Win and you're in! What more needs to be said?
Lineups
- PG: Jrue Holiday vs. Deron Williams
- SG: Jodie Meeks vs. Anthony Morrow
- SF: Andre Iguodala vs. Travis Outlaw
- PF: Elton Brand vs.
Kris Humprhies Johan Petro
- C: Spencer Hawes vs. Brook Lopez
The tip is at 7pm. This is your game thread. I'll be at the Wach, on press row, so I'll probably be in and out of the game thread throughout. Keep it civil and let's get this playoff appearance locked down, huh?
Pretty entertaining pregame stuff here. Avery Johnson said Thad is the Sixers MVP. Thad said Avery Johnson is crazy.
Collins said Iguodala was 1st team all defense and should be in the conversation for defensive player of the year. I have some video, may post when I get home tonight.
Do any of the players follow the blogs? I sure hope not (especially for Lou's sake.)
Is Avery Johnson crazy or what? A few years back if i remember well he said he viewed Iguodala as a PF.
Yeah, I think he's a little twisted. Had a good line about Brook and Petro in the pregame, though. Said he didn't want to call either of them a 4 because that would encourage them to take jumpers.
He 'auditioned' for the sixers job on 950 WPEN a couple years back - if you can find the audio - it's a hoot
Wow -- Brian and Derek both here. Talk about a party ...
Video: Collins on wanting to clinch at home, who he thinks should be NBA's top sixth man and Iguodala for all-defensive team:
http://ow.ly/4ry0I
If you asked doug collins 'what goes through your mind when spencer takes a 3 pointer' - would you have your pass taken away?
He said Hawes took all good shots Monday in Chicago before a "heat-check 3-pointer."
lol Jrue swag!
Alright, almost that time. Lopez got the most boos.
Spence vs. Brook for the tip...and Hawes wins it. We're off.
AI9 three to open it.
Three threes on three possessions. Not a big fan of that.
8 for Iguodala.
Want to see Jrue keep going to the lane, that's where the contact is gonna be.
Agree. Collins said something today we were talking about on SixersBeat last night. The next step for Jrue is to consistently get to the line.
They brought Graham in to check Iguodala, didn't really work.
Well I'll be Andre!! dag
Lefty Sissy Hook. Meeks is the only one who hasn't scored.
Nets don't seem to intent on defending. Play a solid game on the other end and maybe we can have a laugher?
why is Iggy leaving Outlaw open ?
Thhad's the first guy off the bench. Avery Johnson has made like 5 subs.
Lefty hook from Spence....heh just no forward momentum, he's just stunted so easily with the slightest of contact
Awesome give and go, LW to AI to LW.
Good to see Lou attacking.
Didn't realize the Nets had the Laker reject backcourt.
I apologize for you having to hear the pa guy massage Lou's name at the line. He's so in love with it.
Sixers absolutely putting on a clinic against the Nets...love it
Who is #34? Brandon Wright? I've never seen someone get so lost on a simple spin move like Thad just made. Thad looked a little surprised that he just saw daylight.
this is the sort of game Turner needs to get into to boost his constantly vacillating confidence meter.
Noc got the early nod. Maybe he'll play his way out of it, or it'll be a blowout.
He's probably making faces towards Doug on the bench.
Wow, Noc just completely ignored Lou to take the ball down the court himself. Nice teamwork Noc.
And what does Lou usually do in that situation?
Come on Thad, you've got rim protection there.
Doug's letting Meeks guard Williams. Jrue sat early here in the first, thought it might be a reaction to Avery sitting Deron, but DW is back and JH isn't.
Brian and I just got a laugh on press row, as they put a graphic up that Nocioni has had two double-doubles so far this season. Promoting that in game 3 I can see. In game 76? Not exactly an accomplishment.
uggh Nets have a loooong way to go.
If Doug's actually playing the matchups and not favoring Nocioni, that was the time to play him when NJ was going small.
PHI 29, NJN 21 after one.
Really questionable lineup to finish the first quarter there. The Nets had three guards on the floor, which meant either Nocioni or Thad was guarding Vujacic. They didn't take advantage of their size on the other end, either. Poor end to a pretty strong quarter overall.
REBOUND!!
Why start now?
ok, it's enough Lou time.
get him out.
