This is one of those games you circle on the schedule when it first come out and then look forward to all season. OKC is as legit as they come. Their strengths attack the Sixers strengths. Forget the back-to-back, if you have a problem getting up for this game you've got a big problem. Time to game thread.
OK, maybe we won't completely forget the back-to-back, here's a look at the minutes for key guys last night:
- Iguodala: 30 minutes
- Jrue: 25 minutes
- Brand: 22 minutes
- Thad: 29 minutes
Actually, Thad's minutes worry me more than the other guys. He had a couple of really long runs last night to push him up near 30 for the game and he looked a little bit gassed. He's young, though. I'm sure he'll be fine. Hopefully Brand can look as spry on the second consecutive night of action as he did on the first. Iguodala and Jrue should be fine.
Three keys, in order: (1) Turn the Thunder over a couple dozen times. They're loose with the ball and those free points will keep you in this game. (2) Take care of the defensive glass. OKC's bigs will crash, put a body on a man. (3) Don't settle for long twos, but if you do, take them late in the clock. Grind out possessions against this team when you're in the half court on offense. They're always itching to get the ball back and get a shot up, make them play 18 seconds of defense, minimum, and swing the ball from side to side. Just be careful with your perimeter passes. Don't give Westbrook free points on easy steals.
That's all I've got. Just get the win, any way, any how.
The tip is at 7pm. This is your game thread. I'll be right here throughout, join me if it would take the jaws of life to drag you away.
Prediction:PHI 92, OKC 84
Damn damn damn I may have an extra ticket to this one, email me das411 @ gmail if interested ...
HUGE game for Iguodala in terms of his chances for unseating Howard as DPOY.
I actually think Iguodala was slightly better last year when it came to locking up his man and throwing away the key(remember the list?). But since the teams defense is better he is finally getting the national recognition he deserves.
The Thunder are(besides the Heat) the hottest team in the league right now and Durant is coming off a few huge games and the All-Star game MVP. If he shuts him down tonight and we snap their winning streak it will really stick in the minds of those who vote for the award.
I can't wait. Do your thing Iggy.
92-84? pretty optimistic huh? wish you'd pass some over here. hehe Wonder if Collins is better tonight?
I know people keep saying that Doug Collins had the flu last night, but something rings false to me. It seemed like 4 or 5 people were headed back to the locker room with Doug Collins. If it was just the flu why did he need the entourage?
I think it was just the trainer. Could be he just said I'm going to throw up so the trainer went with him to make sure he was OK. Guess we'll see if he's out there tonight.
I watched his presser, and it didn't look or sound like the flu to me.
@preston76 Coach Collins said he got a little dehydrated yesterday & today he "feels great," stayed at home this a.m. to rest. Will be on bench tonight
There you have it, straight from the PR guy's mouth!
My memory gets fuzzy at my age, but did Collins not have a fainting / woozy issue last season as well? Or was that a different coach?
That might have been Eddie Jordan. At least he had the balls to stay in the game when he felt woozy.
So ignoring a medical concern takes balls to you huh?
Yes, Doug would have been better ignoring his concerns, at his age, and possibly passing out and injuring himself more on the court so morons would think he had balls?
Doug had some problems with vertigo last year.
Yes, that is it. And was it not a recurring condition?
I think it's under control with medication now.
@Brain: I created a mobile view for the game thread comments. Not sure if it's okay with you if I share the link. It's read-only and I'd share the source as well (if you wish so).
Sure, share the link.
There you go: http://depressedfan.bigwhoop.ch/
I'd be surprised if the Sixers lose this game.
I really like how they match up to the Thunder. They rely HEAVILY on Durant and Westbrook and our best two defenders are Holiday and Iggy. Also Turner is probably our 3rd best defender who can match up with Harden. Also, we actually have more veterans than they do.
You would be surprised if the sixers lose a game to the best team in the west which is more rested than the sixers, and more healthy than the sixers?
Were you surprised when the heat beat the sixers, twice?
I wasn't surprised because the Heat have something that the Thunder could only dream of having: a great big man. Bosh is Elton Brand's nightmare. An athletic big who can hustle, run the floor, and extend the floor. The closest the Thunder have to that is Serge Ibaka, who can shoot and rebound, but isn't nearly as good offensively as Bosh.
Sixers feed in HD on LP tonight. Good thing, too, because every other LP channel is blurry on Time Warner. Have I mentioned how much I love that company?
I was starting to think you signed an endorsement deal
Can't give up more than 6 or 7 o-boards. Believe Collison killed us in one of the games last year. If it's anything like Maxiell/Monroe last night, it's going to be a long night.
It's befuddling to me that on this level and as much instruction as these guys have had, they just casually, almost non-existent, put a body into someone by way of a crouched position. Maddening.
When I was taught to rebound, the theory was that if everyone did their job on the defensive glass, the ball should hit the floor, then someone picks it up. Seems to me like guys think they can just out-jump people for boards and the fundamental of putting your ass into someone and rooting them out has been completely forgotten. That's really why I like watching Kevin Love play so much.
I hope Irving destroys the Knicks tonight.
Every great player has to have a record setting night in MSG at some point in their career
Aaaaand we're off...Lavoy loses the tip.
Let's go!
Westbrook w/ the turnover on the first play.
jrue
Jrue cans the jumper on the other end.
Oh, EB.
Westbrook overplaying passing lane out high early. Jrue J.
Ugh EB, walks.
good rebound lavoy
Good work Jrue. Attacking.
Good fight for the board, LVA.
Jrue to the tin and finishes.
Fuck that shit. Jrue didn't foul him. Damnit, how did Jodie not come up with that ball?
Can't have fouls like that, Jrue.
o-fucking boards. Come on.
Too many o-boards already, they're just outhustling us.
jrue to the line
Jrue to the line. Please keep this up. Pretty please.
Give that shit to Westbrook all night.
AI943!
Dre 4 3!
meeks on westbrook cause jrue has 1 foul
Yep. Good call.
He switched Meeks onto Westbrook when Jrue picked up that foul. Fuck.
Ugh Lavoy, that initial pass was for Jrue.
Jesus Lavoy, what happened there?
Jesus, Lavoy.
So I guess you were raised Catholic like I was?
Jrue, take the three, don't dribble in.
Good timeout Doug.
why in the world had Jodie been covering westbrook? coincidentally, everything changed when that started
They said it earlier, Jrue picked up an early foul. Keeping him on Westbrook could easily get him a 2nd, too soon for that
the foul
jodie 3
Fucking Jodie 22-footer off the dribble.
This is just a mess. Put Jrue back on him.
Jodie 3.
nice dunk dre
Yeah Andre!!!
Wow. AI9 w/ the 360 in traffic.
There you go. Points from your defense.
Think that's like 4 straight TOs for OKC, right?
AI9 with the ball fake and the 180 stuff, followed by a fastbreak "dunk" by Jodie!
Too early in the clock Vuc. come on w/ the jumpers
Come on, don't settle for that.
jrue
Nice defense Jodie
btw, Gdog is aghast at all the points Jrue is allowing Westbrook to score right now.
nice work voose
Westbrook is attacking so early, too bad we don't have a paint presence/shot blocker.
Vuc o-board!!
Voose.
Clear path foul there. They better give it.
Was he out in front?
