where he has to show a lot more.
Meeks needs to not suck
Sixers -1 tonight - I normally don't lay road chalk but I think they're a little undervalued here, especially off a loss.
Charlotte throttling the Heat, but it's early. Biyombo is an impressive athlete. All over the floor on the defensive end w/ those long arms and quick feet. Just an 0/2 from the line as far as stats go, though. Glad I'm getting a chance to see him play.
Wow. Ugh, why couldn't he have dropped?
I hope Meeks gets his game going tonight, if not Collins should sit him before he hurts us to bad. Would like to see the Voose play tonight.
Biyombo scores first two points of his career than blocks Bosh with his left hand.
Diaw looks like Popeye Miller.
No way Charlotte keeps this up, right? They are on fire.
If Norris Cole keeps jacking 22-footers, they can.
The super clippers start in 15 minutes
Two absolute bombs from Augustin to close out the half. That's a huge six point run on two ridiculously tough shots.
wade foot injury, doesnt start the 2nd half
Heh, Blatche is 0/7 in the second quarter.
Shut Up ;)
Biyombo is a man. Two-handed block in transition.
Why the hell are digital feeds STILL so crappy all the time?
Cable companies are run by morons and crooks.
Don't forget the government giving them their 'regional' monopolies which hinder competition
Suns broadcast for me.
Well if the digital jittering ever stops I have the Suns broadcast too...
it's pretty bad right now - resetting the box does nothing
OK, here we go. How about a fucking win, huh?
I settle for any kind of win, no sex required
Boston getting worked in New Orleans right now, down 15. Sweet.
Nothing shocking in the starting lineup.
And we're off...Hawes loses the tip
Ugh, Jrue opens w/ a bricked long two.
jodie floater to start the scoring
EB's gotta catch that.
That turnover is on EB. Hit him in the hands. Wake up, please.
eb jumper
Gortat on Brand, that's a tough matchup for him. Hawes should be able to punish Frye, but he won't of course.
Good take, Iguodala. Hit the freebies. Great D w/ the arms in the passing lane.
Dre's picked off Nash twice by baiting Nash to kick a ball out and getting his hands in the passing lae.
Igudoala still staying aggressive. Grant Hill gets that one back, though.
A little too easy for my liking, especially with AI9 guarding him.
Again', our starting lineup is only taking jump shots in the half court.
Ugh, awful start for Jrue. Can't get anything to drop.
good D there spence.
Go to the hoop, come on.
Hawes draws the charge on Nash, heh.
Ugh, jumper. jumper, jumper, jumper. Go to the hole.
0/5 start for Jrue. Plus that BS turnover on him. Not great.
So much easier to get those defensive rebounds when the suns don't challenge for them :)
Hawes P&R defense is embarassing.
The sixers P&R defense is kind of embarrassing
Good god, in game twitter reports? That's asinine
Someone needs to tell companies its not necessary to integrate social media into every product.
Our starting lineup is playing like a bunch of strangers
Hawes can GTFO.
thad jumper goes in
Our offense is very dysfunctional.
Grab the fucking board. God damnit. 3 tries for Channing Frye.
Thad and Hawes just refuse to box out. I don't understand it at all.
Hey look - Suns try to get offensive rebounds - and do - easily...awesome sauce
Jrue is looking very indecisive, Iggy is looking like an all star
The offense is so, so, so, so stagnant.
Two on Nash.
I wonder if Collins decided to call less plays and give the players more freedom. They are responding by standing around and taking jumpers. Even a Lou-Thad quick pick and roll is so much better like they did on the last play.
It feels like Hawes and Brands roles have reversed on the 2nd unit this year. Last year Hawes would go out at 6 mins usually and Brand move to 5, Thad at 4, was our best lineup.
I don't think Brand has his legs under him, that may be the reason for it early. Hawes has also been playing better, so it may just be merit based.
Hawes is still playing pretty poorly imo.
the voose is in
How in god's name does channing frye have 8 boards in the first quarter in 8 minutes?
