Three obvious reasons the Sixers lost this game,
105-101 to the Nuggets. Which one do you like best?
1. Outscored by 30 points from three. (5 threes to 15)
2. Outworked on the boards (41 to 34 overall, 12 to 8 on the offensive glass)
3. Can't hit a free throw (18/30, 60%)
Turn any one of those numbers around, and this is a win.
I'm not even sure you can blame the 15 threes on poor defense. I didn't see a whole lot of doubling and/or slow rotations. The Nuggets just kept jacking up threes in any situation. I don't care if you give a team 31 wide-open looks, they shouldn't knock down 15 of them. The Nuggets caught a break. Of course, all those threes wouldn't have meant a thing if they weren't deadly from the line (24/25). Billups really does have ice in his veins.
The Sixers woes from the line are troubling to me. It's a concentration thing. I'm really sick of Lou's nonchalant approach to free throws too. That one dribble and heave it routine pisses me off every time he misses. Take your time, what's the rush?
The most troubling thing, and something I think the coaches really need to address, is the play of Thad and Speights. Both guys shot an excellent percentage, but they just aren't making the hustle plays. Those guys spent a total of 49 minutes on the floor tonight and they wound up with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, zero blocks and 1 personal foul between them. I don't know if the hunger isn't there. Maybe they aren't being properly motivated, but whatever it takes, someone needs to light a fire under them. If this team is going to take the next step.
Actually, forget that. If this team is going to at least get back to where they were last year, they need those guys to play like their minutes depend on their hustle when they're on the floor. It's great that Speights can dunk and hit mid-range jumpers, but doing that without dominating the glass and blocking shots just isn't going to cut it. Thad seems to get lost in the flow of the game to me, and gives up on rebounds too quickly. Make both of those guys do rebounding drills with Evans until they bleed the next time you get on the practice court.
One more thing. I'm calling a moratorium on the "Start Speights over Sammy" movement until someone can tell me who the hell is going to grab a rebound if Sammy isn't in the lineup. Dalembert is the only big on this team who seems even mildly interested in crashing the boards.
Tonight's game was a golden opportunity to steal a win on this trip. They pissed it away, simple as that.
Player of The Game: Iguodala, even though he blew it. 24 points on 9/15 shooting, 2 threes, 4 boards, 4 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks.
Team Record: 12-17
Up Next: @ Utah on Monday, possibly without Boozer and Milsap.
I'd kinda subsume the foul shots and three-point woes into bad shooting. A team that can shoot is almost always a good free-throw-shooting team. A team composed of guards with the range of power forwards usually isn't.
Ironic that they shot the three extremely well tonight, and couldn't buy a foul shot.
Yeah, I have no idea why neither Thad nor Speights seems to be making hustle plays, they need intense, dedicated practice with Reggie Evans.
I guess that's why Reggie's playing quite a lot recently, cuz he can grab boards. If it calls for it, we should give Ratliff some minutes, because Young and Speights may be talented but they need to learn to play as hard as possible for them to get better and help the team win ball games.
The free throws I can't stand. Whenever you lose a close game you regret the missed free throw here and there. You can't shoot 60% from the line as a team if you want to win a ball game.
I want the ball in Lou Williams' hands whenever we're in the same situation as we were with 9 seconds left in this game. No more Iggy please, with one exception (last year against Memphis, I think) he has been very poor when we've gone with him on the last play.
This is a nighlty occurrence...with Iggy as your closer your NEVER going to win any games...hasnt he turned the ball over enough in crunch time for the coaching staff to see ?!? Andre Miller and Lou Williams are the closers here..pure and simple. They may not be great but they are better than Iggy. I dont know what happened to Thad...I know hes a second year player but he has regressed. This is a bad, bad team....one of the 10 worst in the league. I dont believe they will turn it around even with Brand. Maybe we can get an article on who may be available in next years draft ?
So is it iguodalas fault he isn't the closer or the coaching staffs fault they don't go to the obviously better options?
Again, asking Iguodala to be what he isn't isn't on Iguodala - it's bad coaching.
100% agree. On the previous possession they gave the ball to Lou and actually ran a play! He got Sp8s on the alley-oop. Why they then decided to go to Iggy on the iso for the final play is beyond me.
kudos for keeping this composure after such a loss, Brian, I was so pissed off that I can't remember the last time it happened.
This loss is 50% on Dalembert: he totally killed our momentum in the fourth with those two IDIOTIC fouls - one on the jump ball before JR Smith made a three, I was about to throw up - and the 0/2 from the line, at the end of that sequence Denver came down two, 90-92.
40& on Iguodala for being such a choker in crunch time, and I totally agree with gdog, he's proven it so many times that one would wonder how long will it take (him and the coaching staff) to put the ball in someone else's hands.
10% on coaches for not taking better decisions in crunch time. Di Leo gets less blame than he would deserve just because he's "new" there and he took a team that is already broken
As for free throws and three pointers allowed, same old story, when you miss TWELVE foul shots and seven of those misses come from your perimeter guys, you deserve to lose.
I'm afraid the worst is yet to come unfortunately, it's gonna be a long, sucking season, despite everyone's expectations.
What a disappointment