Looked like Jrue had got around him, and he reached out w/ the grab. May not have been. Your take?
Nope, no shots.
thad
Come on, get something going to the hoop.
Thad w/ the tip.
Hey its Nazr!
Keep going to the rim Lou, don't settle. Thad putback though.
here comes Lou-Meeks-Turner!
It was so necessary for Evan to challenge Harden 35 feet from the hoop a few plays ago.
might have almost forced a backcourt violation!
nice pass lou
Good wait on that pass Lou. Thad.
Nice job Lou, Thad w/ the finish.
ofb.
Glad ET went right up with that. Tough roll.
Bull, that was off Collison out of bounds.
How is that off the Sixers?
I think that was off Thad
PHI 24, OKC 26 after one.
Pace is too fast. Need to collect themselves on the offensive end and keep the pressure up on the defensive end. Should've been Sixers ball, I'm going to disallow that last hoop by Ibaka. Garbage call.
When one player is trying to make a grabbing motion and another player has one hand stuck in there the refs are generally going to favor the guy trying to grab it if it's close. It was close, I think.
Holy shit they have Ivey again? Such a mysterious NBA player.
There are three kinds of players in the league: Ultra-talented guys with good minds
Ultra talented guys with bad minds
Average talented old guys who don't screw up when they come into the game and managed to not get cut their first few years
The Sixers needed to argue that call. That could have been one of those plays where the referees are persuaded to go back and look at the replay.
Can only look at the replay in last two minutes of the half/game, I believe. Not 1st Q.
Lou catch and shoot.
Need to do a better job on the defensive glass obviously.
Pretty apparent that Doug didn't want Jrue to pick up a second and poor Jodie had to deal with Westbrook. That's not really all that fair.
They need to stop guarding Harden at half court
Harden is such a smart player. He knows how to draw fouls like a veteran.
Voose w/ the foul. Harden is really good at drawing fouls.
Turner almost hit that.
Atta boy, Thad. Should've gotten the +1.
What about the off-arm on Harden?
Harden is eating Evan up
thad
Good recovery Lou. thad J
Lou dribbled that with his face.
wow Lou, good recovery from that slip
Thad is carrying them.
Yeah Thad, went right again with the floater.
How was that a foul on Vuc?
Ugh. Come on. This game is in Philly, right?
Would've been really nice if we had the #2 pick in the Harden draft.
Was that Thabeet?
Would've been Harden if we were there considering we needed a SG and already had Dalembert.
#WheresVioletPalmer
Turner overreacted to a few Mohammed jumpers on pick and rolls. You can't cheat off these guys, they are great at off ball counters on where you are playing the man.
Don't like all of the whistles they are getting so far.
When you have stars like Nazr Mohammed, you get the whistles.
lou on westbrook
Good scoop feed Lou to Thad.
Lou to Thad after AI9 picks Durant's pocket.
Looks like Westbrook can be attacked on the offensive end. Lou just made him look silly.
Great D Iguodala, good hustle Lou leads to a Thad dunk
Really patient play by AI9 on that break. EB gets the hoop for the lead.
Good feed Dre to EB. this game is too helter-skelter so far.
Love these whistles.
nice pass andre
Good hands Lou! Good dish Dre to Thad. D up!! come on guys
AI9, pretty, pretty feed. KEEP FUCKING PUSHING!
What an unbelievable defensive performance by Igg. Truly amazing. He really makes you appreciate the defensive end.
Man, the Thunder don't exactly have the same turnover mandate the Sixers do, huh?
Iguodala's transition decision making is just awesome.
The Thunder being such an aggressive offensive team, always driving to the paint, has something to do with it.
They are a great offensive team, second in the league I think. Sixers can take advantage of their live ball TO's more than most. They've been reckless with it so far.
Why did Jrue and Dre switch there off that inbounds?
Whistle seemed late to me.
Durant is like a rag doll when he drives. Always looks like he gets hammered cause he's so fucking weak.
Good play execution there ended in a Jrue J in the paint.
Jrue off the little curl. Nice.
Damn o-boards. 3 for Westbrook already
Harden w/ the flail.
Sixers notes (with Collins video): Collins says he feels much better:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/collins-i-m-feeling-much-better/article_3b4376b6-3974-5e2e-beed-6261b6033ad2.html
Damn, I wish we had a shot blocker. Westbrook relentlessly attacking.
Atta boy, AI9.
Perkins makes a foul line J? EB rims out one. Yeah, F me.
grab a rebound!!!!
Another fucking o-board.
Good job by Lou to pass it high to Dre there for the breakaway slam.
Andre really needs to use that hesitation dribble more and continue to attack off of it.
Man, AI9 is really controlling this game. Thought he wasn't going to get the whistle there.
He almost missed that last dunk, heh.
This has been a ridiculously exciting first half, not sure they can win in the 2nd Half if it's played the same way though.
Need to clean up the glass. they did it last night in the second half.
It's really depressing to see Perkins hit a contested jumper and then see Brand miss a wide open one.
Thank goodness for their turnovers b/c this rebounding disparity is not going to bode well.
Close hard this last 2 min here please.
Lou got caught in the air there.
Way to move those fucking feet, Thad. Awesome job.
westbrook's not getting calls. He seems really pissed every trip down though, so you can't tell when refs are legitimately missing a call.
Hesitation dribble from Andre again. To the line again. Good work man.
Iguodala back to the line. No one mentions this, but Harden is trash on the defensive end.
Damn Andre, just make the foul shots. sheesh............
Fuck, 5-point swing there. Igudoala was a cunt hair away from having that steal and a dunk on the other end.
Offensive foul on a three? Oh, on Lavoy.
get him evan!!!
wait... WHAT?
Hawes is looking fresh
Turner and Durant in a fight? Wow.
Ugh, why did Andre leave KD there to go toward the lane like he wanted to help Jrue out w/ Westbrook.
If Lavoy pushed Cook there, then I'm a Celtics fan. BULL fucking shit REF!!!
Watching ET and Durant fight is like watching Barney and Spongebob fight
I have a feeling ET wouldn't be someone you would want punching your face. he doesn't come of like much of a bitch. Durant on the other hand seems like a teddy bear
Fuck, butterfingers lavoy.
Durant threw an elbow.
and the ref clearly saw it, but of course he won't call a tech.
PHI 48, OKC 53 at the half.
Disastrous end to the first half. 8-0 spurt for the Thunder. Ugh. Ruined what was a good quarter to that point.
Don't see why Evan got T'd up too. KD pushed the shit out of him. Didn't really see Evan do anything but jaw a little.
He's Kevin Durant.
Turner did respond with a shove after KD's initial push.
yeah, it just seemed minor in comparison to KD's
did anyone get one?
yeah, both of them. double techs
Better question is why did Iguodala stop KD from going at Turner. Would have been nice for the Sixers if Durant got himself thrown out.
Wait - am I sitting in Oklahoma City?
God does anyone follow Darnell Mayberry, the OKC beat guy on Twitter? I thought sports writers are supposed to be impartial. That guy is a huge fanboy.
Example?
Some of these rebounds Westbrook are getting...my goodness!!
Westbrook cannot get a call
Then the crowd cheers wildly as (Durant) he drills it!!
hehe internet feeds come at a price.
Some of these rebounds Westbrook are getting...my goodness!!
