The Sixers took care of the Rockets at the Wachovia center in the beginning of January. But that was against a Houston team without Ron Artest or Shane Battier and a visibly hurt Tracy McGrady. Tonight will be different with all those guys expected to play tonight.
The Sixers are coming off a very ugly loss at the hands of Chris Paul and the Hornets where they were extremely careless with the ball turning it over 21 times. They will face a much better defensive foe in the Rockets who when healthy can D-up with the best. I am not sure the Sixers will be able to shoot 56% from the field as they did in the first match up.
What’s worse is the Rockets can throw three different defenders at both Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala.
- Ron Artest
- Shane Battier
- Tracy McGrady
All those guys are strong, long and solid to very good defensively when healthy. That is enough to really bother our two primary wing scorers.
Because of that the ones will be on other guys to step up their offensive game. Most notably:
- Andre Miller
- Louis Williams and
- Elton Brand
Where the Rockets can be attacked is from the point. Skip-To-My-Lou isn’t a great defender nor are his back-ups Aaron Brooks or Luther Head. That means we need and should expect at the very least a strong game from Miller. But I think this is the perfect game for Lou to get back to playing good basketball. Last game against the Rockets he went for 15 points and 8 dimes on 50% shooting from the field. We will need similar effort from him tonight.
Now to the hot topic, Mr. Elton Brand. I haven’t heard anything about him entering the starting line up tonight but I do expect his minutes to be increased against the Rockets for two reasons.
- They grabbed 17 offensive boards last game Thad had a really difficult time with Luis Scola who dropped 18 and grabbed 17 boards (6 offensive). We will need Brands board work.
- Although Houston is good defensively they are a bit undersized at power forward. Scola is 6-9, Landry is barely 6-9 and Chuck Hayes is 6-6. This would be a good game for Brand to prove his worth by pounding these guys inside for easy baskets. Same goes for Speights if he gets an opportunity to play. With many people ready to ship is ass out of town already it would be in Brand’s best interest to show some pride and start producing. But as I’ve said already I don’t think it’s a matter of effort, rather inability physically. We shall see.
Finally the Sixers MUST get out on the break. If this is a walk-it-up half court game I give them little chance to win. Last game against the Rockets they outscored them 29-9 in fast break points. Need a repeat performance in that area.
Accuscore gives only gives the Sixers a 25% chance to win. And they are a 5-point dog. How are you guys handicapping the game?
By the way. Thaddues Young will play for the Sophmores in the 2009 Rookie Challenge. As he should!
Sixers vs. Rockets Game Notes
I am beyond tired right now having played a basketball game earlier and then watching that exciting finish so this will be short.
The 5-point first half deficit was all about turnovers. 14 of them to be exact in the first 24. They came back in the second half and only committed 4. That’s how you win close games.
Winning stats
- 14 blocks, 4 for Sam and 6 from Elton
- 25-14 advantage in fast break points
- 20-21 from the foul line
Player of the game goes to Dalembert. His defense on Yao was fantastic. He has been playing his most focused basketball of his career. He is just doing things that help the team win (minus the 4 turnovers gotta work on his outlet passes!). 13 boards, 3 steals, 4 blocks and 6 points in 29 minutes is very productive for Dalembert. And he played that pick and roll to end the game perfect. He moved his feet and used his length to not only contest but get a piece of that game winning three-point attempt. Good for him.
Elton Brand was on the floor for 26 minutes and like I said before the game we needed him to be a factor. Well he was on both ends of the floor. Defensively he was all over the place blocking and contesting shots around the basket, getting to loose balls and pulling down 7 boards. He was 6-10 from the field for 14 points including a tough fadeaway with Battier tugging on his shirt late in the fourth. Another important thing we saw from Brand was him getting out and running a bit in transition. Hopefully has his conditioning gets back we will see more of that. Does he start next game? I don’t see any reason to rush that move yet. Let keep things as they are and hope he can string a couple more games (and better) like tonight against the Wiz and then Jersey and possibly put him back where he belongs against the Celtics.
The other key players I had were Miller and Lou. They didn’t shoot well at all (9-27) but they were 14 for 14 from the line scoring 33 points and had 13 assists and only 4 turnovers.
Andre made two of three tough jumpers late to seal the win.