And starting at Center for the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers, Spencer Hawes
ET to the hoop. Nice, decisive move on the blocks.
omg thad stop taking jumpers.
Voose w/ his first points.
Yes Voose for two
Voose with points AND a poke away on a suns offensive board (potential)
Start Him
The defense seems to worry a lot less about the Price-Lopez P and R. Forced a bunch of bad shots.
I'd like to see some transition pick and rolls for Lou against this team if the offense will take some time. That's the 2nd one he's made something positive happen.
He weighed in at combine at 260 with low body fat, looks a lot less than that.
Vuce*
Stupid survey question ignores 2 of smiths better drama performances
nice pick and roll between lou and voose
Oh Voose - that was just stupid - even for a rookie
Foul was after the buzzer.
Wasnt even a foul, his pit got all ball.
lul, i trust Voose more than Hawes.
Voose looking good
Voosie baby!
Sissy floater. Really dumb contest by Voose, even if he gets away with it. Just put your huge wingspan in the air.
I repeat, foul was after the buzzer.
Thank you, Mr. Ref.
PHI 25, PHO 18 after one.
Ugly offense, but I'll take three more quarters like that. Our bench is stout.
Get in the paint, Jrue. 0/6 now.
No legs on that Jrue three.
Nice catch by Voose on that bad entry pass by Lou. Nice drive and dish by Lou.
stop thad!!!
Fuck, Thad. Take it to the hole if you have that much room. The J isn't falling.
Man, Thad can't buy anything outside 5 feet.
Really like Voose's activity on defense. Give credit where its due.
His energy and rotations have been solid on that end.
Finally, Jrue.
finally, Jrue for 2!
nice job turner
ET!
The bench should start.
Turner with the LeBron post-up move where he doesn't bring the ball low and hits the turnaround jumper. He looks very good.
Were looking better with Voose and Thad than the other two.
Yep.
Nice find by Jrue. Lou for three.
that 2004 footage looked about 25-30 years old.
That's some sweet screen action that freed up the skip pass to Lou.
thad and voose all over the place, good to see
Does the Voose look quick to the ball, or is that just in comparison to Hawes?
Voose looks like he's getting comfortable.
Price is kind of hammering Lou.
Ok vuce, tone it down with the jumpers.
Late in shot clock.
6-0 run, which sucks because they were putting it to their 2nd unit. Voose shouldn't flare that deep. He doesn't have that range.
Jrue still sloppy, chicken with head cut off.
Sixers more committed to the ball to this point. To the grungers go the possessions.
I don't want to jinx it, but 1 turnover so far.
Ray Allen's voice is smooth.
There you go, Jrue.
Jrue with the jumper. I want Turner to get more touches.
got to make that jrue
ill settle with ronnie price taking 20 footers all day
Heh. two-handed block by Hawes.
ill settle with ronnie price taking 20 footers all day
Doug let them freelance there. The answer is a Hawes post-up. Christ, there's gotta be something better than that,.
Nice work, ET.
and 1 for brand
Slowest fast break ever, but leads to the and-one.
eb AND 1
2/10 for Jrue.
oh jrue....
Grant's a lock for '40 & Over' AS team next year.
Two on Iguodala.
Shot is looking flat. Elton is tired.
Shot is looking flat. Elton is tired.
3 on nash
Great steal by Jrue, 3 on Nash.
Jesus, Jrue. 2/10 from the floor, 0/2 from the line.
Jrue's shot is so off. He's all upper body with it.
zone, jodie for 3
That's why this team needs Meeks. He's really tough to zone.
That's exactly Collins' method of thinking. He knows teams will protect the paint and sag off if they don't start Meeks.
And Thadd ain't helping
Iguodala!
Would the suns win 10 games without nash?
Might, might not. Gortat & Lopez remind of Jim Fox and George "Jiff" Wilson, centers for original 16-66 Suns. In other words, they try. 'Adequate' is a night's work. 'Besting' is a surprise. 'Dominant' is out of the question. That's a bad roster.
Gortat's better than that, Lopez isn't.
