Sixers got the job done tonight at home against the Golden State Warriors, finally getting over the .500 mark. I definitely thought this was a game the Sixers could let slip away if the Warriors were hitting their perimeter shots. But the Sixers came out early, established their style of play and executed extremely well in the first half. They lead 57-39 at half and held the highest scoring team in the league to 89 points on the night.
Very good job of taking care of home court and slowly but surely getting better in a few areas.
Sixers vs. Golden State Game Notes
One of the things I said to watch for in my pre-game post was Mo Cheeks’ rotations. Let’s take a look at what worked so well in the first half. Here are all the substitutions in the first half.
1st Quarter
- Lou in for Iguodala (2 fouls in the first quarter)
- Speights in for Brand
- Willie in for Thad (2 fouls in the first quarter)
- Rush in for Miller
- Brand in for Sammy
2nd Quarter
- Evans in for Speights
- Iguodala in for Green
- Miller in for Lou
- Sammy in for Evans
- Thad in for Rush (4:30 left in the 2nd quarter the starters are all back on the court)
- Green in for Iguodala (3 fouls, 2:44 left in the half)
- Rush in for Thad (1:37 left in the half and right after Thad just hit his 2nd three in a row. The Sixers went 1-6 from the field in those final possessions after he left the game. I guess that sub was so he didn’t pick up a 3rd foul before the half.)
Mo did exactly what he said he would do, which is make sure he mixed reserves with starters and guys that have been on the floor for a while. Basically not make wholesale substitutions bringing in a bunch of cold players. Well done. The obvious adjustment was getting Lou on the court early alongside Miller so he could play off the ball. The other adjustment I hope continues is making sure Brand or Speights is on the court at all times to have an offensive threat in the front court.
Sixers Three Point Shooting
The Sixers were 6-15 from three (40%) and did a great job of picking apart and making shots when Golden State went to a zone. Four of those 3pt shots came in a 3-minute span in the second quarter immediately after the Warriors were in a zone. Iguodala nailed two straight then Thad hit two of his own. One thing to point out: Iguodala’s shot looks much better on the spot-up catch-and-shoot then when he tries to pull up off a series of dribble moves.
Go-to Player
Andre Miller hit another huge three to give the Sixers a 87-81 lead and pretty much sealed the game with 2:15 left. Before that he made a very tough 10-footer in the lane with the score 78-76. Last season I think we all agreed Miller was the guy making plays in close games down the stretch. The last two games it looks like he is getting back to that. The Sixers will need him to be that guy because Iguodala has been bad late in games and Elton Brand hasn’t been all that better when the Sixers really needed a bucket (yesterday’s jumper excluded).
Samuel Dalembert Had Another Great Game
8 points, 16 boards, 2 blocks and only 1 turnover on 4-9 shooting. I will take that from Sam all day. I know Dalembert is often criticized and people call for him to be traded, but I haven’t really had a problem with him this season. He isn’t going to be great every game, but he has been the least of the Sixers’ problems this season.
Random Stuff
- Elton Brand had a great first half with 17 points and 7 boards. Then cooled off considerably in the second half.
- Lou Williams made two jumpers but forced the issue a bit going to the basket which is why he finished 2-8 from the field. At least he didn’t turn the ball over and had 3 boards and 2 assists, 1 steal and got to the line twice in 15 minutes.
- Willie Green took 13 shots in 20 minutes (4-13 from the field and 1-5 from three). A bit much for me but I guess that comes with the territory with a streaky player like Willie.
- The Sixers still have a turnover issue. 16 tonight and uncharacteristically 6 from Andre Miller.
- Thad has a sub-par shooting night and 3 turnovers tonight. Like Willie, just have to expect these kinds of games from Thad and remember he is still only 20.
The Sixers have gone 5-1 since losing three straight. And with a win tomorrow will be 5-1 during the 6-game stretch against some of the weaker teams on their schedule. Tomorrow’s game will be their 3rd in four nights. Let’s hope we don’t see a let down.
Next game: Tomorrow @Charlotte
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
DVR’d the game. Just watched it. some observations.
- Substitutions were different tonight. Subbed earlier. Seemed to work.
- Sammy D came to play!
- Great instincts again from Speights. Loved that quick shot at the end of the qtr. He seems to be really aware of situations.
