Behind the fog of the Lakers' 15-15 record, Kobe Bryant might be having the best season of his career. His offensive efficiency is through the roof, his usage is down a tick and he's hitting at a high rate from deep. If not for injuries, Pau's sudden decline and Mike Brown's damage, this team would probably be as good as everyone expected coming into the season. Tonight, the Sixers will get to pick their poison against a full-strength Lakers squad.
The Lakers' current starting lineup is doing the Sixers a huge favor. By starting Darius Morris instead of Ron Artest, the Sixers have the ability to switch their matchups. I'm not sure if Doug Collins will do it, but he should put Jrue on Kobe. What he's giving up in size, he'll make up for in ball denial. Jrue will make Kobe have to work just to get the ball, and that extra work could pay dividends later in the game, even if it's just to slow Bryant down. Put Turner on Steve Nash. Nash doesn't have the explosive speed to really cause problems for Turner, and maybe his size will help obscure passing lanes a bit. That leaves Richardson on Morris, which should be an inconsequential matchup. If Artest was in there, his size would cause problems, but I think this configuration gives the Sixers a shot on the perimeter.
On the inside, they have no answer. No answer at all. Pau is too big, and too skilled for Thad to handle. Howard makes the Sixer bigs look even smaller. I'm wondering if this will be one of the games where Collins starts Kwame to deal with a post threat. I'm hoping it isn't, because as offensively limited as Lavoy and Hawes are, Kwame is ten times worse. When he's out there, they're literally playing 4 on 5 on that end, and they can't afford to do that against a team with this kind of offensive firepower.
If the Sixers are looking for something to attack, it's Steve Nash. Nash can't handle Jrue anywhere on the floor, and he can't handle Turner in the post. Whenever you get him on either guy, you have to attack it, and I'd prefer if they attacked it in isolation. No need to bring another defender into the mix. Make L.A. double to negate the advantage, and move the ball quickly out of the double to take advantage, preferably with threes. The only other advantage I see is Thad's quickness against Pau. If you can isolate him facing the basket, Thad should be able to get by him and get to the rim.
This is a big stage for Jrue. Going home, against the Lakers, probably matched up against Kobe at least part of the time. We'll see how he handles the attention/pressure. The Lakers are at .500, the Sixers 3 games below in the midst of this hellish road trip. Both teams need a win.
The tip is at 10:30pm. This is your game thread. I'll be here throughout, join me if you can't help yourself, you just love watching the Lakers lose.
be prepared for alot of sissy jumpers cause Howard will sag off him and spence will shoot them
Well, if he's on, they have a shot. I guess.
It's true, great season for Kobe just ask him
I'm glad I get to see this game in high def.
I have modest goals - lose by less than 5
This Royce White situation is getting a bit out of hand. Obviously, I don't have inside info into what's being said between the sides, but I think a team should have a legitimate recourse if a player refuses to do something like go to the D-League. He's in breech of contract, they should just be able to void it and recoup the money against the cap. Whatever's happening, White isn't exactly doing a service to anyone with an anxiety disorder who enters the draft in the future...or himself.
I saw that and just shook my head, this is just a mess. Voiding NBA contracts is tough - I mean - if you can't void the contract when a guy goes into the stands and gets in fights with fans what can you do...there's always 'conduct' portions of these contracts but they hardly ever seem to come in to play no matter what...
I'm sure a large part of how he dealt with his problem in college and HS was to have the release that came with being on the court, being a star and all of the special treatment that came with it. Not all that surprising that he is struggling to cope with that taken from him. If he was a star level NBA player he would get a lot of that back (and more) but he may never be able to get to that point either because of his illness, his talent or both.
Then why refuse a trip to the d-league which gets him more time on the court?