1-12 from three tonight. That’s 3-26 the last two games. Let’s hope they are not returning to form in this area right when Brand is coming back. Not a good combination.
Time to get on a roll going into the break.
Next Game: Friday against the Wiz in the first game of a 7 game homestand.
What is the status of Yao? Having him play would actually help the Sixers, we wore him out to the point where he was holding on to his shorts trying to catch up with us. I remember in the previous game, Rick Adelman pulled Yao out of the 4th quarter and the Rockets nearly made a run against us.
Just like our previous meeting as well as their loss to the Knicks, the Rockets struggle against uptempo teams and expose Yao’s lack of speed.
So the Sixers need to follow their slogan, “RUN WITH US” and take better care of the ball.
If it becomes a grindout, they better make their FTs!!! Every free throw counts!!
Dannie, the Rockets were my pick to come out of the west at the beginning of the year but health is a definite issue with them. We have to play a near perfect game to win this one, and I hope Elton gets his first double double since his return.
@deepsixersuede – Let’s hope for a his first single-double, and then work from there
you’re gonna say that iguodala slam over yao a few times tonight on sportscenter
*see
Rebounding (specifically offensive where the Rockets hold a 9-5 edge) and turnovers (where we have 14 and they only have 7) are really hurting us again. If the Rockets could finish on the break (why does Alston keep getting to the rim and passing backwards?) we’d be down at least 15 now.
We’re being Scola-ized again. 8 of 11 with 8 boards early in the 3rd. Brand isn’t slowing him down any either.
Sammy’s defense has been very good tonight and the last few games. He is really going at Yao hard.
Surprising Win, My Thoughts,
Sam has played his best most consistent ball of his career under Dileo. He has done exactly what we need him to do.
Brand played well maybe back in the starting lineup as he played 24 mins tonight and looked strong at the end of the game with good defense on Yao one on one. I can’t stand when people compare him to CWebb, it is not a close comparison at all Webber could not play defense at all Brand even if struggling will give you rebounding and defense.
Iggy hit some big shots down the stretch and his dunk on Yao was great.
This stretch coming up of games at home is huge with us being at 500 right now. We can make some big strides going into the All Star break.
Sixers won five in a row at home going into the break a year ago to kick-start their 22-12 finish. They should at least be above .500 going into the break this season.
If they make their free throws like they did tonight (20-of-21) and can cut down on their turnovers, the Sixers could go 5-2 or better in this stretch.
L.Will. is like that gorgeous girl in highschool [tease?], he makes 2 very good plays than a bonehead one. This was the first big win of the new Elton era. I liked the physicalness he brought next to Sammy, who again was awesome. Sammy, just give effort and we will LOVE you !!! Everybody did something to contribute. Elton seems to be blending in nicely offensively.
Guys,
Great win! But im tired so im off to bed. Dont forget to vote for the Sixers vs the Celtics for NBATV Fan night!!!
^Disregard my last post. Voting is closed. The Sixers never win those things.
guest- the Sixers will when the take on the Lakers at Staples Center on St. Patrick’s Day! LOL
What a quality, character win and perhaps the best win of the season (the best one with Brand)!
These are the type of games where Brand excels in. Hopefully, he will continue playing great for us and his contract will pay big dividends. For now, put a HALT to the Elton Brand being traded rumors. 6 Blocks in a Game– That is something!
The Sixers did “EAT THE HEAD!”
Congrats to Young for making the Rookie-Sophomore Game!
2one5– I’m with you on people comparing Brand to CWebb. Brand plays WAAY better defense than Webber and loves to bang in the paint!!
i know we’ve seen 2 particularly bad games from yao now, but it is unreal how little he impacts a game unless he’s hitting jumpers. i would really hate to be a rocket fan and have to watch him every other night.
and that’s a big credit to sammy too. he bitched him around all night.
Brand & Sammy on defense: I’ve always thought one of biggest strengths of our team could potentially be the interesting frontcourt tandem of Brand and Sammy. With Sammy taking a vacation the first two months, and Brand’s injury/chemistry woes…it was REALLY nice to see them starting to click on the defensive end of the floor in this game.
Granted, Scola had his way at first, but as the game went on Elton really picked up the intensity, and as Dannie stated in the game notes, Sammy really did play an excellent defensive game. Most notable off the ball…which has always been one of my pet peeves with him.