Westbrook cannot get a call
Then the crowd cheers wildly as (Durant) he drills it!!
Dre's gotta get KD off the three point line next half. Make him shoot 20 footers. That last one was a little too easy.
This 8-0 run predicts what will happen again in the playoffs this year if the Sixers play a tea with legit stars. The Sixers team effort approach will keep them in games, but when the other team focuses their superior players will win out. Very much like the Heat series last year,
OKC is a superior team across the board, but beyond that stars beat non-stars when both teams ae focused. That explains 100% why the Sixers are brutally bad in OT and close games the last 2 years. A lack of high end talent.
And that is why I'm against any more incremental moves. Bring in a star or go with what you have. But no additional "good" players. Brand and Iguodala will come off the books. Do not rpelace thm wit similar players. Much better to have 1 superstar then 2 second level ones.
tk: not the best time to make that point. let's finish the game first.
OK, come out and show some fucking balls. That double tech ignited Durant, fuel off that shit.
hope we can get the refs to hold their whistles in the 2nd half. better chance to win. Durant uncharacteristically cold (by his standards anyway), that will not continue.
At least Cleveland has a 9 point lead against the Knicks. I hope it's sustainable.
Man, that small lineup he went with got killed. 0-8 in 1:20.
I felt like the 1st 3 was just bad luck. Iguodala was really close to forcing a turnover. The 2nd bucket came after a stop on a horrible offensive foul call.
Jesus Christ. Defensive Rebounding Rate in the first half was 45%.
Jo-3! Off Dre penetration.
Meeks for three. Good find by AI9.
Why foul Perkins there? That's two bad fouls on Jrue like that.
Can't have those Jrue, no need to reach in on Perk. sheesh
Good D.
Great D, Jrue. And finishes it. Nice.
Jodie w/ a bounce pass on a break? I'll take it. Jrue finishes.
Jrue again w/ a sick defensive play on Westbrook. Let's fucking go.
Ugh EB, we need you to score man.
Jrue should've taken the shot in the lane, Jodie was covered.
agreed, was going to say the same thing but game action is a blur
Wow, Jrue just boxed out Ibaka.
Suck it, Westbrook.
Didn't think Ibaka could shoot 15 ft'ers this well.
Jrue w/ a lefty finish! nice.
EB on the o-glass. Nice. Keep. It. Up.
My goodness Andre!! good pass and find. EB cleans it up whew
Heck of a start here. Get some separation now.
Jrue to EB! Should've been a whistle too.
Let Russell keep shooting these long ones. All day.
Nice touch, Westbrook.
EB chases it down, finds AI9 for the slam!!!!!!!!!!!
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKS!
Great contest by EB on KD>
Meeks runout!!!
15-2 run. Lets go!!!
Fuck, Jodie. You can't drift off him.
Perks foot was on the half court line, no? Then he sets a too hard screen with no foul. shit
nope, not on the line
FUCK THAT SHIT. That was back court plus five fucking moving picks.
Actually, it was a kick, not back court.
Fucking horseshit.
Collect yourselves and get a hoop here.
CALL A FUCKING MOVING SCREEN ON PERKINS.
God damnit, I'm on the edge of my fucking seat.
Get the fuck out of here. Meeks was fouled by Westbrook on that loose ball!!! come on.............
ofb.
Box the fuck out!!!! Keep track of YOUR man please! shit
Westbrook better not be at the line. That was not a fucking shooting foul.
That Daequan Cook 3 pointer was as big as that Jodie Meeks 3 early on in the game. Both stopped the big runs.
Yup. That was huge.
Lavoy having some issues with his motor?
Seems to have some trouble holding onto the basketball right now
he can't grasp it to save his life all night long
Lavoy looking sluggish right now...where's Thad?
They better be in the fucking penalty.
You can't ask Evan to guard Westbrook, Doug.
Actually, he did it very well twice. Just have him play off.
Leanin' Lou on the drive!
Westbrook and Durant on the bench. Can't let them cut into the lead in the final 1:14 here.
Untimely turnover by Turner. ugh
Just a hair late w/ the pass. It was there.
Back-to-back turnovers. Come the fuck on.
Bad pass Thad and turnover given to Lou
Stop and a hoop on these last two possessions, please.
There's a lid on the basket on EB's shots.
PHI 67, OKC 63 after three.
Keep up this defense the rest of the way. Do not take your foot off the pedal for a second.
Just a helluva defensive effort from everyone that quarter. Couldn't ask for more.
Gonna be a fight to the finish. Hope the refs don't slant the calls here.
EB played the entire third quarter. He's gonna sit the first 6 of the fourth, I'd think. Must maintain when he's out.
I should probably know this, but can anyone tell me who the guy on his knees courtside every game is?
Dollar Bill sticking pins in his Iguodala voodoo doll, hoping Durant has a couple big hoops so he can say AI9 didn't get it done when it mattered.
Westbrook - 11 rebounds
Our starting frontcourt + Jrue - 12 rebs
Defensive three seconds called instead of the moving screen out top. Bleh.
These early 4th qtr minutes have been problematic this year.
Collison with a moving screen on Turner there. Come on.
Lou+1. Needed that hoop badly.
Lou and-one!!! Got to extend the lead w/ their big two on the pine.
Thad, you are a savior. Good hustle. Ugh, Jodie misses it.
Damnit, Jodie. Catch and shoot three, layup or you don't shoot.
Thad, get hot here.
lou to the line
Lou to the line. Make em please.
8 pt lead when KD came back in.
Late whistle.
Thanks Brooks for the D League lineup
Good rotation Thad. That looked to be all ball by Thad. ugh
Sit Voose down for the rest of the fucking month. That shit is fucking unforgivable in this god damned situation.
So by rest of the month, you mean the rest of the day, right?
Mutherfuckin Vuc!!!! Wake the eff up man damnit
Sorry #8 - but you are probably going to sit for a while
Battie time! Yay!
What the fuck Voose? That's a killer. Wouldn't mind Lou knowing where Ivey was too.
The Sixers will never be an elite home team with this pathetic crowd. Lou gets a key and-1 and there's barely a golf clap.
Didn't the SIxers make a similar TO in the 3rd in their close loss to Minny, or was that another game?
The Sixers will never be an elite home team with this pathetic crowd. Lou gets a key and-1 and there's barely a golf clap.
Oh shut up already with such silliness - you're full of it - the fans just rose up after Iguodalas beautiful assist...have you not seen a game the past few years? The support they have now is light years ahead of last year.
They won't be an elite team anywhere without more elite talent.
Rookies make mistakes. I am hopeful the game will not be decided by so slim a margin
EB can't buy one.
Dre should post Harden up.
Asking a ton of Brand here. HEAVY minutes in the second half.
If he can't hang in a game like this, just more grist for the amnesty mill. he had almost a week of rest. If he can't play heavy minutes in a back to back he's done
Bad shot Lou. Really bad shot Lou.
Hoop here. Keep them climbing uphill the rest of the way.
Thank you, AI9!
Jrue!
Lou might want to rotate down to Ivey, huh?
Jesus, Lou.
Come on, get a hoop here, then need some stops.
Why do we think Ivey can't shoot 3's? We keep leaving him wide open.
Because before that shot he was 7 for 22
They don't think he can shoot threes cause he can't.
Jesus
Meeks curl. D up!!