Like Gortat for his toughness but he's not that talented.
Can be a plus player at times. Stock rose more than his game due to league malnourishment at C spot.
Effort.
I wish we could play the Suns 64 more times.
Excellent second quarter on both ends.
PHI 48, PHO 34 after two.
Thank you NBA LP ipad app so I could actually watch this game - wish I had known about you before hand - could have saved 100+ bucks
i have it too. I think it lasts until january 8th.
Iguodala is the early leader for POTG, with Turner as a darkhorse, if he gets the minutes/touches.
Turner needs more touches. It's so refreshing to say that and mean it 100 %.
Russell Westbrook is 0-10 tonight against the Grizzlies
And yet the thunder are only down one
Maybe this will teach russ who is #1 on the team...and who ain't
It could be that Jrue´s, EB´s and thad´s struggles come from the short time between the traininng camp and actual games, they had only 2 pre season games to loosen up..
All their shots look flat, maybe tired legs ?
Some guys recover fast than others
If Jrue and Thad have tired legs already, at their age, they really need to get in MUCH better shape
(Thad also woul be advised to talk to Herb McGee)
Much stronger half rebounding, sort of, I mean they gave up a lot less in the offensive rebounding category, but the suns seemed to get them whenever they crashed the glass - they just don't crash the glass
The turnovers were down though - that's a good sign. Put em away in the third (like the spurs are doing to the defenseless (i.e. they don't play defense) clippers.)
80.8% DREB, can't argue w/ that.
Yeah, like I said better
But when the suns challenged the sixers - they were getting the glass - the suns don't crash the boards a lot, lot of defensive rebounds had all red shirts around em
As someone who has watched Turner since Ohio State, I can say that I've never seen that turnaround jumper from the post before from ET. That move will help him.
Since Heinsohn works for the celtics, him complaining about officiating should be the same as if Doc Rivers or a player did it.
Sissy floater!
Don't think Jrue touched that, but he might have fouled Nash.
3AI9.
3 for andre, he is feeling it
Gonna be tough for Turner to get POTG.
spencer fast break!!!!!!!
Our you kidding me.
That's just embarrassing. Spence w/ the Sissy slam after the sissy steal.
Frye is even lazier than Hawes.
Big Spence rumbling down the floor.
When Hawes runs a fast break on you you should just concede
spencer hawes can dunk?
HA! Comment of the night, hands down.
That needs to be an award - more important than POTG there needs to be a COTG
Yeah, but see how much of a running start he needed?
i can't believe what i just saw
Dre's shot is a + so far.
Nash looks awful tonight, it's like he is playing in slow motion
SpenceTrain!
Pretty sure Jodie fouled Nash w/ his junk.
OK, Jrue. Get hot for a stretch now.
OK, maybe not.
Minus 10 lbs plus 7 months rest equals exceptionally frisky, confident Iguodala. Good play 70-some minutes in.
here come the boos in phoenix
I love it! We should always blow out bad teams.
nice pass hawes
Nice find, Spence.
This is Washington-level stuff from Phoenix.
eddie jordan would love spencer hawes
That building is quiet right now.
Jrue to the line. Hit 'em.
Voose time
jrue back to the line
Jrue to the line again.
This reminds me of the hornets game last year.
jrue for 2
Atta boy. Use this garbage time to find yourself.
hawes and 1
That's more like a spence dunk.
Clippers down 21 in SA
It was 4 at the half
there you go jrue
I see this game as one where Lou could come in and make this realllyyy embarrassing.
There you go Jrue.
J.R.U.E. +1
Jrue and one
Hakim is usually good for one cool flyin' slam from baseline. The way Sixers are gettin' after it, that's in doubt tonight.
Nice split by jrue and the and 1!
15 on 14 shots for Jrue. Better than Aldridge at least.
3/4 from the floor and 5/5 from the line in the third quarter. 11 points.
Hardly. Garbage time numbers. Aldridge swung tide in H1. Big difference.
