Golden State temporarily halted their slide right out of the playoff picture with a recent three-game winning streak at home. They hit another chute immediately upon heading out east or a four-game trip. The Sixers can extend GSW's losing jag to four tonight, or tack another onto heir own, pushing it to eight.
Let's pretend, for a minute, that we want the Sixers to win this game. That's how I'll continue to approach things because I can't stomach going the other way. The Warriors record is dramatically better than it should be. They sport the 11th-best offense in the league, and the number 19 defense. That defensive number has been dropping like a rock, and they're far from a solid team on that end of the floor. To beat them tonight, three things need to happen. Jrue needs to win his matchup with Steph Curry. Curry scored 54 on the Knicks the other night (which probably says just as much about the Knicks perimeter defense as it does about Curry). He had a harder time last night against the Celts, needing 22 shots and 10 free throws to tally 25. The last time these teams met, Jrue had 21 (inefficient) points, 10 dimes and only 2 turnovers. Curry was held to 11 on 11 shots, and 6 assists to go along with 4 turnovers. Winning that matchup again is step one.
Steps two and three are both big men. The Sixers need to find a way to limit both David Lee and Carl Landry. The two PFs combined for 40 points, 23 boards and 18 free throw attempts. Limiting the easy opportunities and especially the offensive rebounds for those two will be crucial if the Sixers want to win.
The Warriors like to go small in the back court with Curry playing alongside Jarret Jack. Collins will probably counter this move with Jeremy Pargo and Jrue. I wouldn't. Go big. Put Dorell in at the three and move Turner to the two. If you insist on trotting Evan Turner out there to embarrass himself and sink his trade value, at least see if you can get him in a rare matchup where he can do something. Make GSW put either Curry or Jack on him, and get him the ball on the blocks no further than eight feet from the rim so all he has to do is go up and shoot over the smaller defender.
Thad should be able to operate tonight. Lee is as bad a defender as he is a good rebounder. I don't want to see Thad settling for those 17-foot jumpers, he can blow right by Lee. Lavoy and Spence should use their fouls freely whenever Biedrins gets his hands on the ball anywhere near the hoop.
GSW is on the second night of a back-to-back, the fourth game of a tough road trip. If the Sixers weren't playing some of the worst basketball I've ever seen, I'd say the schedule favors them, but ultimately, they aren't playing good enough basketball to beat anyone, under any circumstances. They're only going to start winning when they break out of this funk, and even when they get back to playing to their level, they won't win many.
The tip is at 7pm on NBATV (national game!). This is your game thread. I'll be here throughout, with a pillow over my head whenever Turner gets a defensive rebound and dribbles for 20 seconds before putting up a bad shot. Join me if you're rooting for a win, or a loss...or a tie. Just join me. 56 down, 26 to go.
I'm kind of rooting for Steph Curry to get up near 50 again...so Mark/Malik can talk about how that Wilt fellow did that 45 TIMES IN ONE SEASON
when they go jack, curry, Thompson
turner should guard jack, right? he cant chase thompson around and jrue should guard curry
I'm not rooting for them to lose individual games- but it would not be surprising at all to see them win just enough games to keep them out of a top 7 pick. I'm still scarred from the year they traded AI for Miller and Josh Smith and made a late push to drop from a top pick to 12.
Given they have a bottom 5 record (12-28) after their hot start it seems fair that their low talent level (and tough closing schedule) should at least give team a shot in the lottery. This year has been too painful to result in a later lottery pick.
Looking at the schedule for the remainder of the season (26 games left), I counted 17 games against teams with better records than them, and two more games against teams with worse records but on the second night of a back to back (at home against Charlotte and away against Detroit).
If they lose all of these games and win the rest, they will go 7-19 the rest of the way.
Does that place them in the top 7 of the lottery?
tk...not Josh but Joe.
Boy, that is a pretty shot, textbook form. Daddy Dell taught him well.
ivey starting for nick, towards the bottom
http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-sixers/doug-collins-sixers-need-positive-energy
...when did he sprain this ankle??
in practice the other day i guess
Collins sounds like he has given up on the season and is ready to tank. Ivey starting surely has to be a sign for that too even though he has actually produced well of late.
Eh, not sure how you come to that conclusion. Starting Ivey is really the only option left. Now, if Pargo were starting I'd tend to agree with you.
Ugh. Ivey in the starting lineup, huh? That probably means Ivey on Curry, which probably means a quick start for Curry.
Anyone just watch that Isiah nonsense on the pregame?
What'd he say? missed it
Pure nonsense. Like they drew a box around him and he spent five minutes talking about how a point guard has to dribble in the box and pass out of the box. Apparently basic physics mystify him.