For christ's sake, get Lou out of there
Lou is completely in love w/ his dribble tonight. Bailed himself out on that one. Jrue in for Noc.
it's like every shot Lou makes buys him another minute to kill us.
Good strip Lou. Our ball.
Jrue for 3!
Jrue three off the AI9 drive and kick.
I really like Iguodala posting up the smaller player and initiating offense from the foul line and in. He just made two nice assists (Jrue three, Thad lay-up) doing so.
Lou's been making better passes on that mid-high pick and roll the last few games. He's getting guys looks.
Good hands Jrue, ugh foul though...
Good rope pass Lou!
Nice dish by Lou to EB on the break. Then Jrue finds Thad for the slam 10 seconds later. Nice.
Holy shit what a dunk.
Thad-dunkonous!
Thadonius Dunk.
No, Thad-(dunk on us!)....Thad-dunkonous! :)
lou isn't a very good passer....
tell it to Zoo and Snow.
Keep getting AI9 in the mid-post against Morrow.
loving Jrue's eyes.
They are just outrunning them now. The look-ahead vision has been fantastic, with Lou surprisingly leading the charge in that aspect.
Wow, this looks unfair when the Sixers aren't running their C lineup out there.
On an announcing note, I like Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel as announcers. They are a little bland at times, but so is their team. Really like Spanarkel's analysis.
feel the same way on Sparnarkel.
Lou was good in his run.
Thad. Yes Marc said it...
Noc coming back in. Lopez is hurting us now.
Noc three off Jrue penetration.
Jrue with good dribbling/handling of the rock, Noc 3!
no need to be smiling Avery; you could get fired for the way this team is playing.
That's why he's smiling.
Jrue's having some nice passes too this first half.
Jrue getting to a good deep spot and converting. Good job.
Get up Jrue!
Jrue with a sick block to bail out Noc.
Did Noc get a piece too?
It was tough to tell, I'm sitting about 40 feet from there, Noc was beaten, Jrue basically got it with his entire arm, but Noc may have gotten a piece from behind.
OK, was asking in the sense that you may have been at the end it happened at.
looked like noc blocked that from tv angle.
yup, that's what the replay angle gave.
PHI 60, NJN 43 at the half.
Much better second quarter. Iguodala blocked two on that final Nets possession.
This team has really come together. Assertive half. Nets? but still.
They put their foot down and increased the lead again.
Doug will just mix and match after his starters likely increase the lead to start the third.
That Jrue, Lou, Dre, Thad, EB lineup can be potent in the playoffs if Lou sees other things that are there including his shot.
If sixers keep lead could ET get some garbage time?
Nets coming out very spirited, hopefully that'll wake the Sixers up
Love the way AI9 and JH are pushing.
Quick hook for Hawes.
Brook was jogging down the floor looking the other way on that break. Can't do that when Thad's out there.
Jrue's had two straight good defensive possessions vs Deron.
Third one, not so much. No help though.
After a couple of replays, that was a nice pass from Andre to Thad for that slam.
That's as spry as I've seen Andre with his dribble all year, knee looked good on that one.
Jrue.
mid range game for Jrue is really blossoming.
Good D! shot clock violation
Besides Meeks being pretty quiet, this has been an excellent game for the Sixers, with all of the players filling the roles you would expect/hope them to.
Uh, that Jrue kid is pretty good.
What did Doug call out?
Jrue's just in good rhythm.
Ian Eagle: "Holiday is making scoring the ball look very easy." I concur.
Sweet transition oop.
WOW!!!
that was like an and1 mixtape
ohh thought he bounced it off the floor.
looks mediocre on replay.
...and the Nets are not very good.
Thad poke-away.
Lou to
Dre to
Thad oop!
Wow. Just, wow.
Louis Williamssss 3!!
Jrue has a triple double chance.
Dre's d-boarding may hamper his cause, but 60% chance.
60% is pretty high. Not sure he can get 5 rebounds in 14 mins. i'd say 5-10%
Awesome drive and dish by LW to TY for the slam.
Does anyone remember during I believe the '06 West Finals when Avery Johnson got really pissed during a press conference when he was asked what Dallas needed to work on?
He responded in his weird voice: "TRANSISHOONNNN DEEFENSEE"
Surprised he hasn't told that to the Nets.
just loving this team. So proud.
