It appears as though Doug Collins is as tired of slow starts as we are. Tonight, he decided to nip the problem in the bud. After only 1:44 of sloppy basketball, Collins lifted Jrue Holiday (who had already turned the ball over twice) for Lou Williams. The Sixers went on to lead the game by 10 after the first quarter and put the catastrophic Washington
Wizards out of their misery in a 31-point blowout. (
Here's your rotation chart. Check out what the starters did to start the third, and then what the bench did to start the fourth. The latter is probably more important, because it necessitated the return of Brand, which would've been good to avoid:
This game was another case of the Sixers just being way too much for an inferior team to handle. They're too quick, too tenacious, too resilient, too aggressive and they just never stop coming after you. John Wall threw in the towel pretty early and looked generally disinterested. The main thought I had about the Wizards looking back at the game is that they really enjoy settling for bad shots, and I mean
really bad shots. JaVale McGee 20-footers bad.
Jrue had the dubious honor of being benched in the first, playing a terrible game overall, yet still providing the play of the night. It was what you might call an angry dunk. Jrue grabbed a defensive board and started to move the ball up the court, he looked up and saw no Wizards even looking in his direction, so he kicked into another gear, went coast to coast and threw down a helacious lefty dunk on Jan Veseley's head. Pretty play, but it doesn't even come close to making up for the overall game he played. Jrue was the opposite of cool, calm and collected, whatever that is. He needs to be better, much better than that.
The good thing about this Sixers' team, though, is that they can weather an off night from one or two guys, because they have six or seven other guys capable of picking up the slack. Tonight, it was Lou and Jodie who did most of the damage, and it was neck-and-neck between the two for player of the game. Spencer Hawes also returned to the lineup with an impressive double-double in only 19 minutes of work. Evan Turner hit his first two threes of the season and scored 12 on 7 shots. Brand looked better if still significantly less than explosive.
There were two things I hated to see: Jrue getting benched, and the bench-warmers letting the Wizards show signs of life early in the fourth, but it's hard to complain about a 31-point win, no matter the level of competition.
Great win, now do it again, guys.
Player of The Game: Jodie Meeks. It was close, but how can you deny a guy who shoots 10/11 for 26 points? Actually, the scoring was great, but I gave the nod to Jodie over Lou because he really turned things around on the defensive end. He crowded Nick Young, made things tough for him after a hot start and made him a non-factor. Also if you watch Doug Collins' post-game press conference, Jodie went to talk to the coach before the game to talk about what he could do better. I like that.
Team Record: 8-3
Up Next: @ WAS, tomorrow night.
Comment of the Game Thread: "
Sweet 3 by Jodie and dozens of people here are on their feet cheering...." - das411 (commenting live from the WFC).
We've got another later tonight in Washington, and we also just finished the first 11 games of the year, so check back around noon for a quick look at the next 11, then the Game Thread/Preview will land around 5pm.
00 did look like he was getting his back taped or wrapped up around the end of the 3rd though, was there any word on the broadcast what that was all about? and were there any decent Malik-isms??
None that I remember.
As to Malik-isms, Jodie put them over the 100 point mark with a three, and Malik yelled "MEEK-Donalds!", since the crowd all got a free Big Mac after that.
Heh, yeah I forgot about that.
Someone said Meeks just gave everyone 800 calories, can't remember if that was the game thread, or Malik, though.
raising hand
Yeah, that was hilarious. Just remembered it, would've been in the running for cotgt :)
I was sitting just behind the Sixers bench. He was getting his back wrapped with a heat pad every time he came to the bench.
"I have to say it: if it weren't for that money and if it weren't for that attitude, this city would LOVE Andre Iguodala. LOVE him. Because he plays defense and hustles. His only problem is that his opinion of himself is higher than what a lot of the fans think it ought to be. And that's what sets people up for disappointment. Because he's NOT a superstar. He's not that guy. A guy who'll play a little defense for you? He's that guy." --Marc Farzetta
Yeah, he's just the guy who plays a little defense for you. And he's definitely the guy who's so wrapped up in being a superstar that he takes just way too many shots, as you can tell from his 19.6% usage rate. Fucking jackass.
"There were two things I hated to see: Jrue getting benched, and the bench-warmers letting the Wizards show signs of life early in the third, ... "
I think you mean early in the "fourth,"
Good catch, it's fixed.
They have a good chance of winning 6 games in 9 nights (7 in 11) if they win tomorrow. I wonder how many teams have done that in NBA history?
It's probably never happened before. Was the schedule this condensed in 98/99?