Is this an nbatv thing, or is he part of someone's local broadcast?
It was on NBATV.
Yup, Ivey on Curry to start. That's a mistake.
Thought might be that Ivey is too small to guard Klay Thompson
Thompson isn't a guy who's going to use his size like that. It's just chasing him around.
Yep, really easy to see why Isiah was a failure as a coach and GM.
Jrue sure looks laid back and relaxed already.
Festivus is starting at the five, huh?
Ugh, looking at those starters it appears we're playing 2 on 5 when on O.
Aaaaand we're off....Hawes wins the tip.
Thad on the blocks on the first play.
Two o-boards for GSW on their first possession. Awesome.
Damn, Barnes left Evan standing in cement on that fake.
Tech on Hawes? Yep. Good start.
Hahahawes getting booed 55 seconds into this game
Sit Hawes ass down NOW. A tech only 55 secs in. Wuss.
Another O-board over Hawes.
t hawes up again please, maybe we will see moultre
Ivey stuck on the screen, Curry hits the three. Jrue long two answer.
I think this is the second time I've gotten zum and rose this season.
The Lavoy/Thad Young frontcourt has to be less painful to watch than this
Get the eff back!@!!!
Jrue to Ivey for three.
Foul him hard Spencer!!!!! Geez man, you're so soft.
ivey 3
Jrue to Ivey for 3 x2.
Jrue to Ivey again for three
Nice, Jrue.
Good attack, Jrue.
Heh, hasn't Ivey already duplicated NYoung's production from the last several games in only 5 mins tonight?
Yep. 2/16 for 8 points over 3 games for Nick.
hawes to jrue
Jrue backdoor, Spence finds him.
FOUL HIM HARD SPENCER!!!!
ah fuck it, just go sit the hell down
Sissy foul for the and one
Man, Spence is getting manhandled down low by Lee and Festus.
jrue to thad
Hey, a Sixers big actually rolled! Jrue finds him w/ the oop.
Man's board for Thad.
Loose with it Jrue, come on. Two the other way.
Come on, Jrue. That's terrible.
Hey Doug - Get SPENCER OUT OF THE FUCKING GAME
Don't cheat off him, Jrue.
Come on Jrue, you've got to catch that pass man. Two the other way again. Timeout, think someone's coming in for Wonderboy.
Lavoy for Spence. Lavoy scores inside.
4/4 for Curry for 11 pts. Stupid putting Ivey on him.
Wipe the butter off your fingers, Jrue. Fucking pitiful.
Jrue, careless with the rock man. Clean that mess up dude!
All 3,000 fans in attendance scored WIlt bobbleheads tonight.
Why aren't there any Jrue defenders to run to the rescue when he gets ripped in the game thread?
ugh jrue but GS gives it back
Should've shot it, Jrue. Another fucking turn.
Dammit Jrue Holiday!!!! Bad, bad pass. Come on, he may need to sit for a few.
Man, Jrue is being careless with the rock.
They put Turner in the post w/ Curry on him that time.
How does Curry just waltz through the defense like that? How?
Pargo-Jrue-Pargo give and go.
jrue to pargo
Damn Pargo, WTF was that mess?
PHI 20, GSW 31 after one.
Pretty.
Did that pass that Jrue missed from Hawes get credited to Hawes for the turnover?
Yeah.
Jrue + Ivey = 6/7, 14 points.
The other 3 starters = 1/10, 2 points.
Nice tip by Moultrie to Lavoy there, but he fumbled it out of bounds. Oh yeah, Moultrie's in.
wright jumper
Jrue to Wright. Jrue should've pulled the trigger on the three, though.
Wright corner three. Nice pass from Lavoy.
Good D. 24-second violation.
Jesus, Jrue. Turnover, then steals it back. Pargo gets planted, to the line.
Jrue, you're gonna drive me crazy tonight. Got it back. Pargo fouled. He's just not valuing the ball tonight.
That wasn't flagrant.
This 2nd unit plus Jrue has much more energy than the starters did. Save for Jrue's sloppyness.
Jrue going out. 5-point game.
Somebody messed up rotating down there on that dunk.
Think it was Moultrie. Allen went to stop the drive, Moultrie was supposed to squeeze down to cut off Landry.
Yep that's the way I thought I saw it with Moultrie being the culprit.
evan jumper
20 on 8 shots for Curry. I think maybe Doug should stop fucking around and put Jrue on him.
It was 5 when Jrue went out. 14 when he comes back in. 2:06 later.
Jrue didn't sit very long. heh
Wright for three, from Turner.