I like Doug letting these guys get these reps together, even with the game tomorrow, just for the comfort level.
Thad! and yes Marc repeated himself...
Thad's having one of those nights where everything is falling.
How about getting Iguodala the heck out of there?
CAN YOU SAY EVAN TURNER TIME.
how much do we need before we can bench the starters?
Up by 26, Iguodala on the floor after a loose ball.
heh, spoilers.
That was great and all, but maybe it's time for a hook? He won't get rusty sitting out the 4th quarter.
Iggy going all out, love it.
heat check for Jrue or shot clock winding down?
PHI 94, NJN 65 after 3.
Pretty much as dominant of a quarter as we've seen this season. Btw, this Nets team scored 116 on the Knicks two day ago.
Keep Iggy and Brand's asses glued to the bench.
Let Jrue go stat chasing.
All we need to see now are the Songailas, Turners, Speights, Noces
yea time to let turner come in
What can you say about what the man is doing no matter who's playing?
Doug's a maestro, and is going to throw some looks at opponents in the playoffs that they've never seen.
They're gonna make it to the second round, put me down for it.
eddie: I will bookmark that comment and regurgitate it to you in game 3.
what part of the comment?
I'm just laughing at your optimistic high.
I hope I end up laughing with you.
Bench + Jodie to start the fourth. No sign of Turner.
and Hawes.
There we go. 11:16 of garbage time for Evan Turner. How about doing something with it, kid?
sounded like the crowd applauded ET coming.
ET! ET! ET!
Turner coming in
Evan swallowed up down low.
damnit
Spencaaaa...!
Not a good start for Turner.
nor a good ending either.
I bet only 3 people voted int he AT&T poll question.
I think Kapono is going to come in soon lol
Marreese, Marreese, Marreese!
Evan with his fancy dribbling, going nowhere.
The fact that he wanted to take some time off the shot-clock probably played into the decision.
Oh, ok.
never thought of running the clock down with a whole six minutes left.
I mean, when you are up 30, dribbling with four people around you and forcing a drive with 15 seconds left on the shot-clock isn't exactly a high IQ play.
I want 40+.
Speights lob! from Louuuuu.....lol
ET getting to run point
well ET's gonna run the show for 4 mins.
that's something....
Ugh. It's going to wind up being 20 at this rate.
anyone else notice kapono giving up on the play momentarily after not getting the ball from ET?
not really, cause he gave up games ago
Turner!
Nice sequence for Turner-
Hits Battie for a wide-open jumper, makes a nice shot off isolation, and blocks a shot.
Evan's expressions are so tense-like, almost after every play. He just seems uptight with his demeanor.
You'll think I'm being sarcastic, but I actually take players' facial expressions pretty seriously. And you're right, he's not a guy who looks happy on the court - or, on the other hand, tough/mad/Snow's favorite word in the English language, aggressive. He just looks tense and unhappy.
The way he jetted to the locker room last night after the horn (along with his look during his run), it's just like he is this pouty, spoiled, sense-of-entitled to playing time little wimp. I don't know...his psyche just seems off for what is needed at this level.
Dag Evan, just let him take it from you....
Eagle and Spanarkel just said that Evan's main position should be the 3. Interesting.....
too small physically atm for the 3.
and too slow
Then ET turns it over. That's a good thought splitting the double, but he's not aggressive enough doing so.
PHI 115, NJN 90 FINAL.
Playoffs, here we come!
Expected win. Statement type, because in the past we would sometimes wilt vs this opponent and with something on the line.
playoffs!!!!!!
Iku yo!
so awesome that doug's grandson is wearing a holiday jersey.
Go Hawks!
#showyaluv like Doug's grandson! lol that was cool....
_11
in case any1 missed pre-sale, sixers playoff tickets are now on sale on sixers site.
Some exciting meaningless stats coming out of Wizards games these days. Andray Blatche had 36 and 19 tonight, with sixteen offensive rebounds. Just three defensive. He took 32 shots. I think the fact that Blatche has the talent to put up such a simultaneously impressive/pathetic line says it all about the kind of player he is. Jordan Crawford had a non-pathetic triple-double, coming off a 39-point effort.
i like crawford. I think he is better than that ballhog nick young
and Turner too, right? I'd say so..
meaning i just liked Crawford's game better than Turner's from college. his game would have been a better fit with what we currently had personnel wise. Don't know just liked that kid for some reason.
yeah i got you. And yep he would have fit better than turner and he also played mostly off the ball from what i saw. Because holloway ran point.