Meeks, catch and shoot. Come on.
I don't know if WIDE open Ivey threes are the gameplan, Zoo. He's gonna make half of them.
great pas
*pass
Meeks catch and shoot. Nice.
AIMOTHERFUCKING9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's been great, but he better have found EB on that one. Missed an easy oop chance to Thad.
Andre's been an absolute stud at dishing and setting guys up in the paint tonight.
as has Lou
Andre Iguodala, Deserving All-Star, everybody
Iggy has come up huge in some tight spots this game. And not taking too many long J's.
Don't celebrate. Don't relax. 6 more minutes of hell. DON'T LET UP!
And don't switch the westbrook/durant screens 30 feet from the hoop. Go under, westbrook isn't going to shoot that.
Exactly, go WAY under.
I don't think I've seen Iggy play as smart on the offensive end as he has tonight. He knows when to attack and when to slow down. And his ability to drive and find the open man this game has been Chris Paul-esque.
Then you've never watched Andre Iguodala play basketball
You think Iggy can pass as well as Chris Paul on a nightly basis?
I think Andre Iguodala is one of the better passers in the league, especially for a forward, and that people like you hardly ever notice cause you're too busy hating on him cause he doesn't score 20 points.
I think Andre Iguodala is much better than he's ever given credit for by most sixers 'fans' because they think he should score more points and ignore his great ALL AROUND game - which pssing is part of.
Welcome to the party Dwight,
Agree, his hesitation moves have been a pleasant surprise tonight.
JRUE!
Don't fucking switch that.
Man, some of these shots are going halfway down/
F me, KD 3....
Tech on that bitch Perkins.
Jesus, those Durant 3's are making me nervous about this game if it goes down to the wire.
Jodie, you could've fucking buried them with those two threes. Damnit.
Jodie needs to make one of these. He has to.
And after all of this...we're losing.
Lousy shot, but thad can beat ibaka every time
Where's the foul there?
That was not a foul on Dre there. come on
No ones "entitled" to calls
Hey malik
NO ONE in the nba is entitled to foul calls you doofus
Anyone confident right now? Hope they surprise us.
Well no, but I didn't think they were going to win going into the game, so I'm glad it's close.
STraying close to moral victory their.
There are no moral victories.
Shit, Lou on Westbrook.
can we give Jrue the basketball on just one of these possessions here?
For real, no Lou Show tonight please
TK you echo my sentiments exactly. My confidence level is a 0 right now.
Get. this. lead. back. PLEASE
Better be something good out of this timeout Doug. Something preferably going toward the hoop. Contact, get to the line. 2+ min, come ON!!!!
Thank God Westbrook needs to get his down the stretch. Mismatches all over the floor and he jacks that crap.
I don't get why Jrue is an afterthought right now on offense.
I'm feeling a Jrue three. I can just feel it. It's coming.
My confidence is high. I think Lou wins this game for us.
I'll bet you he doesn't
Shit, bad shot. Iguodala and Jrue don't even touch the ball.
Absolutely NO EXCUSE for westbrook getting that board.
For the life of me, find Westbrook on the perimeter when a shot goes up.Dammit
You can not win if you can not rebound. It's pretty simple.
Biggest possession of the game, two offensive boards for the Thunder. Jesus.
games like this reinforce what a disgrace Elton Brand has been over the life of the deal, just a shame
They reinforce what a disgrace the contract was
yeah
I dony like Perkins seem like a dirty player
Lou and Doug yelling at each other. Doug is afraid of the Boss
And what an offensive set the sixers had as lou just dribbled all over the place afterwards - wonderful coaching doug
I think he yelled at him for passing up a couple shots before that, so Lou answers with a bad shot. Ugggh
I'm almost sure of it. He yelled at him, instead of talking to him, and then what did lou do? He dribbled around until he had a lousy ass air ball shot - but at least he didn't pass it up doug
Great coach
Lou airball? Jrue for 3? nope. geez man
God we need another shooter.
There was the Jrue three. Just had to drop. Had to drop. Had. To. Drop.
Alright, get a hoop.
That Jrue three is what happens when he's watched "The Lou Show" for three minutes. Jodie at least was missing shots in the flow of the offense.
Looked like EB fouled Perk there on purpose?
Good foul if it was.
Please get lou the fuck off the floor
Yeah at this point I'd want Meeks on the floor over Lou.
I'd love to see iguodala or Jrue creating from the top of the floor. They're just doubling Lou and he's panicking.
I'm sorry, everything with Lou is too slow. Had Brand open for about five seconds there and just stood there dribbling.
Only 4 sec on the clock here.
Its been a carbon copy of the 1st half.
Thad was fouled about 4 times in that series. Who threw that pass to Brand that wound up in the turnover?
Holiday.
If brand could move like a normal person instead of a cripple he would have gotten it
eh, it wasn't that good of a pass, too far out in front of EB
Brand paused in his pocket area, if he had kept rolling the pass would have been on target. Miscommunication there.
Has to be jrue's fault - remember
dammit, my feed just died.
Lou Williams, go away
Lou Williams. Closer.
James Harden - Closer
Lou Williams - Closer
Lou wide open for 3. Same result as jrue's F meeeeeeeeeeeeee
Jodie would have made that 3
Horrible offense after that time out - chicken without the head
Horrible break - give it to andre - get the 2
Fuck, really Lou? That would have been nice.
lou. come the fuck on
he missed both, there is hope
Meeks for Jrue, huh?
Fuck you, Lou.
"Hard to shoot with your hands around your neck."
I'm a fan of Malik, but he crossed the line right there.
Yeah, crossed the line into completely accurate commentary.
Jrue off the floor, and Lou turns it over.
Motherfuck Doug Collins tonight
again really!!!!!!
fuck you, Lou
after he loses the ball he just stands there...atta boy Lou
Lou to the corner for a 3? Why to the fucking corner? The fucking corner? The fucking corner....... what the FRAK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this one is on Doug. The Lou Show sucks. It does.
I'm so tired of it too, even when it works out.
It is not on Doug. The SIxers for the past 4 years are a lottery team in close games (probably lose 70%.) It is a combination of no go to stars and youth. And it will happen again in the playoffs. 5 close games, 4 losses.
Now make a 3.
They sucked tonight at the end because they let Lou Williams be the initiator of the offense, which took everyone else out of the flow. They missed wide open shots too, but that shit just isn't sustainable. You can't tell Lou to go make a play at the end. He gets into hero mode.
Yes - trying to get jodie the three was smart -= TOTALLY UNEXPECTED
AI943.
Heh. That's too funny. Too fucking funny.
That's on Iguodala.
Are you fucking kidding me??
Fitting end
that sums up the game
Perfect ending
Well, that about sums up the whole damn night! Westbrook skying in for a rebound. No box out whatsoever by Dre. 7th damn o-board for him tonight. Pififul. Just so maddeningly frustrating.
Wow
PHI 88, OKC 92 Final.
Not a whole lot to say about that ending. It ultimately takes away from the game they played, but they were great tonight. Not good, great. Ugh. Tough to take.
You CAN NOT rebound that poorly and be great.
The Thunder were willing to give the game away, the sixers wouldn't take it. over 4 minutes in the fourth quarter with no field goals.