Jrue finally on Turner. O-board turns into a three for Thompson.
Who turned it over that time for the Sixers?
Shitty pass, Dorell. They just are throwing really bad passes often.
and another.
and another.
Annnnndddd Turner throws a pass to no one but the guy in the front row. Damn
Jrue with the good D on Curry. He ended up taking a contested long two
Spencer walked, didn't get called then blew the hook.
Nice shot, Hawes.
Thad w/ the steal/dunk. Good work.
evan hit a 3!
Turner three. First one since Jan.
Evan for 333333333333333333333333 Stud
jrue 3
JRUE43!
Jrue 4 3!
wright 3 from evan!
Wright transition three. Nice.
Wright 3! Why couldn't the refs have called that foul on Hawes, darn.
They're free, Steph.
nice job thad
Thad 3rd chance putback.
Nice, Thad. 2-point game.
Didn't particularly like that Dorell shot. SHit they get a 3 after it.
Fuck. Jrue w/ the pretty move, no finish, then he coughs it up. Come on, Jrue.
F me, Jrue Holiday!!!! Another careless dribble. Caused a turn to get it back. Geez
another turner 3! hawes rolled!
Turner 3 from Jrue.
ET 3!
OK, final shot here. Get something good.
PHI 51, GSW 54 at the half.
Really good run there once Jrue came back in. They're winning handily right now if they could take care of the ball.
Heck of a comeback to end that quarter. Active. Helps to make shots too.
We are going to see some sort of gunfight between curry and ET in this second half...
got back in the game by getting good 3 pointers and shots at the rim, dont come out and start shooting long 2's
1/2 from the line in the first half...as a team.
Was just thinking that half may have been a mirage being we usually don't get contributions from Ivey and Dorell.
Ivey hurt more than he helped w/ his "d" on Curry.
When Dorell comes in and is active like that and spreading the floor in transition and halfcourt I can't see why he keeps Turner out there so much all the time. Give Dorell some of his burn.
Doug doesn't make any sense with his rotations, that's why. Damien Wilkins shouldn't be on an NBA team and he plays almost as much as Wright does.
that's an exaggeration but still
Jrue played 22 minutes. They were +6 in those 22. -9 in the 2 minutes he was on the bench.
he did also have 5 turnovers right? I like Jrue as much as anyone but that needs to be stated right?
I've stated it about 10 times tonight. Doesn't change the fact they're helpless w/ him on the bench.
Just please keep Jrue on Curry here to start the third quarter. You saw what happens when you put Ivey or Pargo on him. Don't play w/ fire.
Hahaha some sort of professional drummer was the halftime show and all of the little kids w.thunderstix are trying to keep up
Isiah just said the Sixers have to get to the line 20-23 times to have a chance to win the game. That's 2 games' worth for the Sixers. They have 2 so far.
So how about more dorell and no ivey this half maybe?
Let's run plays for Hawes.
jrue stands in corner open, hawes misses a jumper
2 long twos to start the half. And Ivey still on Curry.
lol hawes
Boos for Hawes. Overdue.
Smoke with another three
ivey 3
Ivey for 3!
Ivey43!
stop shooting jumpers thad
Stop w/ the jumpers, Thad.
Jrue reverse spin for the 14-footer.
Fuck you, Hawes. Sit his ass man!!!
Stop shooting jumpers, Hawes. Fuck, Thompson three on the other end. That guy has a quick, high release.
Another Jrue turn leads to Thompson three in transition. Had to to 2, back to 8.
I was wondering when you were gonna state anything about Jrue's turnovers.
aww you guys are so cute together
Keep shooting, Hawes.
Get Hawes non-shooting tail out of there dammit!!!!!!!!!
Damn Evan, what a brick. heh
another three for Thompson. Or was it a 2? Doesn't matter. Yeah, it was a three.
Lavoy follows a Jrue missed three.
lavoy tip in
Ivey 3!
Ivey three off a Thad o-board. Nice.
Thad hit a jumper!
thad jumper, but stop shooting them please
Jrue to the line!
Uhoh Thad something wrong with his left shoulder
Moultrie in.
Good find in transition Jrue.
Nice. Moultrie runs the floor, Jrue finds him for the dunk.
Jrue to the bench. Down 4 or 5 when he sits. Keep an eye on it.
Down 5.
Just get Turner's weak ass out of there now for Dorell, since Hawes finally sat.
Well, he pulled Jrue for Dorell instead of ET
Dorell runner.
Wright to the hoop, good.
Turner to the hole. Good. 1-point game.
They. got. a. lead.
wow
evan chased someone through a screen the right way!
Turner steal, hoop. Sixers lead!