I’d REALLY like to see our team defense improve and climb another notch. We’ve been nice on our little win streaks…but I still feel our team’s true potential lies in being a team defensive juggernaut. We have the athletes and bodies to intimidate the hell out of teams and run down the shot clock, and have that “Oh @#$ we play the Sixers next game…that’ll be a long night,” factor. I believe we can get there, and this depends on Brand, Sammy, and Iguodala really taking it up a level…and the team improving guarding the pick and roll, and rotating out to cover swing passes to open three point shooters quicker.
Great win, go Sixers!
Adelman should’ve reached for Wafer at crunch time.
As bad as Williams and Miller were last night, Alston and Brooks were worse.
Too hot in General Yao’s kitchen for much of the evening. The more referees swallowed their whistles, the braver Brand and Dalembert became. Mr. Ming should’ve broken some dishes and gotten their attention.
We have shown we can beat most of the top teams in the west but now it is time to see what we can do against our conference, whose three top teams are a tad tougher. A 5-2 record in the next 7 games is a must for us to go into the break on a positive note. I don!t want Marreese losing any minutes so hopefully it is almost time to go back to our original lineup and find Elton his 32 minutes at the expense of Willie and Reggie and not Thad and Marreese. If it works we can finally start putting our best talent on the court every night.
Decider: 20 for 21 foul shooting.
Question; do we win that game if Elton doesn!t play ? He actually ran the court well and took his shots in the flow, just what we need to stay unpredictable on offense.
5 seconds remaining, high pick & roll with Brabdingnabian Yao was dumb. An original talent but plodding is an understatement. Good switch and swat on McGrady, SD! You da man for da moment.
To the retreating go the whimpers.
suede, Can’t be sure on that, but I don’t think so. After Hornets embarrassment, Brand came out snortin’ like a bull early. His apparent commitment to action helped set a tone for team, even though they got down by 14 through horrendous caretaking of ball, game was relatively young, Sixers had ‘em where they wanted ‘em. Trojan horse victory. Brand competed well.
giant spelling mistake correction: Brobdingnagian
Enjoyed the game.
Does Yao get the respect of the refs? Normally Sammy would’ve fouled out with that kind of physical play.
Notice Lou changed his form at the line. I think his stance is wider. Nothing but net!
That’s the Brand we want to see for the remainder of the year. Get him in the starting lineup ASAP AND get Willie out(probably won’t happen).
The more I watch the more I see the advantage of that 3 pointer against us. Can play a better game but lose due to that. Really needs to be addressed. Hopefully, this group will continue to improve on that but I think a roster change will need to be in order. It could be a subtle one. Give me one more shooter!
Big win last night. The first half looked eerily similar to the Hornets game. The perimeter was left undefended and the ball unprotected. But the Sixers kept grinding and were ultimately able to pull out the W. Elton Brand played a huge role in the win tonight. Say what you will about his play so far, but he makes the defensive end of the floor far more productive. If that is the Brand that we get for the next few months, the Sixers just might sneak into a fourth-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Watch how Brand and Dalembert use their arms inside; they get away with an awful lot of raking and pushing in some games. Part and parcel of NBA paint play I guess, but I like games to be called well. Contact is one thing, blatant violations another.
This year vs. last year going into the final homestand before all-star break:
2007-08: 18-30 record, 9-14 at home, in the midst of a 4-12 skid before going 5-0 in homestand en route to 22-12 finish.
2008-09: 22-22, 12-9 at home, having won nine of 11, heading into seven-gamer at Wachovia Center.
While a .500 record at this point would’ve been a disappointment entering the season, they are only 3 1/2 games out of fourth in the Eastern Conference and coming off of one of their best victories of the season.
I see that many keeping wanting to put Willie back on the bench now. I believe once that move is made and Iggy returns to the 2 it will be interesting to see if he maintains his level of performance that he has had since Brand was injured. Or, will he return to his earlier form. Where I’m going is I know Iggy said there’s no difference between playing 2 or 3 so if his performance suddenly drops off what then? If he does struggle I’ll wonder if Iggy has some kind of mental block about playing the 2,
The thing with Willie is he’s a decent 15 minutes a game sub. Doesn’t score a lot and sometimes is very streaky. He is capable of doing more on offense because we have seen it in the past but he seems to be stepping aside for the better players on the team. I think once Brand is starting again that not only will Iggy and Green be affected but so will Young and Speights. Only time will tell now.