Whoops. Did that draw iron?
a tad bit of iron
yea, it grazed the rim
Turner looked flat on that 3 attempt
Think he needs to be in rhythm to even attempt a three. Didn't like that reset and then gun.
took the same shot he took last year when he put the lid on the suns. jab step, three. didn't have nearly the same result though.
Plus be in the short corner.
Warrick owns Thad on the offensive end.
thad got him back.
see what happens you dont jumpers thad
Thads first step is so quick. God damn
Heh. Cement shoes for Warrick. Nice job, Thad. More of that.
Looked like Thad surprised him with how quick a move it was
and that he's left handed.
Young What?
And THAT thad, is why you don't take jumpers
Ah, Spence. There goes your shot at POTG.
Love the side dribble then the three from Lou. Nice.
Seems like ET and 00 are our best rebounders
PHI 80, PHO 54 after three. Suns had to get hot to make it that close. Great quarter.
We scored the first 19 points of that quarter.
and were outscored by 7 the rest of the quarter
Great quarter for Jrue which brought his box score up to the DeMarcus Cousins line, which is about 10x worse than the mendoza line in baseball.
Jrue Holliday made Hollingers 12 'breakout players' this week on the ESPN insider
SixersCEOAdam Adam Aron
ARE YOU LOVING THIS 76ERS FANS: @Sixers are leading 80-54 at the end of the third quarter. The boys are looking hot tonight.
Interesting choice of words.
reason 1 billion that twitter needs to die
Come on, don't let them get under 20 at any point. Put them away.
Lou and Thad seem to be on the same page this year. Don't remember Lou finding Thad as much last season.
In his defense, do you remember Lou finding anyone 'much' last season?
ET.
If Turner gets the space for that floater in transition, he should utilize it more often. He's not out of control or anything.
Another floater for ET.
that turner floater is really nice
Suns fans who vote on in game polls - stupid
Thad +1. Do teams not know he's left handed
Thad + 1. How about a tech for throwing the ball on the lesser Lopez?
Alright, we've seen enough of a lot of these guys. I WANT THE MULLET.
Where's Speezy? Doug hates him.
With good reason
Hope he goes to Memphis or Boston. Lionel or Doc might be good for him. Stood no chance with Collins' intense, finnicky nature. I don't excuse him for being out of shape though.
Yeah, I don't excuse him for not improving his game at all since he entered the league - or being allergic to passing or rebounding
He has no one to blame but himself
Yeah, it's a shame so far. Had that strong offensive start to '09-'10, got injured, never picked it back up.
Gained weight, got slower. Had flashed real shooting talent and a nasty streak. But what are ya gonna do? Gotta think the game. Gotta want it badly.
3, 2, 8, 17, 13, 12, 10, 7, 5 ... Speight's minutes in 1st 9 Gs of last year, Collins' first, when team went belly-up 2-7: Doug's "embrace" of Marreese - 8 mpg avg.
It's a lot more difficult to produce when you don't have your coach's trust, when you're deployed like a yo-yo. [Yes, trust is earned, blah, blah, blah...] A part of Speight's failure to date during Doug's tenure is on Cpt. Hook Collins, my position. The rest, of course, is on Speight's account.
Relationships matter. Oil & water, that's what I see. 1st 2 this season: DNPCD, DNPCD. Move him or waive him in the name of mercy, Sixers, while his potential still (latently) exists.
I really could care less about his potential if he isn't going to realize it here. Buy him out if it saves you some money. Trade him if you can get a second rounder in return. Screw waiving him for his own benefit, though. His benefit is the $7M+ he's earned over the span of his contract, which is more than fair considering the amount of work he's put in and his production on the floor.
Horrible offensive foul call
Hmmn. Didn't look like a charge to me. Refs are fucking the Sixers.
Actually I think that the refs are aggressively calling charges so far this season...but would need someone with access to much better numbers to see if the charge 'percentage' is higher this year - it feels like LOTS of charges are being called in every game I watch
Malik Rose: "That's an up-30 call." Hah. Probably down 30 call if we're being picky.
