Iguodala�s Buzzer-Beater gives Memphis the Blues

Passion and Pride

December 23, 2007

Iguodala�s Buzzer-Beater gives Memphis the Blues

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Well, it is not how you start but how you finish. Andre Iguodala proved that tonight by leading the Sixers over the Grizzlies 99-97 in Memphis. Iguodala had a very rough beginning, scoring just 6 points on 2-11 shooting through the third quarter, but definitely raised his game with 17 points in the 4th quarter alone, including the game-winner, a beautiful step-back fade away jumper over Mike Miller.

Andre Miller did more than his part, scoring 29 to carry the load through most of the game. For most of the game, it seemed like no one could buy a shot except Miller, at least until the fourth when Iguodala took over.

Sam Dalembert contributed 9 points, 14 rebounds with 3 blocks, continuing his solid play of late. He had a tough time with Pau Gasol, who scored 31 points with 13 rebounds, but at least Sam made Gasol work for it. Sometimes, that�s all you can ask for on defense, and Pau had to work for many of his points, including the game-tying bucket with 5 seconds left. Pau actually worked Sam in deep like Charles Barkley used to do, and then put up a twisting half-hook lay-up, shielding Sam from the ball with his body. Then he glared at Sam afterwards and popped the �collar� on his jersey. You had to see it.

Rodney Carney got the start with Willie Green out with an abductor strain, though I would have preferred Mo start Thaddeus Young instead. Carney did not really do much, he was decent defensively, but was a non-factor offensively, scoring two on 1-8, and the 2 points came off a rebound put-back.

Young was again much more impressive and ended up playing more time than Carney. He scored 8 points on 3-5, including a nice jump hook on his one (and only, why Mo?) post-up opportunity over Mike Miller. He played good defense on both Miller and Rudy Gay, and got 2 steals. Overall, a nice homecoming for the rook, who grew up in Memphis and played his HS ball there.

However, the star of this game was Andre Iguodala. This night was just an exercise in frustration for him. He was stuck on the perimeter with his driving lanes closed off, he was missing his jumpers, the refs were bad, and he was not even stuffing the stat sheet like he normally does, with just a rebound and an assist through the 1st 3 quarters. After last night�s frustration, I have to admit to getting worried about him. But he was able to pull himself out of it. Once he hit a turnaround jump shot over Gay in the lane, his game seemed to perk up. Andre also made Gay�s life really miserable during the final stanza. One sequence tells the story: Gay has the ball in the middle of the floor beyond the arc. Iguodala strips his dribble, the ball rolls into the backcourt where Gay recovers it and dribbles over the mid-court stripe. So, Iguodala strips him again and gets possession this time, pushes the ball to the rim with Gay on his hip for a breakaway lay-up that should�ve been an And-1 with Gay seeming to try and foul him to prevent the bucket.

One of the things that frustrated me is that Mo does not really help Andre out much. What I mean is that Korver, Green and Miller seem to get easy shots within the natural flow of the offense, yet Iguodala is forever getting the ball 20+ feet from the basket with 1.5 defenders on him. He has to virtually manufacture his entire offense from a standstill position every single half-court possession. He never gets touches in the post, or even those cuts for lay-ups like Korver or Green seem to get from Miller. I would actually argue that Iguodala has created more shots for Miller than vice versa this season. I would also say that Korver has more post-up touches than Iguodala, Young and Dalembert combined this season. To pull out an �Andy Reid-ism,� Mo needs to do a better job of putting his star in positions to be successful.

This was one of the best performances I can remember seeing from a young star. So many players, after a bad start, would be dead in the water, but to actually come alive and then hit the game-winner, takes more than just resilience, it takes heart and a certain cold-blooded ruthlessness some say he does not possess. Many people have doubted whether Andre has the heart to be a closer, well this game is exhibit A. Since becoming the main man, Iguodala has hit a game-winner, go-ahead shots, he has hit game-tying shots, and he has hit the daggers that seal wins. Moreover, he is only 23. Again, is Andre a guy who will get you 30 a night or win a scoring title? No, but he is a player who will fill the stat sheet, possibly flirting with a triple double while playing lock-down defense, then he will close the game for you in the clutch. And that will be plenty good enough for me.

BONUS: Previously on Passion and Pride, Where two roads meet in Memphis |�Lakers Balance Dooms Sixers in Philly |�GAME TIME: History in the making |�Pacers Race By Sixers in Indiana |�GameThink: �Dear Mr. Answer�� |�Why Jim O�Brien is no longer in Philly in just 75 seconds |�Memo to Management: Consulting with Larry Brown

**Like what you read?��Please head over to BallHype by clicking here�(free registration required) and�selecting the upward arrow next to this story.� Leave your comments below as well.� E-mail may be sent to sixers@mvn.com.� Thank you!**

Tags: 76ers, NBA, Philadelphia 76ers

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7 Comments on "Iguodala�s Buzzer-Beater gives Memphis the Blues"

Posted by Jon, December 23, 2007 1:51 PM

Didn't he look Jordanesque with that game winner?

Posted by Aarick, December 23, 2007 3:38 PM

Jordan/Arenas the way he turned around before the basket went through, ripped his shirt off, through it in the stands before darting into the locker room. I didn't get a chance to see the entire game. The 4th quarter I did see, I saw Dre take Gay and Mike Miller to the hole on numerous occasions.

