Houston, We Have a Problem; Sixers are the Hottest Team
Somebody break up the Sixers! In a packed house, the defending champs fell to the hottest team in the east, 103-96. Andre Miller played the game of his life, despite nursing a sore back. His 32 points (season-high) on an unfathomable 11/14 shooting. He literally abused every San Antonio guard (except Bruce Bowen) that was thrown at him using his jumpshot, post-up and getting to the line where he made 10/11. His 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 0 turnovers rounded out an unbelievable performance for the MVP of the Sixers this year.
Despite being hassled by Bruce Bowen all night, Andre Iguodala also played well scoring 25 points while shooting 50%. He started the Sixers scoring attack early with a couple threes and an alley-oop courtesy of Miller. Samuel Dalembert continues to play well since he’s gotten back the fun. In the previous meeting, Mo opted to double-team Tim Duncan leaving an open three for a teammate. Manu Ginobili took advantage netting 3 threes a row late, sealing the Sixers’ fate. A change in strategy by the coach (of the year) forced San Antonio to shoot 6/21 from behind the arc. His ability to guard Tim Duncan one-on-one, without help, allowed other Sixers defenders to stay home on their man. Great win to cap off an remarkable week.
21 (22 pending) straight wins for the Houston Rockets is an amazing accomplishment but if you would’ve told me that midway through March, the Philadelphia 76ers would be 7-1 in the month, with the only loss coming at the hands of the Boston Celtics, I would’ve said, your crazy. I’ve gained new found faith in this team over the past few weeks. They’ve showed they can win any type of game.
In a rare position as the favorite, they dominate the lesser teams like the Clippers and Bucks. They’ve shown they can lock down Tim Duncan one-on-one, force 10 turnovers and only have 4 themselves on the second night of a back-to-back. In a slow-paced, playoff-style game, they beat the Pistons at their own game, winning with a score in the 80’s without their starting point guard. They also beat the Suns at their own style scoring 119 and withstanding a furious comeback. And despite digging a hole against a bad team, they found a way to come back using mainly the bench while their ailing back-court rested. This team has figured out how to win in this league on the road (5 straight) and at home (9 of the last 10).
In the process of this spectacular stretch, they’ve re-discovered a “forgotten” player who was lost on the bench due to the emergence of Thaddeus Young. Rodney Carney has said he has been coming to the gym a couple of hours early with Reggie Evans and it has been paying off. He has become an all-around weapon off the bench. His jumpshot stretches the defense, His athleticism is utilized on the fastbreak and he’s no slouch on defense or in the rebounding department.
Andre Iguodala has also been exceptional during this run. He’s shot well from deep and has gotten to the line a little more. He hasn’t had an off game in awhile and his consistency will be the one thing that determines whether he is a #2 option, “1A option” or a franchise player that we all hope he becomes because of his skill-set.
Probably the main factor into the recent success is the coaching job of Mo Cheeks. Since receiving his contract extension on February 20th, he is 10-3, with the only losses at Golden State, at Orlando and to the Celtics. He knows his players inside and out and those miraculous comebacks are due to his substitution decisions. He knows that he can keep Andre Iguodala in the game with 4 fouls and he knows what situations to play Sam in foul trouble. He has been pretty good at deciding who starts at PF based on the match-ups and his defensive schemes have always been his calling card. Whenever a player (Rodney Carney, Sam Dalembert) had a beef, he made sure it was resolved fast before it became a problem. A casual fan would probably be able to name 2 players on the team and to have this squad 1 game below .500, pushing for the 6th seed is incredible. He has to be in the top 5 or 6 for coach of the year.
This team has finally found its identity after the AI trade and fittingly, the Nuggets come to Philly for the first time to face the new-look Sixers. In the competitive Western conference, the Nuggets are currently 1 spot out of the playoffs and are on pace to win 50 games. 76ers will have to switch gears back to their up-temp style after 3 slow-pace games to face the high-octane Denver offense. For all Allen Iverson has done for this franchise and city a standing ovation is the least this town can do when his name is announced. Just like when Kobe or any other Philly guy comes to town you want them to play decent and we still get a W. It should be exciting to watch.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Thaddeus Young, Andre Miller, Rodney Carney, Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Samuel Dalembert, Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Mo Cheeks, Philly, AI, Maurice Cheeks, Sixers, Willie Green, Reggie Evans, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Eastern Conference, Western Conference, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Playoffs.
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9 Responses to “Houston, We Have a Problem; Sixers are the Hottest Team”
March 16th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Was watching this game with people from NY, Boston and Jersey and they were all saying how bad the Sixers suck. I told them how they’d won 6 of their last 7, and once the fourth quarter rolled around everyone realized how good this team is/can be. Can’t wait for the playoffs and for next year.
March 16th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
HELL YEA WE GOT THIS!!!!!!!!