Voose runnin the floor
Voose on the run.
Turner's fouls may become an issue if they wind up needing him for 30+/game.
the vuce!
nice pass from voose
Really nice interior passing. Not that there's a lot of defense.
Lou - give that up to Voose next time
Oh, and Boston's 0-3.
If Paul Pierce had played yet, that would mean a bit more to me :)
I just like that they're 0-3 to start, where they've always been lights out. The fact they got screwed by Joey Crawford in New York didn't help much either.
I didn't watch tonight, but they played pretty darn well without Pierce the first two games. Assume their age caught up tonight.
I thought that would happen to the lakers last night, but man, the jazz must be terrible, cause the lakers just pummeled them in the third of three
They have pavlovic starting at sf.
Adam Aron doesn't need to be interviewed every game. I like that he gives a shit, but I don't need to see him on camera all of the time.
I agree with you, and it's concerning if this guy has the 'cuban complex' - since cuban also opens up his wallet
Sorry that came out right - if this guy has the cuban camera cmplex with out the largesse or his wallet - that's the problems
For year's he's been rich, and super-important to himself. Now, all of a sudden, he can go on TV to let everyone else know how super-important he is. Hopefully, someone will tell him to cut it out.
If he starts spending money I'll give him a pass - money on the roster - not the asinine stuff some PR firm told him would work
Totally agree. I hope he realizes that better players bring fans, not a light show.
Probably not a good idea to put some more chemicals into the brain of a guy who just pulled a gun on you.
Offense flowing very nicely with this unit
Nice move ET
so to suns announcers, 13 points on 11 shots is "breaking out offensively"
For the Suns this season, it might be
ET, that cross was awesome.
Wow, nice fucking move, Turner. Fuck, Jrue's hurt.
Right ankle, not the achilles.
And that's why I didn't want jrue in the game. Don't need him injured
BRACKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brackins hasn't touched the ball yet. I can tell, because he hasn't taken a shot yet.
There we go.
telfair - brooklyn legend, nba bust
Why do people think Thad gets to the line? I heard this in the Portland broadcast and here again in Phoenix. Sure, he get's some and-1's when defenders try to catch him from behind, but he generally avoids contact with his finesse moves.
Looks like no garbage time for speights.
Not going to win by 20. Pisses me off.
JODIE! Come on.
No backdoor BS hoop to get under 20, please.
jodie's shot looks so pure.
Fucking piece of shit Telfair.
Feels good to be a Sixers fan.
Did telfair get 1 free throw?
Split the pair. 20 point win.
PHI 103, PHO 83 Final.
That's how you do it.
Igoudala for POTG.
15 on 7 shots gets your vote. Duly noted.
My wrap will be up before I go to bed tonight.
Ass kicking, that's what you do to a bad team.
25 more of those and 14 close ones :)
Everyone looked good. Iggy has been the most impressive. He's been our best player so far this season. Other pleasant surprises are Hawes and Turner. Although Collins did mention these three as having the most impressive training camps.
It's interesting the new role that Brand is taking with this team. He's not taking nearly as many shots in the offense. He's instead focusing on rebounds and defense. This may just be a product of the lengthy defenders that he's had to face in the first two games, so we'll see.
According to Collins, Jrue just banged his knee. He's fine. link.
Amen
wait, the knicks are playing steve novak extended minutes??
Anyone watching the Knicks game? They still don't have chemistry like people expected them to. All I see is Amare and Melo taking isolation jumpers. Very little passing and movement. Although I will say that they look better defensively from last season.
The Celtics also lost... to the Hornets... who played without Eric Gordon. Good stuff for the Sixers fans. Really the only dominant teams in the East seem to be the Bulls and Heat.
The Heat didn't look too dominant tonight. Didn't really look dominant against the hobbled Celtics either. You've got Wade and LeBron deferring to a rookie who jacks 22-footers like they're going out of style. If Charlotte puts Bismack on Bosh, they win that game.
bulls didn't look all that dominant either, squeaking out a win over a bynum-less laker team and losing at golden state.