This is the first game since the Clippers game that the Sixers are actually favored to win. And accuscore gives them a 69% chance to win and to do so by almost 6 points. Sounds about right.
The Sixers are better than the Charlotte but that didn’t matter on November 24th when a Jason Richardson-less Bobcat team ran circles around the Sixers for a 93-82 win. Tonight we face a different looking team with the arrival of Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.
Last game the Sixers lost because they couldn’t put the ball in the hole, contain Felton and Augustine’s penetration and overall their perimeter defense was horrendous. They allowed the Bobcats to shoot 8-14 from three, while they could only make 3 themselves.
Everything else was pretty much in the Sixers favor in terms of statistics. They did get out-rebounded (39-35) but had 11 offensive boards to 4. They forced 20 turnovers while only having 12 themselves and attempted 19 more shots. They also beat the Bobcats in second chance points, points in the paint, fastbreak points and points off turnovers. Free throw shooting was even. That just shows you what three point shooting can do for an opponent. The Sixers much contain penetration or they could get killed on the kick outs to Bell, Morrison and Carroll.
The match ups:
- Miller vs. Felton/Augustine
- Green vs. Bell
- Iguodala vs. Wallace
- Young vs. Diaw
- Dalembert vs. Okafor
I gotta run a quick errand so I will leave you with this question: honestly how do you think the Sixers fair in those match ups.
Sixers vs. Bobcats Game Notes (not completely specific to this game though)
Maybe it’s wrong of me but I am past this game already. I was kind of bored watching it to be completely honest. The game was within 10 points most of the way but there wasn’t much suspense or tons of excitement for me. At no point did I think the Sixers were going to lose because the Bobcats didn’t look like they had a run in them most of the game.
In terms of performance. Andre Miller continues to play like a top 5 point guard. Thad played well as did Willie. And Sam played well aside from the drop balls. He actually had the second highest +/- (+10) behind Miller tonight. That’s all I really care to talk about regarding this game. Let’s move forward…
The one thing that I wasn’t happy with was the fact that the Sixers didn’t put this Bobcats team away. They let them hang around, and hang around all 4th quarter. That is the perfect way to let a game like that slip away against a weaker opponent. If they are going to continue to improve this is an aspect they really need to get better at.
The way I look at it the Sixers are beating the bad teams in the league – YES, but they aren’t really beating them the way that would suggest they are vastly superior. Most of the games have been close. Improvement would be to blow these teams out or at the very least win comfortably, not having to rely on late Andre Miller threes. For me that would put some distance between those teams in terms of performance. I think that needs to happen before they actually start beating the better teams in the league. Which brings me to the next five games.
The Sixers are now on a three game winning streak. Their next 5 opponents are:
- @ Hawks
- Trailblazers
- Spurs
- @ Knicks
- Dallas
Three in a row is nice but the Sixers have had fleeting wins like this all season. The problem is the flux. Win 2, lose 3. Win 3, lose 4. That is why the Sixers are 16-20 rather than a .500 or better team. They can’t put bigger winning streaks together, nor can they avoid losing streaks immediately after they have some success.
I will end on this for discussion. Tell me if you agree or disagree with this statement:
If the Sixers come out of those five games 1-4 the improvement we think we have seen meant very little if anything. Is it possible that the “improvement” we think we say could simply been a product of a bored Spurs team that got up big and stopped playing hard, playing a really banged up Houston squad at home who was missing two key players and playing against a couple of weaker teams in a row.
I have said it many times this season, at some point improvement isn’t enough. When will this team start putting together more wins in a row then loses. And in order to do that they will have to beat some good teams at home and on the road. When is that going to happen. We have three straight games to see if now is the time.
Next Game: Sunday in Atlanta
This game has a conflict with the Eagles game because of the 2p.m. start time so its likely there will be minimal coverage of the Sixers because the Eagles will take priority.
P.S.
ESPN now tracks +/- stats in their boxscore.
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
When you look at the stats it kind of makes you wonder how we could have lost by 9 doesn’t it? In the last game the Bobcats were very efficient. They only took 62 shots but made 34, led by Felton and Augustine who were both 8-11.