It's the publicness of it that I question, this shouldn't be playing out in the media, on either side
There is nothing rational about anxiety disorders. My point is that a good part of his previously successful "treatment" involved his play and star standing. With both of those things gone I expect it will take quite a while for him to regain his footing to where he can make rational decisions.
you make a very good poinit tk
i don't understand what his reasoning is for refusing assignment. am i correct that he's saying he thinks doctors should be making decisions about where and when he plays(as opposed to Morey and the Rockets front office people)? so, according to White, the Rockets don't have the right to send him to the D-League because of his anxiety? that's completely ridiculous, if that is indeed what he's saying.
Great analysis of the game. My first time on the blog.
i seem to remember the Sixers playing against Kwame Brown years ago and he had developed a very consistent 10-12 ft jumper. not sure what happened to that. or more likely it was just because he was playing the Sixers.
I've seen him use it, only problem is he does it when he's 2 feet from the rim. Never seen so many bricked shots that close.
Happy New Year depressedfan!hope everyone has a joyous and fulfilling year in store
(particularly evan turner!)
enjoyed my day at the mummer's parade(broad and pine) hoping for a entertaining win to top it off
and by the way, great preview brian...looking for a big night from jrue on the big stage in his hometown
So Teague, Williams, Conley, Curry and Lillard. Five straight PGs Jrue has outplayed, 2-3 record. Going against Nash tonight. He's going to have to make six in a big way to get the win tonight. I'm not feeling very hopeful 10 minutes before the tip, though.
tom mcginnis filling in for zumoff tonight...weird
mcginnis(hes good on radio) filling in for zumoff tonight
McGinnis in for Zumoff tonight!
McGinnis and Rose together should be a fun night.
Clippers winning streak in danger in Denver. Iguodala is 1-5 from the line. whatever happened there will forever be a mystery to me.
worried he passed it to thad before he left, cause thad all of sudden is bad at free throws
yup, seems like it's always been an issue for this team
directv is fucked up.
the passionate intense proud commercial with jrich hitting a three in what looks to be a preseason game depresses me
Fucking customer service pieces of shit. OK, I'm back.
you got mcginnis and malik?
No. Lakers broadcast. I always get the other team.
Man, I don't need that type of blood pressure bullshit five minutes before tip.
Looks like Nash and Hawes go to the same barber.
the la crowd is funny
Aaaaand we're off....Lavoy loses the tip.
Duhon is out. Darius Morris is going to guard Jrue, which means Richardson has Nash on him, probably. Run some small-on-small screens, see if you can switch Nash onto him.
Richardson is on Kobe. Fouls him immediately.
lavoy jumper
Lavoy!
nash answer
Richardson attacks Nash, kicks to Lavoy for a long two.
Turner lob to thad
Richardson on Bryant, ugh.
JRUE catch and shoot three
jrue 3
Lavoy again. Looks like they want that shot when they double to help Nash on Richardson.
JRUE43!
Great D, Jrue.
Howard o-board, then fouled. Ugh.
bs second foul on lavoy
mcginnis has been great
malik talks about how turner's 'wasted motion'
Great, here comes Kwame. Hope he fouls Howard with a purpose, if he pulls any of that swipe shit it's going to be a dunk plus the freebie.
turner overthrows richardson on the runout
Don't need that, Turner.
Lakers really bailing us out by keeping Gasol on the perimeter.
Jrue sucked down into the lane in transition prior to that Kwame foul, Nash was wide open for three, can't have that.
jesus that was terrible evan
evan block?
j-rich 3!
Ugly, Turner.
jrue, keep it up
jrue finger roll, d'antoni timeout!
Ha! Jrue abusing Morris that time with the lefty underhanded finish. Love it.
Let's go!
That was a really nice recovery by Turner to get the block a few plays ago, I was ready to make fun of him for getting burned off the dribble before he caught him from behind :)
good start, but it doesn't feel like a sustainable run
Artest in. Wonder who he's going to guard. In for Morris, I assume.
Nash on Jrue, Give him the fucking ball.
evan to the line
Turner to the line. He's scared to death of Dwight.