They were not great tonight. This was an eminently winnable game - they should have won if they rebounded like an average NBA team. You can't be great when Russell Westbrook beats you on the offensive glass, sorry.
If I am at that game, I am booing. Hard.
great game until the last 5 minutes. those last 5 minutes were absolutely terrible. lou really fucked this one up good, but it was a team effort that really got us this loss. motherfuckers cant make shots, cant get a fucking rebound, and turn the ball over like crazy. such a disappointing end to a really well played game.
If they could rebound it wouldn't have been close in the fourth.
Yes Lou sucks, but the team, as a whole, rebounded poorly or lou doesn't matter in the fourth
yes agreed i wonder how much longer it will take for the team to get a big guy who can rebound...cause were not winning anything until that happens
Well they had one - and traded him away for Spencer Hawes
Guys like that don't grow on trees, maybe they'll luck out because the thunder can not afford to pay harden, ibaka, westbrook, and durant the money they're worth. They'll have to give one of them up.
How bad were we outscored down the stretch after having that 7 pt lead near the end?
wasn't the score 84-77 us?
I'm really not trying to be a smart ass
but up 7 to down 4 means outscored by 11 doesn't it?
I couldn't remember, but if that was the count then we were outdone 15-4. ugh
I wonder how bad the rebounding was in that run :)
I mean the thunder got most of those points on the line right?
We deserved that loss, 1 fg in the last 5 minutes. Coincidentally that's when we go into "Lou dribbling 16 seconds than shooting a fadeaway 16 footer offense." So fucking frustrating. Iguodala was controlling that game on both ends and he didn't have the ball in his hands at all those last 5 minutes. Even if he isn't taking the big time shots he is still the best creator we have. I'm so sick of Lou being the vocal point of the offense in crunch time.
We deserved that loss, 1 fg in the last 5 minutes. Coincidentally that's when we go into "Lou dribbling 16 seconds than shooting a fadeaway 16 footer offense." So fucking frustrating. Iguodala was controlling that game on both ends and he didn't have the ball in his hands at all those last 5 minutes. Even if he isn't taking the big time shots he is still the best creator we have. I'm so sick of Lou being the vocal point of the offense in crunch time.
I'm all for going back to Iguodala isolations to close a game at this point. At least he's hit a few game winners before. Lou is simply too small and teams can pressure him with doubles to win a game.
The Sixers just cannot score in crunch time. And other teams know the ball is going to Lou Williams who is not going to pass it because he wants to be the hero. It is so painful to watch.
In his 'defense' - he passed an open look and got berated by the coach while the Thunder shot free throws. It was on the screen as it happened.
More importantly - the sixers didn't lose the game on one shot or one play...
PS - Derrick Rose just crunched his knee
U can't let Westbrook got those offensive rebounds
This year the Sixers are:
17-5 in games with 10+ margins
4-11 in games within 10 pts.
0-3 in games within 3 pts
0-2 in OT
0-4 in games
Last year:
26-13 in games with 10+ margins
15-28 in games within 10 pts
3-8 in games within 3 pts
2-9 in OT
They were actually better in close games under Eddie Jordan...
I'm going to repost what I wrote hate the half:
"This 8-0 run predicts what will happen again in the playoffs this year if the Sixers play a tea with legit stars. The Sixers team effort approach will keep them in games, but when the other team focuses their superior players will win out. Very much like the Heat series last year,
OKC is a superior team across the board, but beyond that stars beat non-stars when both teams ae focused. That explains 100% why the Sixers are brutally bad in OT and close games the last 2 years. A lack of high end talent.
And that is why I'm against any more incremental moves. Bring in a star or go with what you have. But no additional "good" players. Brand and Iguodala will come off the books. Do not rpelace thm wit similar players. Much better to have 1 superstar then 2 second level ones."
0-4 in games...that's pretty bad.
I hate the Lou Show. I hate that it has to be anyone's "show." Put the ball in Jrue's hands for Christ's sake. He earned it tonight.
I can't take anymore of these losses.
He turned it over and missed an open 3 in the final 3 minutes. And when Westbrook really bore down on D Jrue could not even dribble the ball.
Jrue is a nice player on his way to being a very good one. But he lacks elite talent like Westbrook (who at times is a mess out there) has in spades.
Um. this isn't true at all. Jrue had his way w/ Westbrook all night when he was running the offense. The only time Westbrook "bore" down on him was when he caught the ball in the corner with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. You're making shit up.
And the two superstars for the Thunder didn't exactly close this game out. All they did was use a ton of possessions to score a decent amount of points, turn the ball over and grab killer offensive boards.
Look back to where OKC made their run with 4.5 min left. Westbrook/Durant P&R for Durant jumper over Jrue. Then Durant 3. The Durant miss and Wstbrook D-Board.
And Jrue tried to take Westbrook with 2 minutes left and lost the ball. Wartch the tape. Jrue did nothing else other than miss the open 3 for the remainder iof the game.
No one did crap for the final 5 minutes. And that is not at all new or surprising. It was just exaggerated this game.
That play w/ 2 minutes left was where he got the ball in the corner w/ 5 seconds left on the clock after Lou had already dribbled the air out of it. Jrue was 2/3 in the fourth quarter. Hit two shots, the second was a baseline jumper where he just toyed w/ Westbrook and pushed the lead to 7 w/ a little over five minutes left. The only other shot he got was the corner three, which he only got because Lou's air ball was kicked out to him. Don't put this on Jrue when he was a spectator for the entire time period in question.
No way I'm giving Jrue a pass in the final 5 minutes. He did a good job offensively prior to that, and kept Westbrook out of the lane in the 2nd half. Not saying he had a bad game. But you can't talk about him standing in the corner doing nothing as if he is a victim of the system. He could have stepped up. He had the ball several times.
I'm sorry, but this is just inaccurate. Jrue had his hands on the ball three times, I believe. Once on the corner three, off the Lou airball that was kicked out by Thad I think. Once on another Lou miss, when the ball was kicked out, and he threw that pass to Brand on the interior. Not sure whose fault that turnover was. And the third time when he got the ball in the corner w/ 5 seconds on the shot clock.
Lou spent the majority of those final five minutes dribbling the ball 30 feet away from the hoop having no idea what to do against the double team. There were several possessions where both Jrue and Iguodala were standing on the weak side watching Lou dribble and neither touched the ball. I pointed it out in the game thread.
I am not ignoring what you are saying. I'm just not ready to say that Jrue is excused if he becomes passive and defers to Lou. I now most people think that Collins and Lou make that happen. But if Jrue wants to be an impact player he can't stand in the corner.
I guess you think Collins is telling Jrue to stand in the corner. I don't think that is 100% accurate.
NO ONE puts baby in a corner.
Does Collins ever let it slide when Jrue doesn't do exactly what he's asked to do?
It doesn't even matter. I'm not saying they would've won tonight if Jrue had the ball in his hands. Obviously, he couldn't have done any worse than Lou, but the point is that you can't blame the choke on him. He had nothing to do with it. By design, imo.
I don't disagree. Collins and Lou deserve zero praise. But I think truning them into scapegoats makes it easy to lose focus on this team's bigger systemic issues in terms of their construction.
As Eddie said, maybe adding one quality P&R big would make all the difference. Clearly the Sixiers have talent and depth. But I think without the right star they are sort of lost.
