I'm not going to be so bold (and moronic) as to say the Sixers first game of the season tonight against the Raptors is a must-win. I will, however, say that I think it's crucial for this team to get off to a quick start.
The opener against a much-improved Raptors team is a perfect opportunity to send a message that all of the moves the Sixers made this offseason have made an immediate impact. A perfect chance to show that the hard work they put in over the summer, in training camp and the preseason games was enough to incorporate their new weapons and get their returning players accustomed to their new roles.
While I don't think a playoff run is impossible after a slow start (this team has been a much better team in the second half the past two seasons), I don't want it to come to that. I want the Sixers to get off on a huge run and spend the season punishing lesser teams. I want to stop the doubters in their tracks early. The Sixers shouldn't sneak up on anyone this year, they shouldn't have to. They have their low post threat, one of the best in the league. They've answered all their internal questions by locking down Iguodala and Lou Williams. The only looming question for this team is Andre Miller's status, and to be honest with you, having a 32 year-old point guard playing for a contract is not bad thing.
This team is poised, right now, to make a serious run. They've also put themselves in the position of being a contender for years to come. The only thing left to do is go out there and win games. If they do, the Wach will be packed, the city will be excited and everything will be easier for the Sixers going forward (signings like Rush, Ratliff and Marshall won't be abberations, players will want to play in Philly).
This has been a long way of saying it's finally here. The games finally count and Ed Stefanski finally gets to see his new toys on the court playing together when it matters. I've been waiting for this day since the Pistons knocked the Sixers out of the playoffs. The tension has been building and I'm not sure I'll be able to wait another 6 hours. After the jump we'll take a look at the Raptors, and what the Sixers need to do to end the night 1-0.
The Raptors rolled the dice this offseason, sending TJ Ford to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal. I'm sure you've read plenty of analysis about this move, how O'Neal will help Bosh by freeing him up to take easier defensive assignments etc. It's all true if O'Neal can stay healthy. That won't be an issue for them tonight, he'll be in the lineup. I assume Brand will be on Bosh with Dalembert on O'Neal, but the matchups may be more fluid than that. We'll probably see Theo get some minutes as well if their inside game is killing the Sixers.
O'Neal is a huge addition, but for me, the key to stopping this team is Jose Calderon. This guy flourished last season when Ford went down to injury, and he represents a huge headache for the Sixers. Not only is Calderon a great distributor, but he almost never turns the ball over. He makes great decisions with the ball, and you can't play off him because he's deadly from three. The best way to attack him is probably to get the ball out of his hands. If I was Mo Cheeks, I'd use pressure whenever possible, use the full court trap. The Sixers used this defense to great success last season, and I hope to see it for stretches tonight. Make Calderon work to get the Raptors into their offense, and whenever possible, make him give the ball up to Anthony Parker or Jamario Moon.
I doubt the Sixers will use the full-court press for more than a couple of minutes at a time, so in the half-court, I'd look for them to funnel Calderon to either side of the floor and trap him with either Thad or Iguodala. Those guys are both long, quick and doubling off either Moon or Parker isn't a bad idea. The Sixers have elite athletes at 4 of 5 positions on the floor. 4 guys who can make up ground, jump passing lanes and make up for mistakes with weakside help. Their personnel is probably more suited to playing this type of frenetic defense than any other in the league, it's a key to getting their running game going.
Which brings me right to the offensive side of the ball. As far as I'm conccerned, bringing Elton Brand and the shooters off the bench into the fold should not change the team's basic offensive philosophy. The Sixers are at their best when they're out running. Thad, Lou and Iguodala can beat every single member of this Raptors squad down the floor, Sammy can run with anyone, Miller has the vision and judgment to make the right pass. None of that has changed from last season. Adding Brand gives you an excellent option in the half-court, if you're forced to play the half-court game, but it should not mean the Sixers are going to be walking the ball up the floor. They need to keep pushing, keep pressuring, keep creating easy shots for themselves in transition. Look at Brand as a trailer who's automatic from 15 feet if there's no clear layup on the break. Look at Rush as an option for an open three on the break.
The beauty of having Brand is that if you don't have the numbers on the break, it's not an iffy possession, you have something to fall back on, but don't play for that fall back. Play your game and get those easy hoops whenever you can.
We got some good news yesterday,
Thad will be starting. He's apparently all the way back from his strained lower back. Sammy will start as well.
It's been a long summer, enjoy the game tonight guys and check back here for the post game thoughts after the game.
Great write up as usual Brian...you should consider doing this for a living(If you dont already) I read Bill simmons blog quite a bit...he said this about the sixers.
"In a league in which you're only as good as your best three guys, the 76ers are paying a second banana (Elton Brand) and a third banana (Andre Iguodala) first banana money, and they're paying a role player (Sam Dalembert) third banana money. In a league in which you need a proven crunch-time guy to battle the other proven crunch-time guys in the last three minutes of close games, they don't have a proven crunch-time guy. (And don't tell me it's Brand. I watched him for four years on the Clippers; he's not that type of player.) " ---he has also mentioned how bad Brand has looked in the preseason.
I respect him for his B-ball knowledge and he definitely has me thinking about the sixers. (However his knock on Brand could have applied to Garnett before he became a Celtic.) WHO is the Sixers crunch time scorer ?