Hit 'em both. Good job.
Turner with two FT's, think it's been like 5 games since that has happened (him making two)
Jrue, good.
hill jumper blah
Get to the rim, Jrue. No need to settle for the long two.
Thad rushed that second one, looking for Dwight, I think.
too much hero leads to jrue to
Need to settle down here. Lead down to five, had a turnover on last possession, then an easy hoop for Kobe on the other end.
Happy New Year Sixers fans
Young in for Richardson.
kobe gets so much rope with the refs, find it funny
nice to see turner all over the glass...been a minute
We've been really bad the last couple of weeks at passing to the guy open for three.
wtf was that, Nick?
Come on, you've got a HUGE mismatch. Just slow the fuck down and exploit it.
nice look for thad
Sweet play, Jrue to Thad. Kwame kep the possession alive.
nice look from jrue for thad, kobe threesixty
late call
Hawes and Ivey in. Is Jrue out?
Young in particular needs to get better at passing to a guy open for three when he is debating whether or not to shoot a long two.
Sissy runner on the P&R.
lavoy bails them out
lavoy beats the shotclock
They're playing that defense the Sixers played against Rose on Jrue. Forcing him right into the help.
Lavoy, good.
jrue to the line
Should be Jrue to the line here, and a two-for-one.
Does Lavoy Allen have a dunk this season?
yes
Yeah, he can dunk. Usually it's a one-hander where takes off from like 10 feet away from the hoop. I always have to look twice to see if it was really him.
I think playing with Spencer Flaws is the rubbing off on him. Allen is too big and strong to play so soft.
I'm still of the belief that - though not a good defender - Nash's defense is underrated. He understands positioning as well as any.
Eh. I understand positioning as well, and I'd be about as effective as him guarding these guys. He's too slow, too weak. Always been a liability.
PHI 28, LAL 25 after one.
Poor finish to the quarter, but leading. Beginning of the second has me worried when Jrue goes to the bench.
We need set plays for what to do when getting the ball under the basket with five seconds left in a quarter. We almost never get a decent look out of it.
man was that a hideous first possession. almost comical
That first play of the second quarter was the most poorly executed offense set I've ever seen.
dwight blocks et
Why doesn't evan drive to the basket this much against teams without a shotblocker?
lead gone
BOOOOO
d3!
Dear Lord, a fading 20-footer from Hawes. Excellent offense.
Turner can't get the ball up the floor to get them into their sets. If they have sets.
D. Wright for three. Thank you.
spence blocks howard, howard blcoks him back, spence hits wright for three
evan leaves people at the 3 point line way too often
turner at least attacking the paint...not effectively per se but still
turner hard foul
Turner w/ the clothesline.
Yeah, flagrant will probably stand. Not worse. Didn't go after the head, didn't make an attempt at the ball.
he fouled him but morris flopped
malik:sixers not getting back on defense 'a disturbing trend'
ugh
Great fucking job. Fucking get the turnover, and it turns into a Lakers three. Fuck me.
evan long 2
bad offense from et but he sinks the long j
Dribble for 20 seconds, take a contested long two. At least he hit it.
Kwame bit on on a Dwight Howard pump fake from the three point line.
Yeah, that was comical.
This team really really needs a backup point guard.
Clips streak is done.
Is Lawson hurt?
yes
Thad back in, still no Jrue.
Nice cut by Turner, nice find by Hawes, nice finish through contact by Turner. Nice play.
ET and one
Looks like the new game plan is attack whoever Jodi Meeks is guarding.
It took Turner 12 seconds to get the ball to the timeline against pressure that time. Come on, man.
d3!
Wright three off Hawes penetration, heh.
nice look from turner to right...et's best half since the atlanta game easily(faint praise)
did they keep even with jrue on the bench
Yeah, that's big.
OK, bench played even while Jrue was out.