Felton and Augustine are on the floor together a lot, so I’m hoping that Miller stays on Felton, that he does a much better job this time around, and that someone else (Lou, I’m looking at you) will stay in front of Augustine.
Gotta figure that Thad will have trouble with Diaw, since he seems to have difficulty defending guys who have good footwork in the post.
Wasn’t Okafor just coming back from an injury the last time we played them? Whatever, I expect him to give Dalembert trouble because, even though they are listed as very close to the same height and weight, Okafor plays a stronger, more physical game than Sammy.
I feel like we are better now than when we last played them. As long as we continue shooting as well as we have the last couple games, we’ll put this one in the win column.
Okafor should by Diaw dinner when they are on the road because he seems to be getting more shots and pts. since his arrival. I like all the matchups and I am sending my crew to kidnap Augustine but I am having trouble getting an imposter.
Sammy, good first half, a lot of energy. One pass and a shot. Please make the 2nd pass guys.
If we don’t beat the damn Bobcats…Oh man. Im going to hear it from all the dillusional Bobcat fans Monday. We need to get into our offensive set ealier in the shot clock. One possesion Reggie Evans sat with the ball at the top of the key until there was 5 seconds left on the shot clock. A couple bad possesions and a lot of turnovers are why we arent winning. LETS GO SIXERS!
Nice 3rd quarter. Repeat that in the 4th and we’ve got another W.
Poor Chuck, off topic, but he was a Sixer. Didn’t know if everyone heard already.
I am in love with A. Miller right now. It definitely isn’t pretty but it is sure helping the teams (Sixers and my squad) out.
Nice win. 93 points and we had something like 56 points in the paint. I missed the first half, but I did see the halftime stats. Charlotte out rebounded us, I believe had fewer turnovers, and also had something like 17 assists to only 7 for us. The second half was a different story. We were much more aggressive and took it to them. We forced turnovers, we pushed the ball, and we were much more active. Speights and Young were quick off the floor and got some nice offensive rebounds. Glad to see us winning games we should be winning.
Ryan, its going to be hard to even think about trading our best player [A.Miller] He is a matchup problem for even the top point guards.
Good Things tonight; 1]Sam!s energy 2]Spieghts hands 3]Thad doing the little hustle things 4] Iggy deferring to others 5] L.Will. under control
I definitely agree with that statement, Dannie. This stretch should give us a good idea of where we are as a team and if we have actually improved.
The game against the Hawks worries me right off the bat because they were simply destroyed by the Magic tonight. I would expect them to come out looking to turn it around and put a hurting on us.
As for the other 4 games, we have the Blazers, Spurs, and Mavs all at home. I’d like to see 2 wins there. Add in a win in NY and that would make us 3-2 over this stretch. Most likely we’ll only win 1 of the 3 home games though and end up 2-3.
Gotta give credit to Larry Brown actually for not just the 6 years he coached us, but for the last two years helping management out with picking the right young talent. I saw that once we made that run and Larry decided to call a timeout, he had a little smile on one side of his face. He is still loving Philadelphia! Anyway, pretty soon Charlotte could go over the hump and make the playoffs in good time.
But soon, we have to face some vicious Hawks that we beaten by Walt Disney and his crew twice, but the second one was more painful than the other. I hope we beat the Hawks on Sunday (along with our Birds beating the Giants as well). That loss to them still stings, but that was really due to poor substitution patterns by Mo and not playing our bench in that game. Hopefully, we can turn it around. One matchup I am looking forward to is Andre Miller v.s Mike Bibby.
With the Sixers playing with confidence now the next five games are all the more important. They face an Atlanta team Sunday that was blown out tonight by Orlando, I think. The Hawks will be angry. The Sixers will need to bring their “A” game. Finishing this 5 games set at 4-1 or even 3-2 will be a step forward. Anything less than that continues a disappointment that has existed most of the season. I’ll be curious to see how well Sammy and Speights match up against Josh Smith and Horford.