I also saw one of the smartest decision ever made by Andre Miller. We got possession with about 35 seconds left and he took a tough 17 ft shot and made it with 28.9 left. You can bet that 2-for-1 was on his mind. After Gasol made his shot, that 2-for-1 came in handy for DreDala.

Posted by Ricky - Sixers4guidos, December 23, 2007 3:53 PM

I didn't like the shot (a fallaway long jumper with Mike Miller on you?) but I liked the finish, so it's all ok :-)

You have been too good with Carney, he played like garbage... unbelievable... read my post for complete Carney coverage, LOL

great point about Mo not helping Iguodala, and I was also very pleased with Young's game

Merry Christmas Sean !

Posted by Sean Watts, December 23, 2007 8:01 PM

Hey Jon and Aarick,

I loved the "tone" on the shot. You could see him practically beaming the confidence before he made it. Definitely shades of Mike or Kobe, Gil was the Olympic sprinter/Chippendale's aspect at the end...lol.

Again, I just loved how he turned his entire game up in the 4th. Like it was a whole new game for him, and chumped Gay in the process.

Posted by Sean Watts, December 23, 2007 8:05 PM

Ricky,

I think the shot was a function of his confidence in himself(which I like) and his lack of confidence in the refs. He spent the fourth fighting with both the Griz and the refs for calls, so I don't think he wanted to take the risk of putting into their hands on a drive. Carney was okay defensively, offensively he was putrid and the difference between his hoops IQ and Young's is very striking. Have a good holiday Ricky

Posted by L.A. Steve, December 23, 2007 8:33 PM

Sean,

I just want to make three comments about last night to you and your readers. First, I agree with you about Andre's shot selection. He does everything off of a one-on-one move, trying to brake his man down. In all fairness, I must say that I haven't noticed him doing moving a lot moving without the ball, or cutting to the basket trying to get open looks. That's not to say he isn't doing it, it's just to say that I having noticed it. Regardless of whether he is currently doing it or not, he should be, and it's Mo's responsibility to insure that the offense has the proper motion. But I agree with you he definitely should be the recipient of more "assist passes".

Second comment, I kind of feel for Carney, he has been glued to the bench for the last month, and then all of a sudden gets thrown into the starting lineup, and in Memphis of all places. You know he's feeling the pressure, and saying to himself, if I screw this up I'll be sitting for another month. So what does he do? He goes out there and screws up, pressure is a bitch, and this league is very, very. tough. I think sometimes we as fans forget just how tough it is, and how much there is to learn. After all, everything looks easy sitting on the couch. I remember when John Salmons was here, the message boards were killing him unmecifully. They finally got their wish and he was released. Well, needless to say, he is having an outstanding year with the Kings, and right now, he would look awfully good starting ahead of Willie Green. Like is said, this is a very tough league and it takes some time for a player to grow into it. Such might be the case with Carney.

Finally my last comment is about Sammy's defense on Pau Gasol last night. First of all, let me say that several of those points came at the expense of Jason Smith, Reggie Evans,and some of his teammates who failed to defend him (Pau), while Sam rotates to an open shooter. However, at the end of the game it was Sam and Pau going one-on-one. And that's what surprised me. Pau is one of the best post players in the league, and to just let him go at Sam without sending help is unusual to say the least. I watch a lot of NBA basketball (NBA League Pass) and you just don't see that too often anymore. I mean talk about being alone on the island. Pau must have used at least 10 seconds backing him (Sam) down, and, still, no one came to help, his teammates just stood around and watched. Like I said earlier, Pau's low post game is as good as anyones in the league. I must say that really question that strategy (not sending somebody). Usually, I not a big fan of trapping, I think it's overdone (especially by the Sixers) and causes too many mismatches, and open looks. But in this case I think it's justified, and the correct course of action. Obviously, Coach Ceeks didn't agree with me, which isn't anything new.

Posted by Sean Watts, December 24, 2007 1:24 AM

Hey LA Steve,

I'll take your three comments in order:

1. Andre does move off the ball, they just rarely seem to get it to him when he does it, like he is more of a secondary option on the play or even a decoy. They almost never seem to get him the ball coming off a curl where he can look to drive to the bucket on the catch, or even a quick flash on the block. Instead, they tend to create jump shots for him, which is not his strong suit. In fact, the entire offense seems predicated on taking jumpers, which given their lack of shooters is problematic to say the least.

2. I can relate to Carney's situation. He is not in the best of spots, and I've heard it said that Mo is not the best at communicating to his players regarding his expectations (Salmons and Barnes have made that comment before).
So he is not entirely to blame for this. I remember during summer league that the NBA TV announcer said he believed Carney was a better player than Rudy Gay at that moment. And Aaron McKie was saying that he could be a Shawn Marion type of player, if not better. So, I'm not quite ready to give up on him just yet. Put it this way, I'd rather move Green than him.

3. You are dead on regarding Sam's situation. Mo's strategies confuse me at times. Early in the game, he was doubling down on Gasol off of Mike Miller of all people, but late he was letting Sam get backed down with help? I'd rather have Gay or Stoudamire hitting a contested jumper than watch Gasol pull a move all dads use on their sons (or daughters for that matter).

Hopefully, Mo either will improve or make way for a better fit for next year. Like Beyonce says, time for an "upgrade."

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Iguodala�s Buzzer-Beater gives Memphis the Blues

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