Is there any reason the Sixers can't get one of these live body bigs to play off the bench? They sure don't seem rare.
thad to jrue
Thad to Jrue, nice.
jrue catch and shoot close baseline
TUNDEROUS JODIE MEEKS DUNK
Tie game.
Nope. They're free, Kobe.
Jodie just dunked on us, worst moment of the season so far?
Bad shot, Jrue.
On that last play, Young had Turner open for three for about 5 seconds, but its like he isn't even looking to see if anyone is open.
Not sure why Turner didn't rotate back with his man.
Great P&R. Get a stop here, please.
Young is starting to become a black hole on office.
Offense, not office. Its late here on the east coast.
Has Turner hit a three recently? My guess is that percentage is down to 30% by the end of the year
We haven't been passing to him in the last two weeks when he's open for three.
sissy jumper
Hawes long two from Jrue. Come on, stops.
d3!!
Hawes to D Wright for three. Jrue is killing them w/ the pick and roll.
That one was a nice pass from Hawes when they rotated to him after doubling Jrue. Keep attacking.
Turner over Meeks in the post.
evan from the post
evan over jodie meeks that was fun
generous pass from jrue to turner on the three on one...great end to the half!
PHI 54, LAL 50 at the half.
Really strong finish there. Great ball movement. 24 more minutes like the last five and I'll be a happy man.
jrue and turner: 9/16, twenty four pts, 7 boards, 9 assists, 4 steals, just two turns
and 5/5 from the line
Jrue for 3 to start the half, bang!
Here we go.
Jrue with a three in Morris' eye.
Jrue sinks the iso three
ugh jrue
Jrue breaks up the oop to Dwight. Then throws up a brick on the other end. Ugh.
nice turnaround j by et
Turner w/ the old man move in the paint for two!
Dwight to the line on the other end.
Richardson with the hook from Jrue, I believe. +9.
Smart move by Kobe to get to the line to stop the draught.
that was NOT a foul on richardson
that last call on J-Rich was bullshit
lavoy tip in
lavoy with the putback off blackhole thad's bricked j
Nice work, Lavoy.
Man, they're going to go to the line 15 times this quarter.
why does thad keep shooting it so quick like spencer
22-5 FTs
is it me or does doug have a quick trigger with subbing lavoy out
Fouls.
never mind didnt notice the foul trouble tonight
damn, Lavoy with 4 fouls in 13 mins...too bad, he's playing well when he's in
Another P&R for a layup. Jrue to Thad.
Evan Turner: making it possible for Metta World Peace to drive since 2010
Great look by Jrue, Spence to the line. Would've been a dunk if they had a center with a pulse.
thad is pissing me off
Howard to the line, I believe. Aren't they in the bonus already? Guess not.
Jrue backdoor from Spence. nice.
holy fucking shit, Dwight's first FG tonight? wow
what does it say that the staff puts richardson on kobe instead of et
That Turner is a shit defender, for the most part. That, and he's out of shape. At least that's my take.
evan corner 3!
ET corner three!
Turner corner three from Jrue. Should've had a dunk with his first pass, then a three with his second. Beauty.
jrue is having an excellent game
sissy jumper
Hawes with a shorter long two, from Jrue.
Sissy travel.
When's the last time Hawes hit a three? Fuck me.
Hawes with a hawesian stretch
Fucking sissy fouls drive me so crazy.
Gotta finish this quarter strong. Up 4 or 5 with 2:49 to go. Build on that lead heading into the fourth.
Sissy foul for the and 1
a tech on kobe?!
OK, up 5 with 2:49 to go. Let's get it done.
Kobe w/ the foul and the tech. That should help.
thad jumper
Thad didn't want to take it. Hit it anyway. Let's go. Get a stop.
Wasn't his foot on the line there? come on. That's fucking terrible.
Jrue to the line.
jrue looking like nash there
HA! JRUE!
PHI 81, LAL 73 after three.