I think we are surviving on the boards till Elton gets back and Thad giving us the SAME production of the bench may help to turn it up a notch. Two wins minimum but three would be great. Dannie, usually the first game back from a road trip there is a drop in energy, S.F.W. commented on this, well last night looked like that kind of game and the 2 prior efforts, I believe were our best in a while. A.Miller is playing like an all star and Sammy!s energy is up, 2 good signs for the Sixers in regards to their future[trade ? team success?].
I feel we must/should win 3 of the next 5. I agree with you Dannie that if we go 1-4 it will negate the supposed progress just gained. We really haven’t blown these teams out when the opportunity was presented. +/- rating is interesting in the boxscore. Since it is a 5 man game, not sure how indicative it is to a player. What are your thoughts?
My biggest gripe with Sammy(outside of the contract) is his consistency with concentration and effort. Primarily, when his minutes are somewhat limited. If he continues to give effort every time he steps on the court. I have no problem with him. He has his limitations(noted well on this Blog) but when he gives effort and concentration his positives well out way his negatives. I think the coach is doing a good job pushing his buttons as well as the other players. Can’t wait until Brand is back.
2 minimum wins may even be a stretch. Theres not a team on there besides the Knicks that doesnt think that they are better than us. And there’s at least one thing in each of those games that worry me. Hawks because like you guys said, they will want to come back strong from that horrible game. Trailblazers simply because of Brandon Roy. He is a complete monster. The Spurs because they will probably want to play well against us after the last time we played them. Not to mention our perimeter defense just sucks. To win this game, we cant double team Duncan. Let him get 40 if you have to, but dont let him kick it out for open 3 point shots. If we play hard against the Knicks than we should not have much of a problem. Dallas worries me because of Dirk. We really dont have anyone that can gaurd him. What did he have last game? Like 30 somethin? Thats going to be tough.
I think we will go 2-3 winning against the Knicks and Trailblazers. We have a chance in all of the games if we continue the level of confidence, heart, and overall play.
Sixers don’t transfix. I’m having a hard time staying tuned to them anymore, even as they’ve upgraded play slightly of late. Still a jumble of parts, going nowhere but 1st or 2nd round exit, max (if they reach the playoffs). Spirits are sometimes willing, but overall talent will doom eventually vs. league chieftains.
Miller’s “crafty” and “has conversations without talking” and has an “interior shot clock” [Salmi, please turn off the verbiage, the pictures tell the story; I'm sure you mean well, "young man", but ... shutup, "partner", will you please shutup?!?!]; Iggy gets giggy, especially when hittin’ his high-arcing “thingamajiggy”; Williams, Young and Speights are incipient superstars [short-sighted economics - hiring infants and promoting them as adults], Sam is a defensive monster, wait’ll Brand gets back [oh boy!], blah, blah, blah… .
(Billy &) Ed: a fine mess you’ve gotten us into. At least, to improve aesthetics, you could trash those ugly, dated, Croce the Pirate-related black uniforms and overdone front logo & script; get us back into Betsy Ross ‘red, white & dark blue’ duds with 13 stars – the Philadelphia (17)76ers, remember? And spice this winter up with a significant transaction or two; present assemblage is boring.
My carp is complete.
Agree with Dannie on that statement.
I would say that the Hawks are slumping as of late so we have a chance to have a nice turnaround point beating them on the road, while SA and Dallas at home are beatable, since we stayed close in the matchups on the road. Knicks are pretty dangerous on their home court, I watched them beating the Celtics playing a great game at MSG.
I see 3, even 4 Ws in that five game stretch, if we go 1-4 it’s definitely a shame and we would waste all the good things that we did in the last three. The point is seeing when Brand will come back, and how he will put in the rotation again, things are going well without him…
Rob, “He [Larry Brown] is still loving Philadelphia!” I read this story about how after he took the Pistons job, he still was still using this 76ers bag. He did good here.
“Anyway, pretty soon Charlotte could go over the hump and make the playoffs in good time.” I wouldn’t bet against Larry in this case, either.
“…we have to face some vicious Hawks…” The Sixers have several chinks in their armor, and one of those weaknesses is that the Sixers have a hard time with other teams that like to run, or athletic-physical, or both, which the Hawks are. I have no idea what they’d have to do to beat the Hawks. The Sixers really punk out when they play them, and not surprisingly our most effective player against them is Reggie Evans. Actually, I know what they can do – high bball IQ playmaking, good ball movement, but the Sixers are extremely lacking in those departments. We’ll fare better against the Blazers.