March 17th, 2008 at 12:50 am
I’ve watched literally every Sixers game since February of 1997, and most beforehand (father used to be Sixers TV producer) and I can honestly say that coming into the Spurs game I really had confidence that it was their game. I felt it would be what I call a “Pistons Game” wherein the Pistons usually lead the Sixers by only 4-5 pts but realistically it’s a 12 point lead because whenever the Sixers get really close the Pistons pull back out. Even when Ginobili hit what I call an “Arroyo 3″ (from a time I saw the Sixers come back to take an 8 pt lead against the Jazz and get hype only to be deflated by two Carlos Arroyo threes leading to a loss) I felt they would push the lead back out. I have never felt confident going into a game against the Spurs, but I did yesterday… and that’s how special this team is.
While I LOVE Allen Iverson and treasure every game I got to watch him play, for this type of team, Andre Miller is much more valuable. Throw in how they have money from Joe Smith leaving, Jason Smith as their draft pick, and Miller, I’d say they got a pretty good deal for AI.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:17 am
First I want to give a shout out to the good writers at Passion and Pride - you guys never lost the faith in this team.
According to espn’s playoff odds calculator, the Sixers now have a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs, 4.9% chance of making the finals and a 1.2% chance of winning it all.
While those numbers might not look impressive, the finals and champs numbers are better than Cleveland, Toronto.
I’m giddy about this team’s future. Still concerned about Cheeks coaching decisions. And even if they collapse and don’t make the playoffs (the remaining schedule is still a killer) - I’d still be very proud of these guys.
Is the Orlando game going to be on ESPN?
March 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
T,
There’s been alot of that going on lately. Casual fans just assume that Iverson is gone and the team is bad without seeing them play. But when they see the fun, entertaining and team basketball that this squad plays, they change their opinions quickly. It will probably take awhile for the national attention to roll around but slowly, people are starting to take notice.
Eric,
It actually turned into a “Pistons Style” game for the Sixers. San Antonio would pull within striking distance but Andre Miller would make a big shot and the Spurs would always stay at arm’s length. That’s the benefit of having Andre Miller. He always has time and situation on his brain.
Nobody really knew the scoring aspect of Andre Miller’s game so they looked at the AI deal and say it was a steal. Joe Smith was great for us last year. Jason Smith will do what Joe did (rebound+ mid-range jumper) and more. Plus this team finally has an identity. A young, athletic, up-tempo, defensive minded team with a great point guard and emerging SG. Now doesn’t that sound like a contender? Kudos to Billy King…
Dervin,
Thanks for the kind words. After the AI trade nobody expected the turnaround to happen this quickly. Billy King’s 3-year plan seemed accurate but now this squad is contending for the 5th seed in the east only 1 year removed from the deal. Amazing.
Sam, Mo, and Andre Iguodala have found themselves. Andre Miller is the one constant and guys like Lou Williams and Willie Green are having career years. I haven’t even talked about the quick rise our rookies! Literally every player has stepped up their game this year (with the exception of Rodney who is turning it around) and the results are starting to show.
I don’t think the Sixers were scheduled for any tv exposure this year. The closest we got to primetime was the Heat game that aired on NBA TV. If we continue to play like this and maybe land a big time free-agent, I would expect a lot more TNT and ESPN coverage in the future…
March 17th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Aarick, that’s what I meant… that it was a Piston’s style game but FOR the Sixers.
March 17th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Oh, and I love Joe Smith… he was tremendous last year in his role. He gets a bad rap because he was the #1 overall pick, but that’s not his fault. He is what he is and he’s very good at it - rebounding and mid-range shooting as well as leadership. He’s not a superstar but he’s great at what he is.
The same thing goes for Willie Green. I get angry when people criticize him because of his contract. It is not HIS fault that he received that contract. Green is a game-changing guy that most people have never even heard of, which is great because they don’t know what hits them, but he gets flack for not being the 18-21 ppg guy he has the potential to be… he’s doing what he can do, it’s not his fault he’s being paid to do more.
March 17th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Sorry about the mix up on the “style of play” comment. I agree 100% with you on the contract theory. Same thing goes for Sam Dalembert. People bust him for being one of the best shot-blockers in the league with no offensive game and being payed all-star money.
If ownership makes a mistake and pays a natural role player money more than deserved, more power to the player and the agent. Same thing for a role player that gets draft higher than should like Joe Smith. Those role players are very important and no matter how much they get payed, they are necessary and an integral part to any team.
Living in N.Y, Channing Frye comes to mind in recent memory. He was drafted 8th pick by the Knicks a few years ago. His midrange jumpshot was automatic and was a decent rebounder as a rookie. Channing went down with an injury and struggled his second year and was shipped to the Blazers. Without an injury, he may have been an all-star, maybe not but he will definitely be a decent pro in this league.
Sorry for rambling on folks.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:20 am
The thing to remember about Dalembert is that there are so few good-great Centers in the NBA right now. It’s not like when I was 8-10 years old in the early-mid nineties when Shaq, Olajuwan, Ewing, Mutombo, etc were all dominant. Now, who do we have? Of pure Centers there are very few. As odd as it sounds, Dalembert really IS a top 5-7 Center in the NBA; because the talent level has dipped it sounds odd to say that but it’s pretty true.
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