Strong finish to the quarter. Really strong. Let's fucking go.
Jrue is having a game
Swaggy - quit basketball, cut your hair, and become Nick Canon's body double already
Nick Young is an embarrassing player, fucks up the 2 for 1 to throw up that garbage
Won every quarter thus far.
Alright, big stretch here. Can't let them back in it when Jrue sits to start the fourth. The bench played them even in the beginning of the second. Another stretch like that here and this game is yours. Come on!
+8 jrue to bench
Turner bailed out. Had to take the shot against the clock, hit the freebies, baby.
Metta World Piece with the bailout
Nick to the line. Stupid foul, makes up for the whistle Turner didn't get the last time down the floor.
free
Lavoy. Why not give him the ball in the post every time w/ Artest on him?
exploiting mismatches, or going back to the well in general is never really something Doug does with this offense
He went right back to it, but Lavoy caught the ball at the three point line and had to drive on Artest. That's not what you want with a size mismatch. Get position, work him over w/ your size.
Timeout at 8:47. Up by 10. Wonder if Doug goes back to Jrue here, or tries to get him a little more rest.
Jrue back, and I like the decison
+10 with jure back in
jrue*
Jrue back. Come on, put them away.
evan jumper
Turner over Meeks from the foul line. I really don't like the Turner show when he grabs a d-board, but it gets a hoop there.
don't like that shot Turner, but I'll live with the result
ah thad
Stupid, fucking, foul.
OK, you've got 7 minutes in the penalty now. ATTACK.
JRUE
jrue over nash
Jrue methodically eating Nash's lunch.
bad shot jrue
Kobe switches onto Jrue. Shook him, but settled for the long two.
Glad the timeout came when it did. LAL had momentum. Settle down now, get a stop out of this timeout and score on the other end.
Shit. Too easy.
TURNER THREE BANG
evan 3!!!
Turner 3!!!
Hawes drive and kick to Turner for a THREE!
bad shot evan, mwp 3 shit
and then a bad shot, and allows a three on the other end
Get the fuck up, Turner. You're flailing around on the floor while your man is hitting a three.
Drive and kick, Turner to Hawes.
DAMN YOU ARTEST
nice pass jrue
Great fucking pass, Jrue.
Hawes to the line. Dumb foul by Artest. Frustration.
splits them
ugggh, they're free you fucking SISSY
alright let's get this
hawes to j-rich
GREAT look hawes to jrich
Payton to Richardson! Again, that pick and roll is killing the Lakers. KILLING THEM!
wow nice sissy pass to J Rich, 9 point lead
Kobe over ET
Richardson to the line. Kobe looking for his second technical after the refs should've called a travel on him.
Hit 'em both, Richardson.
Motherfucking free.
free
come on dude, missed them both
come on richardson, unacceptable
JRICH is a fucking dog
nice block, by thad and hawes
Pau got rejected by Spence, and then the rim after the whistle. Heh. Of course Howard hits his freebie.
big offensive possession here
fuck me
jesus christ, timeout please
sissy jumper!!!
HEY THERE SPENCER
Big fucking shot, Hawes. Come on, get a stop here.
Fuck, Richardson.
JRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE
jrue!!!!!!!!!!!!
JJJJJJRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck yeah!
Jrue should jump up on the table and yell "This is my fucking town!!" at the end of the game like D-Wade did in Chicago a few years ago.
for all the shit i(we)give hawes, he outplayed gasol tongiht
And Howard.
make the shots Evan
nominated hawes for the playa of the game 4 swats 6 dimes dwight who
free
JESUS evan misses both too
Jesus christ, Turner. FUCK.
nice win!!!!!!!!
JRUE SHOULD HAVE DUNKED THAT AT THE END
Wade would have.
HAHAHAHA!
PHI 103, LAL 99 Final.
Great game Turner. Great game Spence. Jrue is player of the game, hands down. Possibly the best game of his career. 26 points, 10 dimes, 1 turn.