Hahahahaha Freddie Mitchell of all ppl just walked past into the Lexus club...just in time to miss the ET show
hawes leaves the game, they take the lead
No lead, they corrected that Klay 3.
No idea how this is going to end, and there have been some just plain awful turnovers, but the Sixers have been more aggressive and played a riskier offensive style tonight. more turns, but more efficient.
No Sixers lead, though. And now GSW breaking the tie at the line.
Turner jumper. Tied again.
Turner looks motivated, hits a J. Must be Doug's fault.
see what happens when the big rolls!
ET lob to Arnett!!! Must be Jrue's fault.
that doesn't even make sense
You having 7 handles to ride Turner's jock doesn't either but oh well.
ahem?you're nuts. this is the only handle i post under
Eddie's is beyond paranoid, he thinks there is one person who disagrees with him, and that person uses multiple names
turner's best quarter in more than a month. dorell wright has been big too. and ivey from three, ridic
Moultrie rolls, Turner finds him for the oop!
Curry and-one on the other end to erase their first lead.
Ivey long two. Good. Back in the lead.
Ivey fouled shooting a three.
Damn when was the last time this team won a quarter??
last game i think
Ugh, they're free, Royal. 1/3 from the line.
Are they still undefeated when leading after three?
Turner, good.
no they blew the last game that this happened, I forget against who though...so they have one loss when leading after three
No they lost that one a week or so ago.
Was it the Milwaukee game? Minny?
I forget but I remember you responding back to me telling me that it was the first one they'd coughed up.
Milwaukee I think
Argh. Landry +1.
PHI 82, GSW 81 after 3.
Strong +6 run after Jrue went to the bench for the final 3 minutes and change. Bring it home.
Does he push his luck and keep Jrue on the bench? Nope.
thankfully no, Jrue back in as he should be
GSW's are getting tired.
Jrue to the hole, good.
Nice board, Thad.
Two possessions, two layups. Don't fucking settle.
turner's best quarter in more than a month. dorell wright has been big too. and ivey from three, ridic
Oh, Thad :(
7th turn on Jrue. Come the fuck on.
turnovers have been ugly. at least his shot is hot, nice scoring night
oops seems i missed a couple misses just now
Settle down and get a fucking hoop here. Don't let them take the lead back.
Ivey back in. Jrue blocked, then Dorell blocks Curry in transition. Wow. OK, get the hoop now.
Dorell with the rejection!!
Ugh, and they turn it over on the inbounds play.
Lead gone.
Just let him go right to the cup will ya?
Jrue 4 3!
ugh jrue, another turnover
JRUE43! Lead back.
Jrue turn #8. Jesus.
Jrue fucking Holiday!!!! Palming? come the eff on man
fighting for the uncontested rebound, fucking bullshit guys
Has to be help baseline if you're sending him that way.
turner to the line
free
Turner blows both.
They're free.
come on dude, christ
Is that their 30th turn?
He never even had possession of that ball. How could they give GSW the timeout?
So how about MORE DORELL AND MOULTRIE to close it out here??
amen
I'd bet money Hawes gets back in this game. Any takers?
Why are the Warriors the only guys getting on the floor after loose balls?
GSW +1.
thad has been a beast on the glass
ET!
turner jumper
Turner gets the lead back w/ a turnaround J. And they turn it over in transition. Come on.
JRUE43!!!!!!
Jrue 4 3!
JRUE!
Jrue for three!!!!
evan to thad
Huge o-board by Turner, to Thad for the layup. Come on, get some stops.
This game is chaotic on nearly every possession!
huge board by turner!turner one assist away from trip dub!
2 assists from a pathetic triple double
isn't a "pathetic triple double" when you just have 10 of each?
et!
Big shot by Turner over Thompson, again. Up 4, under 3 left.
Turner is a man unleashed! Don't know whose fault this is, must be the refs.
Where the hell has this Turner been all year????
DO IT AGAIN EVAN
Turner hits another jumper! Up 6.
Then loses Thompson for three. Then turns it over. Fuck me.
Evan Turner's trade value is skyrocketing. Keep it up young fellah.
Thad walked, ugh rimmed out.
Traveling on Curry. Got it back.
DAMN, that woulda been the triple double is thad makes that
Come on. Free possession, get a hoop.
jrue!
Jrue dagger!!!?????
Green on Turner now. Bazemore on Jrue.
Jrue, money. +5 w/ 41.9 to go.
Jrue!!!!!!!!!!! 1 win down for the month, 2 more to go.
Adios, motherfucker. Jrue to the left for the layup and the win!
PHI 104, GSW 97 Final.
Pandemonium at the WFC!
