The Sixers will try to climb above .500 for the second time this week tonight. Standing in their way, the Boston Celtics and the guy pictured above. Can they do it? Can they go into Beantown and take down the mighty Celtics in front of their own crowd? All signs point to no, but there are a couple of things the Sixers can do to make the odds a little more favorable, so let's take a look.
First of all, Willie Green's minutes need to be kept to a minimum tonight. The Sixers either need to go with their big lineup, Dalembert, Evans, Thad, Iguodala and Miller, or they need to go with their super-athletic lineup, Dalembert, Thad, Iguodala, Carney, Miller. Both lineups will provide a wrinkle which Boston will have to deal with. If you trot Dalembert, Evans, Iguodala, Green and Miller out there, Boston will settle down and play their game. We can't have that. We can't have a huge deficit in the first quarter. Beating Boston is going to be tough, coming back to beat them, nearly impossible.
When the big lineup is on the floor, Dalembert needs to guard Garnett one on one. This will probably give Garnett free reign on the perimeter, which is fine by me. Let him drop 30, just don't double him. Let him have his points but don't leave the shooters open on the perimeter. Reggie Evans slides over to Kendrick Perkins and should be able to keep him off the offensive glass. Thad takes on Pierce, Iguodala on Allen and Miller on Rondo. I like those match-ups. Thad and Iguodala should be able to keep Pierce and Allen out of the lane, Rondo is quicker than Miller, but he isn't going to kill you.
An added bonus is this, having Thad out there at there is a death sentence for Pierce's minutes. On every possession, make, miss or turnover, Thad sprints down the floor on offense. No hesitation, the ball is secured and he's a blur. Pierce can't do that for 30+ minutes. It's going to translate into either easy hoops for Thad, or a very tired Pierce. Ray Allen is little more than a gunner at this point of his career. He sits on the perimeter and takes long jump shots. When Iguodala challenges a deep shot, he leaks out. Long misses turn into easy hoops on the other end. Another offensive advantage gained on the defensive end.
When we get to offense, you've got the inherent mismatch of Iguodala on Ray Allen. Allen can't hang with him off the dribble or in the post. He should be able to break the D down regularly, draw extra defenders and dish for dunks and easy hoops.
The other option, the super-athletic lineup, would basically be used to run the Celts ragged. Trap everything out on the perimeter, press on makes, make the Celts burn 10-12 seconds before they even get into their half-court offense. This lineup would put Thad on Garnett, which would mean abuse in the post, most-likely, but they'd be much better equipped to double and rotate with Iguodala and Carney on the floor. They should also be able to create turnovers and easy offense.
I hold no illusions about this game. It would be a tremendous upset if the Sixers could pull this one off. I would, however, like to see Mo Cheeks change things up a little bit. Playing the same rotation and using the same general game plan hasn't worked against the Celts this season, and it probably won't tonight. Try something different. Make Boston adjust to you. That's the best shot the Sixers have. Take a page out of the Warriors' playbook from last year's playoffs.
The tip is at 7:30, let's get over the .500 hump, huh?
I think its time to bring back the Willie Green hatred in this city. I have given him the benefit of the doubt since his play has improved this year, but has it improved THAT much? His defense has, but has his shot selection improved a large amount?
Willie is undersized. He can't shoot, pass, or rebound well at all. He also turns the ball over too much for the amount of time he actually has the rock in his hands. He kills any real chance the Sixers have to create mismatches on top of everything else as you pointed out.
If this team wants to make a run, Carney is going to need to consistently bring what he has for the last month, which is a decent 3 point shooter that can play the 2, 3 and even 4 in spot situations. Carney is quite an athlete too. That baseline dunk a month ago or whatever was absolutely out of this world. Can't find it on youtube though sadly.
No no, Willie Green is just a slightly less talented version of Ben Gordon who plays better defense. Kudos to Billy "Isaiah Thomas With Glasses" King for having the vision to draft this fine player.*
* See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWxgbyYrT5A at 0:25.
I didn't say Gordon wasn't better than Green. I said it didn't make sense to spend that much money for a guy who is a slightly better version of the same player, which he is. He's a volume shooter who plays no defense. If they signed Gordon they'd run into the exact same problem against good teams that they ran into against Boston with Green in there tonight.
I didn't say you said he was better! I said you said he was slightly worse... just like you just said. I think Gordon's an elite shooter and scorer and that Green barely belongs in the league, although he's certainly having a strong season by his standards.
OK, clear this up for me. Ben Gordon scores 19.5 points per game on 15.8 field goal attempts per game. He shoots 43.3% from the floor and you consider him an elite shooter and an elite scorer.
Andre Iguodala scores 19.8 points on 15.7 field goal attempts per game. He shoots 45% from the floor and you don't consider him an elite scorer, correct?
Gordon is a much better 3-point shooter and an excellent shooter from the line (90%), but Iguodala actually scores more with less attempts. I don't get it.
Wow, that's all I've got to say now. Be back when I watch the recaps.
Watch that fourth quarter over and over again.
the sixers never cease to amaze me. it's pretty hard to doubt this team now a days. what a great game!!!
Well said.