I will be front and center for this game tonight (Pete flaked 
so going with my brother). I am excited to be down there for the first time this season. Get to experience first hand the 29th ranked attendance (last if you go by occupancy %)!
Sarcasm aside I’ll be looking for a few things.
- Eddie Jordan’s bench demeanor and interactions with players. Being at the game provides for a complete view of the game uninhibited by the camera angles.
- Player body language and energy both on the floor and from the bench. Are the players generally supportive or sulking, uninterested observers while sitting? What type of interaction to the players have on the court? Who looks like the leader?
Atlanta is coming off a loss last night to the Orlando Magic where it was a tail of two halves. The Hawks dominated in the first half and the Magic flipped the script in the second for an easy 17 point win on in Atlanta. The Hawks already can’t shoot and they went ice cold in the second half.
Only Joe Johnson and Josh Smith played 40 or more minutes so I don’t think exhaustion will come into play too much.
Two things must happen if the Sixers want any chance of winning this game:
- Improved performance on the defensive glass. The Hawks are the 5th best offensive rebounding team. Those second chances are the life-blood of Atlanta’s offense who actually shoots worse than the Sixers from three (34.7% for the Sixers – 33.2% for the Hawks) and from the perimeter overall (39.2% for the Sixers – 34.2% for the Hawks).
- Force turnovers. The second strength of the Hawks is the fact that they do not turn the ball over. They are first in the league in turnover rate, only coughing it up on 11.6% of their possessions. That’s 12.5 per game. The Sixers are forcing 16. Something has to give.
Obviously the Sixers need to defend. Even though Atlanta is a weak perimeter shooting team they have guys that can get to the basket and finish. The Sixers should play the Hawks exactly as teams play them…
Take away driving lanes, pack it in the paint and force the Hawks to shoot contested jumpers, then block the hell out! The only guy they need to force off the line is Bibby who is shooting 40.4% from beyond.
Sixers do that and they have a chance to win.
Recap when I get home. Comment freely during the game, I’ll be reading from my phone.
This is one night Thad at the 4 works, Josh Smith would be a tough cover for Jason. I actually wouldn!t mind Kapono starting on M.Williams, who isn!t one to blow by people.
Block the hell out? We’ll see about that.
Should be highly entertaining if it’s a close game.
X factor of the night could be Dalembert. If he can defend the lane we should be in good shape.
Carney’s Corner
Hey guys check this out. what do you think?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4695373&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
If Philadelphia resigns Allen Iverson, I’m finding myself a new team to follow. I think it’s f-*-*-*-i-n-g PATHETIC! If it’s true, then I consider this franchise to be worse than a joke. It’s a whore to ticket sales alone, it’s recidivist, it’s rudderless, and it deserves ZERO respect.
You forgot that if they bring back AI, it would also help get them a top 10 pick in this year’s draft. I want them to have a shot at John Wall, Xavier Henry, Aldrich, Warren, Turner, Favors, or Johnson.
Why a (near) “triple-double” is a fraudulent term as a superlative: see Iguodala, vs. Hawks, 11/27/09. He fairly regularly turns his Stefanski & Snider-granted gold into performance garbage even as statistician Harvey Pollack pencils many notches next to his name. Jamal Crawford, it is presumed today, agrees. #9, a great defender? - fantasy. A 9 ft. straight-on bank shot is a thing of beauty though.
If I believed Dan’s sentiments, I wouldn’t be sitting in a fetal position in my bathtub today. The one-man-gang will win the team more games than he’ll lose them, especially against the four or five weakest teams (which could beat us, otherwise). THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA!
No way does AI give you 5 more games. Maybe he gives you 5 more games with a healthy Brand, Speights, and Lou Williams in the rotation. But a lineup of AI, Green, Iggy, Thad, and Jason Smith? Come on?!? He’s going to take 25 – 30 shots a game, but those shots he used to make no longer fall.
From a business standpoint, this is a no brainer. Bring him back, get another couple thousand people in the stands each game, sell some new AI jerseys, and have the team be relevant in the city again.
I think the AI experiment will work for 5 – 10 games then it will backfire, Iggy and Thad will start complaining about Chuck driving and throwing up an awful shot rather than kicking out, Eddie Jordan will get into a public spat with AI, etc.
I’m curious to see how this plays out. Sign AI or don’t, I just want this team to suck balls and get a top 5 pick.
I’d much rather see them trade Iggy, Green, and whatever for Tracy McGrady.