Great game from Jrue. Sixers always seem to play well in LA. Did Hawes look as good as his numbers? He had 4 blocks & 6 dimes.
That was fun.
HA molly sullivan is interviewing jrue and evan together, she said "evan, you have been calm cool and collected throughout this process" and jrue caught turner's eye and made a priceless face
I liked the part when Turner vigorously nodded in agreement. One forgets that he was once the best player in college basketball and has some reason to think of himself as hot shit.
Ah, that was fun!
Finally, we win a close one against a good team.
Man, how does Howard only get 7 shots against this front line. That's shameful on LA's part.
kobe- 29 FGA, 0 AST
Go Sixers!!
Great road win and great start for the new year. How about ET congratulating Jrue after he game! Nice win!
How are all star reserves picked? Is it a coach's vote? If so, Jrue's making his case with a bunch of coaches on on this trip.
yes it is the coaches
That was a big, big game for Turner. Tough matchups for him, he picked his spots, attacked the mismatches when he got them, and most importantly, hit those big threes when he was set up. Great work on the glass as well.
Hope they have something left in the tank for tomorrow night, because Phoenix was really the only game on this trip you could pencil in as a win when it started.
Did he have Artest on him most of the time?
Actually, no. Mostly Kobe early. Took advantage when Meeks and Nash were on him.
yep the ET haters AND his fan club will certainly have plenty to work with after this game no?
...was Gasol even out there tonight? kind of strange how this team plays down to everybody except the two best teams they've played on this trip so far hmm...
gotta wonder how much Doug rips into these guys about those free throws after games like this though, do you let it slide ir still have them practice those?
I think when you're winning consistently you can rip into the guys for the poor FT shooting down the stretch, but when you pick up a much needed win in a tough arena during a long road trip you probably let it slide.
Fun one to watch. Funny how Hawes always plays well against the Lakers. Also great to see ET bouce back after a bad couple of weeks.
is D'Antoni one of the worst coaches in the league at this point? i know he's dealing with a terrible bench and injuries to his top 2 big men, but he is beyond awful at planning for an opponent.
ha Kobe when asked about the Lakers' lack of energy: "Cause we're old as shit."
Turner's ankle got suddenly better huh?
Looks like Hawes is turning himself into the X-factor on this road trip. He plays out of his mind vs. Memphis and they win handily. He plays sort of above his head vs. the Lakers and they win. Seems to be a pattern developing here.
Don't know why Doug Collins has such a penchant for limiting Dorell's minutes. With the way JRich is struggling lately and Dorell's other contributions besides scoring, why not keep Dorell on the floor more at SF and just move Evan Turner down to the SG spot where mismatches may be more plentiful for him, since Doug has obviously shown that Turner is going to get mucho burn regardless of how he's performing each night.
Jrue was masterful protecting the ball if you take into account the pace and how much traffic he was mostly always around.
Thad needs to stop shooting jumpers so quickly when he's not shown to be hitting them.
Lavoy was motivated and rather manly last night vs. their two beasts (when he wasn't riding pine with foul trouble).
Seeing Jordan Hill come in like he did and be so active and bouncy, it's ashamed we didn't give Jarvas Varnado a look.
Yeah, I asked during the game why the Sixers can't find a single live-bodied big to come off the bench. They practically grow on trees.
Jeezus Eddie. Are you this much of an a-hole in real life? Or just on the interwebs?
Was it really that much of a stretch to suggest that a player who had his three worst games of the season in the four games following an ankle injury, might have been affected by said ankle?
Argh...why am I even taking this bait...
Hey, you threw out the artificial lure first. I was just helping you see how artificial it really was. Whereas, the Atlanta game should have done that for you. But as is the norm with this particular player, excuses and reasons for his poor play are always placed on something else besides where they actually should lie - with the player himself. As approximately 85% of career has proven, though often ignored.