Turner POTG.
a win!
notice hawes didnt play for a while
Hopefully it's the first of many games like this
jrue huge in the last minute
So that's what happens when the head coach pleads for you to take ownership to the press/public?
Amazing what an inspired, caring, yes-I-give-a-fuck-effort can do.
They grew one testicle tonight, now work on the second one tomorrow night.
don't give Doug Collins credit for this, his speech did jack shit...they play well and hustle every now and then
".....you've got all the answers...."
what does that even mean
You and I know darn well what it is referring to. Act oblivious if you want to but you know.
I really don't, is it a new "hip hopper" you are referring to douche bag?
You're like the little cheerleader back in high school - never could get enough of riding this dick. And didn't listen when I said to hop off.
Next time warn me so I can stop off at the local 7-eleven and pick up some condoms.
That's a rich observation you made there though.
holy shit, the LITTLE cheerleader? not surprised to hear that you're a pervert
What did I do? Disagree with you? I still do, but whatever
If you disagree with him you're obviously not in your right mind so he has to point out every time he's ever been right, even when he isn't - it's laughable - he's desperate need to be right and point out to everyone when he is - I find it funny.
He calls out Jrue for the turnovers but ignores the good game Turner had because it doesn't fit his narrative
is that your new catch phrase that won't catch on at all because it's not the least bit funny or original?
My pubic area is ..... sore.
Hop off.
ugh. I knew after their first win from that press conference, someone would say something like this.
That was actually said tongue in cheek. Focus on the second line.
Thad shot for shit, but he was a man on the glass. They really needed that. Solid team win.
I'd give Ivey the POTG. If the argument's going to be Curry ate him up, Klay did the same to ET.
They don't even come close to winning that game without Ivey's unusual contributions on the offensive end.
Eh. Turner did a good job taking care of the ball, scored efficiently and was all over the glass. He gets it in my book.
Tough to argue. Just saying they don't win without some odd body stepping up.
Yeah, team win. They don't win w/out Thad's rebounding. They don't win w/out Wright's play off the bench. They don't win w/out Jrue's scoring. Turner was POTG, though.
yeah ivey was great but wasn't even on the floor down the stretch was he?plus, all he did was score...scored very efficiently, but no boards and just one assist...
Ivey: 17 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TO's
Turner: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 TO's
Yeah sure thing dude
23 turns and they win the game. Unreal. Washington tomorrow night, and they've been unreal on the defensive end. Can't be quite as loose with the ball, but I like the pace and the attacking better than being extra safe with the ball and taking nothing but 20 footers.
couldn't agree more
23 turns and 4/9 from the line, and they win. Definitely repeatable :)
Moultre is our only big who can finish a dunk
He needs more minutes.
i know, you know it...
So one of the rare cases where tanking advocates and hopeless playoff dreamers can both root for the same team. Let's go Raptors!
moultrie was a plus ten in eight minutes. dorell was plus nineteen in twenty seven
"We're caught in a trap. I can't walk out because I love too much, baby."
Dorell! Royal!! Evan!!! Elvis!!!! Playoffs!!!!!
76ers, "that's the wonder, the wonder of you."
has it ever been definitely established here whether you are bill campbell or bill conlin?
Pardon me, madam, but I can't recall.
Jrue outplayed Curry on the Dollar Bill scale. 5/8 in the fourth for 12 points.
8 dirty dishes when you wake up. May have been the worst 27 pt gm since Freddie Carter.
Yeah, see none of that matters according to you. Only what you do "when it matters"
Or at least that's always been your argument in the past when you were putting down Iguodala or Jrue. See the game vs Broiklyn earlier this year, Kbicks game last year for a couple examples.
Holiday's mates did the heavy lifting tonight. AA(Jr)U(e)!
Not really. Final 4 points. 12 of the team's 22 in the fourth. Melo and Deron didn't do anything close to that when you were praising them and saying Jrue and Iguodala sucked. At least be balanced in your ignorance.
Jrue Holiday, windsurfer.
Warriors defended like Union soldiers in Spotsylvania County. 5th gm in 7 days, 4th in 5 days, last one of East Coast trip; have now dropped 10 of last 13. Lunchmeat platter.
Last night belonged to energetic host Evan Almighty. Can't forget Royal "Cazzie" Ivey's hot hand.
If you keep punching a brick wall all you accomplish is a broken hand
Nick Young in street clothes + Spencer Hawes on the bench in the fourth = WIN
Winning is not as hard as it seems.
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-130302/daily-dime
Asked why the Sixers shoot so many mid range jumpers, Aaron Barzilai says the No.1 reason is Andrew Bynum...