Crawford's a scorer, but there's a reason he went 27th. I mean, is he even going to be as good as Lou? So far it looks like he's going to be a lot worse.
On the flip - at the rate we're going now is Turner going to even come close to being as good as Lou? Cause right now he's way worse.
I am so pumped up for the playoffs. This team is nothing short of captivating right about now. You can just see it coming together. Guys settling into roles, better reads off of each other, just overall cohesion. This whole staff deserves alot of credit, along with Doug. Superb job.
The Headline on the ESPN recap:
Nick Young helps 76ers rout Nets, clinch playoff spot
that's both hilarious and infuriating.
how do you confuse Nick Young with Jrue Holiday?
Sixers cut down Nets, secure spot in playoffs:
http://ow.ly/4rCJz
Video: Brand after Sixers nail down playoff berth, giving him a chance to play in postseason for second time in 12-year NBA career:
http://ow.ly/4rCU8
Video: Iguodala on getting back to the playoffs after beating Nets:
http://ow.ly/4rD7n
Also hawks beat celtics. We have been officialy superglued into the 6-seed
Spurs are about to lose another game, this time to Houston. They don't seem to be able to defend anymore. And down three with 26 seconds to go, all those veterans didn't realize they had to foul. Lowry hit a huge shot to send it to overtime, and Martin's just a master at drawing fouls. He's like the basketball equivalent of a great on-base guy.
Simmons had a good bit on Houston in his column today. Now that they just run 8 guys, they have gone 13-5 (now 14) since the deadline.
The Sixers win over them this week was real impressive to me - esp coming off that big win on the road Monday.
that's the Simmons column in which he names the 30th to...14th? worst teams in the NBA and doesn't mention the Sixers....hmm...
Not sure if you all saw it, but Simmons made a throwaway comment that was actually complimentary to the Sixers, calling Grant Hill the best perimeter defender other than Iguodala. You can be sure he's seen Iguodala hold Pierce to 11 or under three times this year, and I have a feeling he's going to be very complimentary of the Sixers as a whole in his follow-up column next week. (However, it's his usual MO to talk up the opponent prior to a playoff series/game he's worried about.)
Story: Playoff berth is extra special for Brand:
http://ow.ly/4rExI
Video: Young on Sixers reaching the playoffs for first time in his four years:
http://ow.ly/4rLhv
Young: "There was a time last year where I was like, ‘We need to make some changes to get our mentality back.’ Once we made those changes, look at us now."
should say for the THIRD time in four years
Third time Thad's made it.
Young: 'I think we're a real contender'
http://ow.ly/4rMl3
I feel this current Sixer team, is a cut above the teams that made the playoffs 2 and 3 years ago. I feel their defense and half-court game is better, and they have many more players who could potentially step up and impact a game.
Whether that translates into more wins than the six game series they have lost remains to be seen. But I have more faith than in the past. Those initial wins in previous series surprised me- but at this stage I expect this team to e competitive. I also don’t expect them to fold when the opponent counter-punches. But I also wonder if they will be able to replicate the feat of stealing some early games in this coming series.
The Celts don't want any of this. 2nd round here we come! Do the Heat even want any? lol
I just can't go as far as you to say that this team is a cut above those teams from a few years ago because of one factor - Jrue - instead of Andre Miller and his heady play at the point.
I have more faith like you but that unknown concerns me a bit.
A little insight on Thorn's thought process:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/nets/thorn_high_draft_picks_key_to_big_zzV2jYRXtYb6iYQq6dxHIL
Mostly talks about the importance of stockpiling 1st round picks to use for big deals.
And another suggesting the Nets should go after Young as a RFA: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/nets/2011/04/avery-johnson-loves-thaddeus-young-a-free-agent-to-be
But if the Nets really want to keep cap space to go after Howard in 2012 then I doubt they make a big signing for a non-star this summer.
One last thing- we were talking about Lopez and D-Boards...
2 last night.
That's not as "impressive" as Blatche's 16 offensive and 3 defensive rebounds ...