How about the two other missed shots with Jrue and Iguodala not touching it? How about him taking ten seconds to give EB the ball on the P and R? He did a lot more than miss the three and turn it over.
Well yeah, I was not defending them. I was saying this loss was NOT all o Lou and Collins. That Jrue, Iggy and everyone else failed as a team.
If you took Lou off this team would they be more successful in close games?
I guess maybe, becasue they are so bad already. But it wpuld still be a giant problem.
I just don't see this as a Collins/Lou/Scheme thing. Before that it was supposedly Iggy's fualt...
In my view it is a team makeup talent thing. I do not advocate a "closer." But I advocate winning based on elite star talent, not off of tremendous bench play and jumping on teams in the 2nd period when they lose focus.
But who knows, maybe it is like baseball, where the team that loses all the 1 run games is on the verge of breaking out.
wouldn't it make sense to dangle Lou out there at the deadline? Maybe try to get someone to sure up the interior a little bit, I don't know...
He's likely opting out and I'm not that interested in overpaying him.
Of course, that requires Rod Thorn being awake or not drunk or whatever, does he even come to work?
You're presuming that Rod Thorn still has the authority to make trades. I'm not sure he really does.
More importantly, they're currently leading the division and fans are showing up. That might be more important to new ownership who values the 'fan experience' a bit too much
who made lou the "closer" on the coaching staff, he caught hot one game vs the lakers, put the ball in jrue hands and see what happens, im sick of lou dribbling then getting trapped and not having a clue what to do
You see coaches like Rivers, Thibs, Adelman, Pop, all the great ones, who can draw up a quick play that works at the end of a game. Unfortunately Collins isn't as smart as them and can't do that.
Hmm...they can draw up great players or they have great players.
How hard is it to draw up plays with allen, pierce and garnett in their prime...this is a star driven league.
Sixers don't have any
Looks to me that Brian James is the one drawing plays up in late game situations.
Is it his fault then? Is it normal to delegate an important decision to your assistant?
Well, he delegates arguably the most important aspect of the game to Curry - defense. I've seen Brian James with the marker-board several times the last few games drawing up plays out of timeouts w/ Doug just looking on.
Yeah that's what I'm saying, it's not like it's football where you have coordinators. I just think it's weird that those guys are so involved.
I kind of like the committee approch with schemes and in-game adjustments, but in crunch time with specific plays the mother goose has to step forward and lead her flock.
Speaking of geese. Those two points on the entry pass to Royal Ivey sure would've come in handy late, huh?
The way the sixers offense was running? They would have lost by two instead :)
Fuck Veese :/ Please don't remind me, I actually had forgotten.
I'm not seeing this as on Lou or Collins. Sure both were bad... but the entire team was a disaster in this close game. And it has been the same story for 2 years.
Lou is the "closer" by default because this team lacks guys with the elite talent to step up when the opponent is 100% focused.
90% of the time the Sixers have to knock a team out when the opponent is unfocused (which every team is part of the game) because if both teams are locked in the Sixers will lose.
That is not taking away from the Sixers. They deserve credit for hammering teams and playing harder over 48minutes- but they have to, because if it comes down to the last 4 minutes they are toast.
This is on Collins, when you consistenly lose close games, especially to good teams, it says something about your coaching. He's in charge of preparing his team for moments like this. He consistenly fails.
He's a good coach, he's just not a great one.
Russell Westbrook had 7 offensive rebounds
Is that on collins?
The sixers don't have enough 'get to the basket' talent - and the ones they have seem allergic to free throws
People give coach's credit for hustle plays. "They play so hard for Collins!" Shouldn't he get some blame when they don't hustle, or when they forget fundamentals?
coaches*, not coach's
I don't give collins credit for those things, no - i think collins is over praised and over credited and yet not taking any blame - that's how it works. I think the eddie jordan halo affect has given collins some teflon on him - i still think he's gone half way through next season.
Agreed
btw, there was 1 made field goal in the last 4:45 of this game. Iguodala's three. That's both teams combined.
Then the sixers lost because they gave up too many offensive rebounds and don't get fouls called.
One thing is under the control and it cost them ALL night - I'm glad it was a close game - but come on - how bad did the final rebounding number look - you can't say they played great with a four factor number THAT bad
The sad part of this game is that the Thunder didn't exactly win it. They choked pretty badly as well, missing many free throws and giving the Sixers many chances down the stretch. The Sixers simply out-choked them.
I've been hard on Iguodala historically but tonight was one of the best all around games I've seen him play (the last foul shot notwithstanding). Which makes it all the more infuriating that we once again turned the game over to LouWill for the last 5 mins to piss the game away. Holiday and Iggy are the best players on the team. They should be running the show when it counts. Between the Minny, Memphis, Houston debacles and now this mess, I'm done with LouWill. Trade him to a team that needs scoring. I'd rather Turner get more time at the point even as bad as he's been. /end rant
So tonight every one wants to blame Lou?
I suppose the rebounding is lous fault?
Yes. We didn't score for 5 mins. and Lou was the one dominating the ball.
The Thunder didn't score (Field goals) for most of that time either.
There are 48 minutes in a game.
It can be lost in other aspects of the game.
The sixers grabbed 58 percent of the available defensive rebounds in tonights game - THAT IS PATHETIC.
Maybe rebounding like a mediocre NBA team and the thunder don't score as many points...that's a whole game thing - not just a 5 minute thing.
Look i'm not a lou fan - but it's ridiculous to blame a loss on one player when AS A TEAM they rebounded like they all had one leg
3/11 with 3 turnovers...so...yea, kinda.
The knicks turned a 17 point deficit into a 13 point lead - with about 6 left in the fourth in cleveland.
The celtics are about to put away the Bucks
I'm not saying every night is like tonight. More that tonight was an extreme example of the issues this team has had in close games for the last 2 years.
I think it is becasue of talent (70%) and youth(30%.) And you might think rthere is a different reason (Collins, Lou, Iggy, whatever.) But there is no denying that the team is a combined:
43-21 in games 10+ pts
19-39 in games within 10 pts
2-11 in OT.
Is there any other team close to that over the past 2 seasons. Of all of the things we debate, that has to be the #1 issue for this team. That's like being a contender in non-close games and being a the Bobcats in any game within 10 pts. If it is not talent then what is it?
To me, it's definitely talent. But moreso no semblance of an athletic, defensive, pick-and-roll type of big. As you brought up last night with SKemp.
I think if they had that guy then everyone else would be able to slot into a more natural position down the stretch.
I mean what can we expect from Jrue if he can't even have a P&R teammate? Why has Thad never developped that part of his game, anyway?
Cause he ain't a big man :)
Last year, the Sixers had Brand to go to on big possessions late in the game. The years before, they had Andre Miller. This year they don't have any clutch veterans.
Stop making my eyes bleed
When your coach acts like the world is ending every time you make a mistake, it tends to rub off on a young team. They (except Iguodala) looked petrified out there at the end of the game.
I thought the offensive rebounding cost the Sixers the game I guess its easy to say its all Lou fault Wtf game was yall watching.
On a totally separate note
help me out in my keeper league
I give up amare dwight ty lawson and derozan
i get rubio markeiff moriris kyrie irving and varejao (i also have carlo boozer and al harrington)
My team is boring me - keeps are only allowed for two yeas and i have to give up amare or dwight at the end of the season anyway
Is that trade totally unbalanced long term?