Is it Iguodola ? I mean I know Brand is a 20-10 guy...but hes a 20-10 guy on bad teams. Ive been watching hoops since I was 10 and if theres one thing a team needs its a clutch scorer when you absolutely need it. Somebody who can be double teamed and on a broken play STILL score(think Shaq in the finals against mutombo and the whole damn sixers team). Who on the Sixers can do that ? Who will be our Kobe/Pierce ?
If the game was being played tonight, I might give the ball to Lou Williams on an iso if I needed a game-winning hoop. Down the line, maybe Thad.
Iguodala had one game-winning shot last year, jumper over Mike Miller to win the game in Memphis. I can't really remember too many other last-shot opportunities.
Oh, and by the way the one year Brand was on a playoff team, he was a monster. 12 games, 25.4 points, 10.3 boards, 4.0 assists, shot 55% from the floor.
Simmons always conveniently forgets that.
But why did he only have one year in the playoffs? He's played with Andre Miller before, and that team went 27-55. They had Odom, Corey Maggette, Odom, and Q. Richardson too. Maggette's no Iguodala, 2002 Andre Miller isn't 2008 Andre Miller, Odom... better in theory than in practice. But I think there is some substance to the "Brand's not a winner" talk. The guy never went anywhere until he had the clutchest player of our times, Sam Cassell, on his team. And the next season, once Cassell was a little over the hill and missed 24 games, they were a sub-.500 team all over again.
Just noticed that Speights was Mo's choice for the inactive list tonight. Kinda weird, don't you think? Is it in deference to Donyell's seniority and the fact that Royal has to be active to take his NBA-mandated punishment from last season? Since I'd expect one of those two guys to be given the inactive status for most of the season (barring an injury to someone else).
I'm hoping Ivey will switch spots with Speights once he's ellig. for the inactive list.
I think the reason for Speights instead of Marshall is the rookie factor. I think Marreese will get his shot this year, but he has to earn it, just like Thad did last year.
Stafanski was raving about Speights on wip today. He said he’s much further along than he anticipated. It sounded to me that Speights will definitely play his share this year. I guess too many quality players is a good problem to have.
good work looking up brands playoff stats Brian.
I hope hes a legit crunch time guy.
Thats the difference between a guy like Carlos Boozer (a 20-10 guy who did nothing relevant in crunch time for the Jazz in the playoffs) or Charles Barkley (a 20-10 guy who could get it done in crunch time with 3 guys hanging on him)
Stats are great....but I want to see 12 points in the 4th quarter when the games on the line vs getting 24 the first three quarters and getting shut out in the 4th.
It's been a long time since I posted here. First of all, congratulations on the new family member.
And second, I can't wait to see how this team will play, how the new pieces fit and how they take the challenge of being an almost-contender (I think it's too early to think championships, but that's up to Thad to change my mind).
Now I can't even get this game on TV in North Carolina, but looking through the box score already I'm seeing a lot of the stuff I was worried about. We're prone to high turnover games (Brand will only accentuate that) and Iguodala still can't make his threes or nail his free throws. On the other hand, the rebounding's very promising, and we're blocking shots (three blocked shots from Willie Green???).
Don't let Willie's blocks fool you. He killed them while he was in there.
Dalembert's killing me, he's owning the boards, and coughing the ball up just about every time he gets it. Just grab the board and get rid of the ball.
They have a run in them, it's coming.
Ugh. You know I will say I had partial wood thinking about the feel good Sixers and what they could accomplish this season...what a swift kick in the nuts this game was.
Sixers owned the glass (56-33!), owned the fast break points(19-4), had more points in the paint.
And STILL were never really in this game.
Some of my disgusted observations...
*Holy shit this team cant shoot.
*Iguodola looked terrible as a shooting guard.
*Thadeus Young didnt look like anything special...but he didnt get a lot of shots either.
*Elton Brand managed to fill the stat line but whenever we really needed a hoop he did nothing.
This is my concern with him...see my earlier post.
*Dalembert is a turnover machine but he was a monster on the boards.
*Andre Miller looks old and slow...
Where is the frontcourt defense ? Bosch and O neal owned Brand, Dalembert and Young. Brand looks kind of stiff and slow to me. I wasnt impressed. Can he even dunk anymore ?
Iguodola and Reggie Evans looked good on defense.
Overall a dreadful performance. If they play this poorly on Friday the Knicks may beat them too.
*Holy shit this team cant shoot.
*Iguodola looked terrible as a shooting guard.
Surprise surprise. Miller and Brand will play better, but these two factors will hold us back.
Hopefully everyone will play better than they did tonight. In fact, I'd pretty much guarantee it.
Early foul trouble did Young in. He had a couple of nice drives and hit that three early.
The thing that really, really bugs me about the threes is that the only reason guys should be open is because either (a) you have to double someone, which they didn't really do at all, or (b) someone keeps getting beat off the dribble, which I don't think was happening either. Which leads me to believe this is either a fundamental flaw in Mo's defensive philosophy, or someone (maybe several someones) gambling way too much on defense. My best guess is that it's a little bit of both. The thing these guys, mainly the coaches, need to realize is that they don't have a defensive liability out there on defense anymore. All five starters can defend their positions on most nights, play straight up D and make them beat you man on man. If you get beat off the dribble, you've got two shot blockers down low, the help shouldn't be coming off a wing outside shooter.