- Lou Will played better. Just occurred to me that last year he finished most games. This year that’s not happening due to a combination of EBrand, Willie & Thadeus. May be having difficulty with this.
- Could Thad become a Billy C(Kangaroo kid) type player? Seems to be developing a similar game.
- In general, good defensive effort from beginning to end. Offence looked good up to the cold spot in the 4th qtr. We’ll see if this continues tomorrow.
What game were you watching on defense? The defensive rotation at the end of the game was horrible. Warriors got back in because of it. Watching them live I see an inability to run the pick and pop, pick and role; especially with Miller.
I love Speights! He knows how to get open, moves well and next year when J Smith comes back, they’ll be a tough match up in the post with Brand. I’m looking forward to those three playing together in a sweet big man lineup with EB and Smith hitting mid range j’s and Speights in the low post we should have a good high/low post line up.
Iggy did look better, but let’s just face facts he’s not a shoot off the dribble guy, but if he hits open shots then we can be successful. Brand was as cold as the night air in the second half and someone else will have to score when that happens. Good win.
TT32, effort was the key word. Maye, my eyes were deceiving me just like during the 2nd half of the eagles game. I really hope JSmith recovers. Agree, good win. Tonight, let’s get LB’s team!
Dannie Biedrens, Randolph & Wright – 73 min, 14 rebounds - tigers!
Dalembert & Brand ate ‘em alive. [The former is not a sentence often written.] Randolph and Wright have length but are young, skinny, finesse players – not hardcore NBA rebounders. (numbers view: both ‘Warriors pace’ & ‘garbage time’ stats accumulate and distort.)
Sixers beat a slop team, as constituted yesterday. There’s a lot of truly bad basketball that is sold on a “professional” premise in NBA.
15-20 (of 82) games are well-played by both contestants, my generous estimate.
jjg- You were right on the head about Lou Williams trying to get out of that funk and doing what he does best against the Warriors.
In 15 minutes, Lou Williams:
7 points (2-6 shooting, 3-4 FT)
2 assists
1 steal
NO TURNOVERS
A more controlled and calmer Lou Williams. Funny how he committed no turnovers and Andre Miller had 6. I’m sure it won’t happen again for Miller tonight!
But if Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, and Samuel Dalembert get their games going and know their roles properly, then this team will be UNBELIEVABLE! (Of course, getting more from the bench, especially the new guys is another key as well!)
Dannie, I’m sure you had a heart attack in the 4th QT. I know I did and will probably get more of those when we play major scoring, fastbreaking teams like that. That game was very interesting because it defines that against some teams like that, we can play a half-court game. Surprisingly, we had NO fastbreak points, but the Warriors shot blockers had something to do with that– Ronny Turiaf especially! (Maybe it is just me, but the Lakers WILL MISS Ronny Turiaf! Teams like Boston and Detroit will continue beating up the Lakers due their frontcourt depth and mental toughness!)
Next up, Sixers @ Bobcats
NBATV would headline this game as: Cheeks v.s Brown
So far, with the exception of the surprisingly hardworking, despite their poor record Timberwolves, the Sixers have beaten the teams they are supposed to beat. It’s early, but that is a great sign of a great team! Let’s pounce on them immediately and hope Raymond Felton does not give the Sixers nightmares. In the three meetings last season between these two teams, Felton did not play in the first two games–which were Sixer WINS, but in the game he played in the Bobcats season finale– he had 18 pts & 12 ast (6/12 FG 6/7 FT in 34 minutes).
I think the Sixers will win by 8 points, because the Bobcats play very well and display a lot of effort at home and it is Larry Brown’s “play the right way philosophy”.
Don’t take them lightly though: they beat Miami, New Orleans, and Utah at home. The Sixers need to focus on this game and not look ahead to the nationally televised Magic game Wednesday at home and the road game against the Champion Celtics. It’s mind over matter, and the great teams always put on a surge prior to facing those teams and the Sixers need to do the same and take care of business.
(Also, how about those Timberwolves whooping the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills 106-80; Iverson had 9 points!)
KEEP IT GOING SIXERS!!