That is a bad trade for you.
I know it's bad for me this year - but i haven't looked at my team for two weeks anyway - and maybe next year the team will be better - plus i'm learning to dislike dwight howard and amare is one knee injury away from dying :)
I get some good trade pieces that have longer keeper value than the two keepers i'm giving up - plus i'm sick deep in big men anyway (i think i have jarret jack and gerald wallace too)
It's mostly just to shake up my team though i know it's unbalanced - i am trying to renew ineterest in my team and i can't improve the fan experience like the new sixer owners :)
The thing that pisses me off about this game is that Jrue + Iguodala vs. Durant + Westbrook was at worst a wash, probably in the Sixers favor. And they still lost.
inability to box out and get crucial rebounds + Lou stepping in after two wide-open Meeks threes and dribbling the air out of the ball..
plus playing like a team that doesn't know how to close out games against good teams...yep.
If we had Kris Humphries our team would be 5 games better. I wonder if New Orleans will let go Carl Landry for Nocioni.
Um - kris humphries - you're serious?
I'm with you. But EB + Lavoy (12 total rebs, 3 offensive, 10 pts) vs Ibaka + Perkins (19 total rebs, 8 offensive, 13 total pts) wasn't a wash.
Would you say Jrue was responsible for Westbrook crashing the offensive glass from out so high? I never noticed Jrue trying to leak out or anything. Didn't notice him realizing he needed to even box out out that far either now that I think about it.
On a totally unrelated note
at what point is thad's jumper officially 'better' - sure it's ugly - but he seems to have certain spots on the floor where he is consistently making good takes, and getting good looks, like the FT line - those side shots?
he seems to shoot his jumper well when his feet are set at the high post.
Dudes need to hit free throws rebound and a star player wouldn't hurt either
Kris Humphries would do wonders for this team I think he's a lil underrated.
Dear Doug
if #8 doesn't see the floor on friday, I will officially buy into your vindictive petty coaching that people have accused you of.
Rookies make mistakes, fine, you punished him the rest of the game (when maybe he could have stopped a westbrook offensive board - who knows), but anything more is punitive and dumb.
Disagree. Allen and Voose looked exactly like their reputations/draft slots tonight. I'd bench them both on Friday if I had enough warm bodies to do it.
Then you'd be as bad an NBA coach as Doug Collins
OH SNAP
I suppose that's supposed to be an insult. On the other hand, Flip Saunders thinks you're absolutely right and idiotic play should never lead to decreased minutes.
Apples, Oranges
Doug Collins has burned out in less than 3 seasons in 3 straight jobs, jobs where the team was still performing well and he still got canned. Sorry, everyone praises doug collins, but if he doesn't last 3 years, even when teams are winning, that says something about the type of coach he is, and it isn't bad.
The key word is punitive. Doug is punitive towards many players on this team, and usually it has a bad impact (ala Lou Williams last night). Doug loses jobs on teams in less than 3 years regardless of team performance. Doug has a winning record and yet hasn't ever made it through 3 full seasons. I suppose to no one else it's odd, to many they say 'this time it's different'.
Doesn't feel different to me, and still think he gets more credit than he deserves.
if he's the 'reason' they started off so well, he's the 'reason' they shat the bad 5 of the last 6. Sorry, he can't get credit only for the good stuff, he's not a politician
Have I let him off the hook for the 5 losses in the past six? Think I've been pretty critical of a lot of his decisions especially late.
Sorry, in that I was referring to folks in general. My point to you was that I don't think punitive punishment which you were advocating (and Doug seems to practice) works in todays NBA. Whether or not the old days were 'better' is debatable. However, todays players often need a softer different touch. Our opinions on this are just different, they always have been. I see it every time you talk about Cousins :)
It's not just a difference of opinion on the one point of Collins (and bringing up Flip Saunders was dirty pool and you know it - I wasn't using him as an example) but a different perspective or view of the situation in general I've noticed. I should have said it better, but punishing these guys more than you already did is a bad coaching move, whether you do it or collins does it. It's a bad move in my opinion. Teaching the guys on your roster who are just learning to play in the nba that mistakes will cost them multiple games instead of just the rest of the game they are in teaches them (in my mind) to play scared, and tight. People make mistakes. You make mistakes at work, did they sit your ass down and say you can't work for the next few days, when you were learning your job. And no, it's not 'different'. Learning a job is learning a job. And you screw up when you learn it. Collins people skills are great for commentating, I don't think they're great for todays NBA. I think the chafing has only just begun, partly because of Doug's style and partly because Doug forgets that part of his job is to TEACH the young guys to be better NBA players.
Well, I take pride in my work so any mistakes I make I only make once, and they're rarely careless mistakes. It's not a good parallel, playing in the NBA is a profession where you're going to make a ton of mistakes even if you're the best. Physical mistakes happen, and you shouldn't punish a guy for dribbling the ball off his foot, stuff like that. Mental mistakes, though. I have no problem with punitive punishment for stuff like what Voose did last night. I want him to be afraid to make stupid mistakes like that, I don't think that's playing tight I think it's playing smart.
Had a baseball coach when I was a freshman in high school who had a clipboard and kept track of the mental aspect of the game. Like if you weren't backing up the base you were supposed to be backing up, that was a big deal and you'd run. Or if you didn't run on a dropped third strike. Stuff like that. On the other side of the ledger were the small mental things on the positive side, like using a ball fake instead of making a wild throw when you don't have a chance to get a runner. Or fouling a pitch off to protect a runner on a hit-and-run. When the games were over, we didn't talk about going 3/4 with a home run and double, we talked about the mental mistakes that were made and the small mental plays that were made. Had a profound impact on how I feel about coaching and value of the little things.
Did that baseball coach bench a first year varsity player for making a mental mistake? Even if the mistake was forgetting to tag up and take second base?
Sorry, did he bench him for the next game, or any number of games, that's what I should have asked.
And nowhere did I say mental mistakes shouldn't be tracked. The word I used is punitive. It's important that it's not punitive.
And not for nothing, we saw doug berate a guy for a mental mistake in game last night - what did that lead too? A really bad offensive possession by said player...sure it was Lou, but that was an extra horrible possession even for him, and the fact that it came on the play after doug's little talk isn't a coincidence to me.
Gotta look at the impact things have on guys. Sure, guys need to stop making mental mistakes, but if you have them scared of making them, they most likely make more.
To me, it's the same issue with the '3 turnovers and everyone runs' thing that supposedly guides how Jrue plays the game. So scared to make turnovers he doesn't push his point guard skills, any pass he isn't 100% sure of getting through most likely won't be made. There's a line between motivating and scaring the crap out of, and Ithink doug has crossed that line, repeatedly, with numerous players.
Glad you never made a mistake more than once at your job, but very few people in this universe are that flawless...that's not a dig, that's just a fact.
Depends how egregious the mistake was, but yeah, guys got benched if it became a trend.
Ideally, guys would get this coaching when they were like 12 and it would be ingrained in them that you don't do things like what Voose did last night, and honestly Voose and Allen probably have received more coaching than most rookies (in Europe and 4 years at Temple), so I find stuff like that less acceptable. In the NBA in general, though, I feel like the majority of guys have never received the stick before getting to the NBA because most of the coaches they had just overlooked the smaller aspects of the game because they were so unbelievably talented. I get what you're saying about the modern player and maybe what he responds to, I just don't agree that because they've been coddled that they should continue to be coddled.
guys got benched if it became a trend.
