A quiet day in Sixerland, so I took the opportunity to update the advanced stats and follow through with the rotation chart from last night's loss. Check them out after the jump, plus a few overall thoughts as the team prepares for the Ice Capades road trip.
So three of the Sixers past five games have been merely below-average defensive performances. That's quite a streak. Only one of the games was a win, though. The other two games, including last night's game vs. the Clippers, were defensive disasters. Overall, the team's defensive efficiency rating continues to plummet. Thank God for the Raptors, huh?
A couple notable things about the rotations Jordan used against a big Clippers lineup.
- Jordan used big lineups more than small (28:14 big, 24:46 small)
- He used five variations of the big lineup
- EB, MS, TY, AI, LW
- EB, MS, TY, AI, WG
- EB, MS, AI, WG, LW
- EM, MS, TY, WG, LW
- EB, MS, JK, AI, JH
- Just to humor me, I'd love to see Jordan use this lineup, just once. He hasn't used it for a single second yet this season:
- Jrue Holiday
- Andre Iguodala
- Thad Young
- Elton Brand
- Sam Dalembert
- It might even be fun to see this lineup, which we haven't seen:
- Jrue Holiday
- Andre Iguodala
- Thad Young
- Marreese Speights
- Elton Brand
- You'd think a coach who can't seem to buy a win would be trying every combination of players to see what worked best, no? So why haven't we seen either of these lineups yet? I can't come up with a logical reason.
Two more very important notes. I gave the player of the game to Andre Iguodala last night, but the trooper of the game was clearly my wife. This was the first time she's spent the night away from our two kids since our daughter was born 27 months ago. Her first real break and she spent the day traveling to Philly and the night trekking through two feet of snow all to indulge my pathological devotion to this team. She's far too good for me.
Finally, the Sixers completely hooked me up with the best Christmas present ever for my son, a miniature Sixers basketball, autographed by Jrue Holiday. Check it out:
The "logical reason" is as follows -
-He doesn't like to change the line-up that much.
-It's a sensitive subject amongst the players.
-He likes to stick with what works.
...?
This guy is just full of shit it's unbelievable.
Wow, easy questions. The first lineup is out because everyone is at their natural position. The second lineup is no good because it could jeopardize our record-breaking rate of 3PFGs allowed.
Hey Brian, I'm sitting here thinking about the conundrum that is Thad Young, and one thing I keep coming back to is how often he has a monster first half and then completely disappears. Is there statistical evidence to back this up/Do you know where I could find such a split? It doesn't seem that he plays less effectively in 2nd halves, just much less aggressively. I would bet his usage drops by 50%.
Also, I've observed this phenomenon through several different coaches now. If it does exist, what do you think the issue is? Play-calling? Conditioning? Focus?
Hmmn. Let me see what I can pull together from the game logs I've compiled. It should be fairly easy to get his pure shooting numbers broken down by quarter, so we can get percentages and actually shots/minute played.
Yeah, I'll try to do it tonight if I don't pass out first. Great idea for a post.
The only troubling thing is that I believe the numbers will show that he's been less involved after the half, but I don't think we'll be able to detrmine why.
I am jealous, Brian. That ball is sweet!
I stated to the booth that has the gift wrapped balls for sale that I would buy one but with my luck I would get one signed by Willie or Sammy. He laughed and agreed!
Another tibet. One of the ushers got a complaint for booing Willie Green and Sammy when they come in! He still does it, however!
I may be alone here, but I actually prefer seeing Jrue Holiday at the point rather than Lou, AI,or whoever else EJ decides to use there(damn willie). I am a big fan of defense and throughout my basketball playing days it all starts with the D. Holiday is definetly one of the top 5 defensive point guards in the NBA right along with Hinrich, and Rondo IMO. He is lightning quick and his offense has so much room to grow.
I love him and hope he keeps getting his minutes. I also liked that the team went to Speights for their go to guy at the end again like they did in the Boston game. He was doing a great job as the offensive force, but the D leaving guys like Sual Butler open from three. ughhhhh
You're not alone. Jrue really only needs to contribute a little bit as far as scoring the ball, to keep defenses honest, to be a huge positive on the floor.
Quick Correction to one part of the post above.
Holiday, Iguodala, Thad, Brand and Dalembert have played together. They were on the floor together for a 2:16 stretch against the Rockets.