I just read on Accuscore that the sixers are a better odds to make the playoffs than Raptors, Nets, Knicks, Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Heat, Bobcats and Wizards. While I appreciate peoples thoughts, maybe we should be more positive than negative these days. It is easy to always criticize but lets start being OBJECTIVE. JJG comments are without facts. Let’s Go Sixers!
Dean H – I find it disturbing that Accuscore’s playoff odds suggest the Sixers have a better playoff chance then the Heat and Bucks considering they have 3 and 2 more wins respectively right now. Also, factoring in that Miami has no major injuries compared to the Sixers who still won’t have Brand for at least a week and a half at best. And even then with the type of injury he had there is a real chance he could re-injure it.
In fact Miami is actually getting stronger right now because their major free agent signing James Jones played for the first time all season last night, returning from a wrist injury.
Also, context must be presented. Accuscore is saying there will only be 5 teams in the entire Eastern Conference with winning records. So the fact that the Sixers get in to the playoffs is more a result of a considerably weak conference than their own improved performance.
John Hollinger’s playoff odds tell a completely different story. Suggests the Sixers have much less chance to make the playoffs than Accuscore does. So your personal optimism is based on one source whereas someone else’s may be based on another.
Further, both forecast are suggesting the Sixers will only win 38 (maybe 39) games. Which would be 2 less wins than last year and factually say we have gone in the wrong direction this season after substantive off-season maneuvering.
What is positive about that?
Ok, I see your point, but it is all opinion. I will be bold and make my prediction. I believe the sixers will have a winning record, 45-37 atleast. I think we need to realize they are improving since the coaching change, EB will be back and we will add a shooting guard this year. Could I be wrong? Yes, hopefully on the low end of wins. I believe Mo cost us atleast 2 games due to poor coaching and that we will be suprised on the positive side at the end of the year. Time will tell.
Dean H – I am OK with people being optimistic and positive that is their prerogative. But let’s talk about your “bold prediction.”
In order for the 76ers to finish the season at 45-37 they will have to go 29-17 over the last 46 games. That is a .630 winning percentage. Right now the Sixers winning percentage is .444.
There are only 8 teams in the entire NBA with a winning percentage of .630 or better.
We are talking about the elite teams in the NBA. Your prediction suggests the Sixers will win that the rate they are starting immediately and for the remainder of the season.
Further, the Sixers winning % is .444 while their strength of schedule is only .494 which ranks 16th in the NBA through 36 games. Over the last 46 games their opponents winning % is .508 as of last night.
Those are facts, not opinion.
The next 8 games the Sixers opponents’ winning % is .571. We should know where this team is at after that time for sure.
I agree 100%. If they are going to get the record I predicted, they need to show it starting this week. If they loose the next 2 games, I was wrong. I won’t hide, will post after I get home from the game on
Wednesday. They have to atleast split these 2, correct? And thank you for all your thoughts and explanations!
Dannie, not sure if we will know how good we can be till we see Elton healthy for a week or two because if we don!t blend properly than E.S. really has some decision making to do.I feel if we stay a game or two from the playoffs while he is out than a push for a 6th or 7th seed is a possibility, if this group can play together.
Dean H
Fact 1: You offer an internet gambling service as a reliable, authoritative source of information on which to base opinions and projections. (No, thanks.)
Fact 2: I’ve been a close observer of NBA & Sixers a great degree
longer than Accuscore - website for point spreads - has been tracking activity.
Fact 3: A blog is for expressing both fact and opinion - 2 worthy and credible tools of communication in free speech America.
Fact 4: Most adult readers can discern fact from opinion; you need not be an arbiter in that regard.
Fact 5: If opinions that contrast yours get your knickers in a knot, censorship of others is not the answer to your problem.
Opinion 1: Based on what you’ve written, you’re a ticket-buying customer who would also also serve well in a male cheerleading capacity, should that be the next Wachovia Center gimmick in lieu of a championship contending team.