Well see, one mental mistake on an inbounds play isn't a trend. It didn't cost the team the game any more than Lou cost the team the game, the team cost the team the game, and you know that with piss poor defensive rebounding like that and such a HUGE ft disparity (I wonder if the thunder average the largest ft disparity - i always mean to look into that) the sixers were lucky to be in the game.
He made a mistake, it was stupid, but it was one mistake in a game where tons of folks made mistake, and no, it did not cost them the game. He was rightfully benched in the moment. I believe keeping him out of future games is punitive. You don't :)
How much euro coaching does Voose really have? I mean he went to USC fo gods sake, not exactly a traditional powerhouse and his coach was a failed nba coach wasn't it?
Well, he had three years and I always consider time in Europe as a decent apprenticeship, though that's probably a bias on my part because I think they focus on team ball and fundamentals generally, but I'm sure there are bad coaches over there as well.
But I'm still confused. If #8 (I call him this cause I think voose is a silly nickname and can't spell his last name) had played 3 years of pro ball in europe he wouldn't have been allowed to play in college, he would have been like a ricky rubio type, straight into the draft.
I get that his dad played in Europe, but he played college ball at USC and played high school ball in the US (Stoneridge Prep according to the usc web site)
You've got to be talking about the years he played on the montenegro U18 team? I mean Montenegro isn't exactly a powerhouse country in international basketball these days is it? Who is to say he got better coaching there than the standard AAU stuff? Plus he's been playing 'us ball' For the past 5 years or so
Like I said, it's a generalization and a bias.
Oh, I get that, but I thought it was a generalization/bias about guys who played on pro teams in europe - which is what confused me since #8 couldn't have done that, I didn't realize you just assumed euros were better coached in the fundamentals than the US at every level :) That's just unamerican - you damn pinko :)
Totally agree here, I'd sit their ass too if I had the depth. Though Lavoy was fighting for boards early and getting his hands/fingertips on a couple as is usual with him. But he dipped his hands in a Vaseline jar before the game tonight. And Voose has no fundamental concept of a block-out. Nearly none.
How can a double guy not help the Sixers hes better than any power forward on this team hands down
Another ignored stat
34 to 12
OKC FT's to 12 FT's
rightly or wrongly, and even though it's BS, Rose is right, unfortunately, certain players in the NBA are 'entitled' for free throws - NONE of them play for the sixers, at least 2 (harden maybe makes 3) of them play for the thunder, and that rubs off on other players and the refs.
basically a 3 to 1 free throw disparity in what was a very physical game?
That's what happens when you don't have a star, rightly or wrongly, that's how the nba works
The thunder have two 'stars' they get the calls, the sixers won't.
Come playoffs time they REALLY wont
Much like the Mavs game, a real nice first 43 minutes.
Jrue made a jumper with 5:33 left to take a 7 point lead.
The last 5:32
Outscored 15-4
Durant 7 pts, 3 reb
The Mavs wasn't really good for 43 minutes though.
And while I agree there are bigger issues, Doug pulled Jodie, who had been getting open looks within the flow but was missing, and inserted Lou to conceivably "go get his" which was a fatal mistake. Jrue stood in the corner several times, Andre looked upon with bewilderment and the Thunder hedged/showed hard/trapped near everytime and Lou was discombobulated. I don't blame this on Lou at all as I believe he was asked to do this. As Rich said, Jodie was at least missing decent looks within the flow. Lou was missing bad looks with no flow, just him doing all the work.
Now, Lou was very good in the 1st half as he was setting guys up at will and getting to the line. Think he had 5 assists at the half and not sure how many free throw attempts. Only 1 assist the rest of the way though.
You just give the defense too easy of an out when you scale down your offense like Doug does when asking Lou to go and get it. You basically pose a mild threat that is just too easy to take away. You're already limited anyway with no low-post options and only one legit shooter, now you go isolation-heavy with the only guy you have who can get his shot off at will, then Brooks and Cheeks can just sit back and relax and watch you shoot yourself in the foot with them only having to pull a simple trap/double team out of the bag.
Lou is not a very high bbal IQ player; he dribbles into double teams on the baseline, he never waits for a screen to develop and just blows by with his speed, he pump fakes into much tougher shots simply bcos with him it is a habit rather than a tool, he navigates screen defensively like my grandma. He's talented player who relies heavily on that, not unlike most anyway.
they had him scouted to a tee tonight. they stopped our secret weapon.
(correction) sideline as opposed to baseline.
Maybe it's just me - but teams are trapping lou more recently? and he seems baffled as what to do - even worse than when Jrue gets trapped.
they are double teeming hard after every hand-off. he has no idea what to do since he is the guy meant to take the shot. instead of looking to pass the ball immediately, he hold his dribble and moves around the perimeter waiting for the extra guy to recede and then proceeds to his move. If the other guys sticks, well then you have turnover.
Classic case of immaturity. He will learn.
Like I said, the scouting report on Lou is hot lately. they know his name.
Agree with everything. Andre Miller used the fake as a tool, Lou not so much.
The play call bringing Lou toward the sideline (an extra defender) for the tying 3 is just hideous any way you look at it. Why send him to the corner with a defender chasing and an out of bounds line there? And another defender very near to come right over? Hate play calls like that unless you've cleared out to the other side (strong) making the inbounds side the weak side. Still don't like them that much then unless it's a Ray Allen shooting it.
I don't think Andre was at fault for "looking on things with bewilderment" if you meant he was bad. That's the product of Lou initiating late in the game, it's pretty much living or dying with him. Sadly, if Jodie hits one of the two spoonfed looks that Dre gave him Doug doesn't sub him out. I wish they would have either kept him in or kept the ball in Jrue's hands with Lou spotting up in Jodie's spot.
Nah, didn't mean he was bad, just meant he was perplexed like in a dazed state watching Lou.
kobe wearing a mask for his broken nose
http://instagr.am/p/HnVBcarOw_/
This team needs a star asap
What the Hell happened in the Knicks game? Based on the boxscore it looks like Novak went crazy from the 3pt line (5-8) and Chandler dominated defensively on the other end. It also seems like Cleveland had no answer in stopping Amare and Chandler. Lin also limited his turnovers. Am i guessing right?
When you play semi-lock down defense on the NBA's highest scoring duo, I think your defensive rebounding will suffer some. Not excusing the performance but this all just comes down to the Sixers not being able to score at will. As tk76, has so been so kind to continuously reiterate.
Hehe kidding aside,
Iguodala's body language when last minute plays are not drawn up for him is kinda concerning; that's twice he has allowed Lou to dribble himself into a double team and turnover, not that the latter should not carry most of the blame, but still he's a veteran. I guess he wants to hands off so he is not accused of taking the bad shot and "killing" the Sixers chances of winning the game.
No, he relinquished that honor to Lou tonight. Jrue looked pretty lost with two costly turnovers off pick and roll and that inexplicable wtf on the fastbreak when he passed to Lou for 3.
It's sorta ironic that everyone wants Iguodala to take the shot now. Heh some team the Sixers are.
I still love 'em.