It's happened plenty in NBA history. In fact, it occurred with the first 4 teams I looked at:
'59'-'60 Warriors (Wilt's rookie year) - 8 wins in 12 days, Jan 2 to Jan 13 (capping a 10 G win streak)
'62-'63 Lakers - 6 wins in 9 days, Dec 11 to Dec 19; 8 wins in 10 days, Jan 4 to 13 (capping a 10 G win streak)
'62-'63 Celtics - 6 wins in 8 days, Jan 24 to Jan 31; 6 wins in 7 days, Feb 15 to Feb 21 (especially impressive as they traveled from Providence RI to St. Louis to Chicago to Boston to Detroit to San Francisco in that span to accomplish it)
'65-'66 76ers - 6 wins in 8 days, Jan 18 to Jan 25 (starting a streak of 8 wins in 13 days)
Back then, B.C. (before Collins), players weren't overindulged candy asses. (And journalists were thriftier with hyperbole.) Today's "big deal" wasn't a big deal. They just did it. Wearing Chuck Taylor Converse, not Nike.
It's hard to like the season Jodie has been having this year, but I definitely like him as a person. He's always described as extremely hard working and he has always proven the doubters wrong. In Kentucky he was one of their minor recruits (3 stars) coming out of high school. He was said to be a slasher who couldn't shoot the ball. But then he shocked the nation with his 54 point outburst against Tennessee and he went on to have one of the best seasons in Kentucky basketball history in his Junior year. And look at him now, being able to drain 3's in the NBA.
You should watch Collins' post game, it's pretty funny actually. Collins said Meeks came in to talk to him, to see if he was doing something wrong, then just sort of asked Collins if he could run the play for him they used to run last year. Said they ran it tonight 4 or 5 times and he hit shots on it.
I remember mentioning at some point during the Knicks game thread that they were already playing 4 on 5 w/ Battie out there, so to have Jodie just out there and not be running any curls or screens for him, what was the purpose for him to even be on the floor? Especially w/ all the one on one going on.
Funny that he asked to run just one thing for him. Like, why wouldn't they be running it anyway as successful as he was at times last year? Odd.
If the playoffs started today it would be another 76ers / Heat matchup...
Sixers in the 3rd place spot and heat in the 6th place spot.
I hope Collins isn't starting to wear out his welcome by being too hard on the players. Do you think this might be the start of a bigger issue moving forward??
I think it's an issue because it's inequitable. I think players resent getting removed from the floor in embarrassing fashion for one or two mistakes when they watch their teammates make 5 mistakes and remain on the floor.
Yes
Nope, not one bit, not when the players continue to see the success they're having. I think it's as much a non-issue as Speights getting traded was to them. I haven't seen an instance of where he's "been too hard" on any player. Those players have been explained what's expected of them and their roles, so if anything, there are players that have been too hard on their own selves.
What about when they aren't enjoying success? They'll have a losing streak at some point.
That's the beauty of a season (or the ugliness). Like Dollar Bill said below, "The 'like' test is most reliably administered during team slumps."
Adversity will surely reveal character at that point, not build it, like Doug is currently doing with them now.
agreed
We need to have at least a 5-6 game lead in the Atlantic by the end of this 18-of-22 at home run...it should be 3 games after tonight.
A three game lead over the Celtics AND Knicks after 11 games. Whew.
I do think that Thorn needs to think about finding another cheap frontcourt body before the deadline. I know that we were talking about Wallace yesterday, but I have to think we can come up with something better than Battie to have in case we need another big in April and May.
Think the Wiz would give up Seraphin for something minimal?
No. Why would they do that?
Don't know, just asking, didn't think they played him that much.
The Sixers are only the fourth NBA team in the shot-clock era (1954 to now) to allow fewer than 90 points while winning each of their first five home games in a season. The others: the 1995-96 Nets, 2002-03 Pistons and 2004-05 Spurs. Source: Elias
A distinction but not that impressive when considering opponents' offensive might:
Pistons 84.9 29th
Raptors 88.0 27th
Pacers 92.8 20th
Kings 93.0 19th
Wizards 84.1 30th
5-team average ppg: 88.56
I didn't see the game. Probably for the best because I might've thrown something after seeing Jrue get taken out after less than 2 minutes. The double standards are just really aggravating. Obviously Meeks had a great game yesterday, credit where credit is due. But Meeks had about 9 terrible starts before last night, and he never got yanked at the 1:44 mark. Not cool.
For Collins (as most coaches) the worst issues are sloppy turnovers and bad shots early in the shot clock. That's when coaches do the hooks. Meeks is not very turnover prone nor doea he take bad shots. That's why in Collins eyes there is no reason to teach him a lesson. Statistically he was supposed to start hitting them.
I have no problem with Collins reaction because Jrue was absolutely disastrous to start the game. He deserved the hook.