You have to admire Elton Brand’s leadership and it is there!! It will only get better for the team!
http://csnphilly.com/pages/sixers
See video of Brand (11/23)
He really knows that there is more to be done and knows what lies ahead for this team. A true professional.
Dannie with all do respect, I strongly and when i say strongly Im talking Lee Haney strong disagree with your assessment on Sammy being the least of our troubles this year. Every time we run our half court offence there is sammy setting up on the low block instead of going weakside to get in better position for an offensive rebound. His selfishness in doing this usually saps the first 14 seconds of the clock, and then we are left with no shot. Sammy is the defention of a soft player on Offence. The dude keeps on taking those fadeaways like he is Moses Malone or something. Bottom line Dannie, you can’t with him. Can’t do it. TT32 hit he nail on the head. A rotation of Jason Smith, Speights, and Brand next season will be nasty! I know that its a cliche, but the day Sammy Is traded I would literally agree to drive to anywhere in the country to pick him up and deliver him to the next city. If I am getting married on that day then I will cancel my wedding because I doubt that I will ever be able to love a women as much as I would love the thought of Sammy to be traded off this team.
The Greek – Then we can just disagree. You strongly dislike Sam and that’s fine. If you really think the Sixers are better off with Jason Smith then we really disagree about the front court.
I love Speights and he is the major reason Sammy is only playing 28 minutes per game as a starter. If he continues to develop, especially defensively I would be fine with him taking a few more minutes from Sam.
All you talked about was offense. Why? I thought this was suppose to be a defensive team that runs. What Sammy brings on defense and with his rebounding fits perfectly with that style of play. As much as you don’t like him the numbers are pretty hard to argue with. He is 9th in the NBA in rebounding and the only player averaging less than 30 mpg in the top 16. He’s 13th in blocks and you watch the game to see all the other shots he alters that don’t show up in the boxscore. And he has been one of the Sixers top players in terms of production/48 minutes played. And he isn’t the one turning the ball over 2+ times per game either.
Also the dude only takes 6.5 shots per game over his career and guess what, he makes more than half of those attempts. Everyone flips out whenever he shoots and ignores the fact that he has been one of Sixers highest % shooters when he does take his few shots.
Look I understand Sammy has his flaws. He isn’t and never will be a strong offensive player. But with every player you have to take some bad with the good.
Where I disagree with you the most is your contention that the Sixers can’t win with him. How do you know that? The Sixers overall lack of real talent (aka really “skilled” players not just athletes) has been the issue the last few years. Until we get a team with sufficient talent and a legit title chance then will be really we get to see who the Sixers can’t win with. Maybe you are right. Maybe Sammy really is a deterrent to winning big, but I don’t see how anyone can be so sure of that statement at this point. I think you can make a very similar argument about Andre Iguodala considering how small he came up in the playoffs last year.
My main point was through 13 games Sammy isn’t the biggest issue. We still have shooting issues, turnover issues and no real go-to player at the least to be worried about before we start the Dalembert bashing.
But I will start keeping track of your statement:
because I think for one it’s an exaggeration and two how do you know that isn’t where he was suppose to be on many set? Meaning is it really a player issue or a coaching issue?
The Greek – By the way disagreeing is good I think we need more of that here. A little tooooo much agreeing and not enough healthy debate.
Dannie what up Bro, I appreciate you responding with class instead of anger in yesterdays post where I trashed Sammy. Were both die hards so we both have the best intentions of the sixers in mind so as you said a healthy debate is a good thing. I would love to know what everyone else thinks, CAN WE WIN WITH SAMMY?
Dannie while it is true that Sammy is killing it on the boards what good does it do if we don’t score on those 3.5 offensive boards that he rips a game? What good do those defensive rebounds do when he has trouble throwing outlet passes to ignite the break? We both watch the games, you see that Sam even has trouble throwing simple 5 foot outlet passes. The thing about Jason Smith and Speights is you could tell that basketball is there passion. These 2 had a superior basketball IQ as compared to Sammy from the first moment that they stepped onto the court for us.
And man is he soft. Hey Im 5′9 200 lb’s of rompin steel Brad childress style and when I get the rock down low I take one dribble and one huge step before I drop my Armon Gilliam baby hook. Why can’t sammy do this? Why does everything have to be a soft jumper, or worse a sammy fadeaway?