Is everything about offense? Because Meeks has been pretty awful defensively to start games, but that wasn't enough to get him yanked either.
Jrue deserved to be pulled, he was terrible, if you want fair play then your 'boy' is going to get pulled a lot more early in games for his piss poor rebounding efforts
I think Collins has done a much better job at managing his intensity with the Sixers compared to his previous jobs, which is why i am not that worried about that. He lets his assistents do most of the work at practice, he frequently stops himself from overreacting during games, he praises guys all the time in front of the media... He looks like he has learned from his past mistakes. The most interesting part to me is how his face turns red, when he is mad at a bad play, but instead of yelling, he puts his head between his hands and looks towards the floor. He clearly has worked on this (anger management sessions? lol) and i think it's working.
And perhaps the most important thing is, this is simply a group of players that really want to win and trust his judgement. I get the feeling that these guys (with the exception of maybe Turner) really like Collins as a coach.
The 'like' test is most reliably administered during team slumps.
Who's to say? But my one guess is that Andres Nocioni - 23 minutes played this season - doesn't love his head coach.
Some thoughts from attending my first game of the season last night:
- Enjoyed the Philadelphia orchestra / American Idol girl national anthem. I thought she did a fantastic job.
- I like the starters coming out of the tunnel during the opening announcements. It's a very cool concept to integrate at a pro NBA game, looks especially great in person with them emerging out of the smoke. I also liked the confetti cannons after the win.
- Wasn't thrilled with the new PA announcer, disliked the 'That's Thad' comment after any Thad Young play.
Nothing to do with ownership or the team, but it's a sad indication of our society that by far the loudest the crowd got was in preparation for winning a free Big Mac. Sure, cheer about clogging your arteries. Our nation's health habits bother me.
Overall, had a great game experience. I'll definitely be heading back for more games this season.
I'm getting to the point where I"M about to be rightfully concerned about Jrue's overall play this season, the 'career arc' seems to have stalled
Yeah, 4.5/2.7 A/TO doesn't get it done at the point. Is playing undisciplined basketball. Has streaks of impressive play, but looks scatterbrained at times. Collins yankin' him was the correct message. Jrue has a long future ahead but I'll still take the little guy in Denver.
That Lawson is a hell of an efficient jitterbug some nights. Really wish we had him too.
Eh, bumps in the road are not abnormal or unusual for a 21 year old. He'd still only be a senior in college making mistakes too. Concerned for him to do more thinking instead of reacting on the floor now? yes. Career stall? no.
Like I said, I'm not fully concerned yet, but i have worries that he doesn't seem to be improving where he needed to yet, and the coach doesn't seem happy with him either :)
yeah, i'm with you. It's a bit concerning to me too just from the angle I can't seem to place a finger on why it's/what's happening. Even if he's playing more off the ball in a different role that doesn't explain why he's been so loose and careless with the ball at times. Not to mention his questionable decision making.
I may be wrong, but seems I vaguely remember him having a really bad stretch of terrible play last year too, no? Like an 8-10 game stretch or so.
Yes I kind of remember that as well.
It's possible it happened last year, and in his second year, with a new coach, that's fine, but for me it's about progression. Thaddeus and Spencer have shown (so far) some prorgression in a positive direction, so has Evan Turner...to what degree is debatable, to the extent that they can be maintained (Spencer I think no, not at this level, thad and evan yes, maybe even better) also something to look for as the season progresses, but Jrue, so far, hasn't shown progression to me, and if the pipe dream of obtaining Dwight Howard as a free agent is to come true, Jrue's progression is important.
Random positive fact of the night from marc stein
The Sixers racked up five 20-point wins this season within their first nine games. That hasn't happened in the NBA since 1969-70, when New York registered six 20-point wins in its first nine games and went on to take the championship. The 1966-67 Boston Celtics are the only other team in NBA annals to achieve the feat.
From his weekend dime published Friday
Jrue hasn't been "bad" but it's understandable that people who had aspirations of him being an All-Star caliber player would be disappointed.
I like that he's increased his 3pt attempts while maintaining a respectable percentage; not thrilled that his A:TO his decreased; he's a part of what can be a stifling perimeter defense - in total a good young player who's a big part of a team that's playing really good basketball.
To me the problem is he's not showing progession, I don't care about all star nonsense, I care about getting better, and overall, I don't see him getting better, he seems to be more careless with the ball, his 'will' (or whatever) to shoot the ball changes from game to game and he still seems baffled when dribbling into a crowd of people...
Blog: Iguodala expected to be named Monday as finalist for 2012 Olympic team:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/iguodala-to-be-named-finalist-for-olympics/article_8f91010b-3680-57dc-9b35-ec6c2645d5c8.html