While it was an emotional win because Houston’s got some big-name catchet, Sixers were visitors, and came from behind, Rockets right now are nothin’ special and Sixers didn’t play all that well outside of 4th Q D (kudos there and foul stripe). One of their best victories of season? Maybe, considering there’s only 21 others from which to choose. I see as more impressive the ATL, PORT, SA & NY (at MSG) victories in the recent Week That Was. New Orleans loss-motivated athletes beat a ‘walk it up’, out-of-kilter bunch (3 studs nursing injuries, just returned). Nothin’ to write home to Ma about.
Fantastic game by Sammy although I wish he would stop looking like “Uncle Rico” on those outlet passes
There is something that Stefanski mentioned in that season-ticket holder’s interview about how opening night’s starting lineup of Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand, and Samuel Dalembert getting off to a great start, but the bench performed poorly while the starters rested early in the 2nd quarter. Then again, Mo’s substitution patterns were very questionable. Willie Green is always hot in the 1st quarter, then disappears. He was better when he came off the bench. Either he comes off the bench or we might have to trade him and another small piece to obtain an effective scorer. However, that is easier said than done. Then Green must come off the bench.
Another point, this is a long NBA season and are going to need our free-agent sharpshooters. They need to get some quality minutes, perhaps toward the end of quarters to establish a rhythm. The last two games for the Sixers have been poor from beyond the arc. Yes, there is a question on defensive issues for Rush and Marshall, but they are true shooters that have a quick release and hopefully DiLeo can put them in a position or get some minutes where they can thrive. Kudos to Marshall for mentoring Speights (as Stefanski mentioned).
What is everyone’s prediction on the 7 Game Homestand? I will go out on a limb and say 6-1 (if the Sixers play consistent basketball) and the one loss is against the Celtics. The Suns game will be a Wild Card because they are inconsistent. But they better REDUCE THOSE TURNOVERS and bettter work on the issues involving THE PERIMETER!!
GO SIXERS!! LET’S GET OUR FANS BACK!!!!
Here is an interesting article from Zumoff regarding Brand
jjg: It was a chippy game in general, I thought. Lots of rough play allowed by the refs on both sides. The fact that it was so hard fought makes it a sweeter W. That and the fact that it was one of their more impressive wins with Brand in the lineup. Where would the Sixers have been at the half without Brand’s 6 blocks? Down 10 or more, most likely.
Tony DiLeo gave the Sixers Thursday off because they didn’t get home from Houston until almost 4 a.m.
I talked to him this afternoon and he said starting Brand Friday vs. Washington “might be a bit premature.”
DiLeo also said he could start Green some games and Young some games after Brand is back starting, depending if that night’s opponent has big or small wing players.
Morty, Agree. A lot of welts after that one. Entertaining battle that could very well have gone for naught were it not for Iggy’s ‘hands down and pumpin’ corner shot … gotta love that theatre. Brand’s blocks came at important times; in terms of grit, his best effort to date. Sam’s fevered draping of himself over polite Yao was central … showed no mercy throughout. Can’t wait to see him push Shaq around.
Was surprised Barry was a DNP after having shot well against Sixers earlier; a well-placed, fresh-legged J shooter might’ve done the trick against a packed in, physical defense in waning minutes of a long night (and dry 4th Q).
And Deke and Sam locking horns would’ve been icing on the cake. But it was not to be.
Tom Moore– thanks for the update. Tony DiLeo knows how to coach and I like the fact that he is willing to change the starting rotations based on who our opposition is. That is great!
Also, I think we have to give Elton Brand a lot of credit for being a professional, doing whatever it takes to be a part of the team.
1) Signed here for less money to win, as opposed to signing with the Warriors for more money. “Philly Max”.
2) Rebounding and defensive wise is great as advertized.
3) His rebounding has helped us continue being a great rebounding team.
4) The game v.s the Clippers did not give him butterflies and hit the game winner!
5) Willing to accept that he has to adapt to the team’s style of play.
6) Took his time to return to the court, while the team is hot.
7) Brand has been “organic” as he manages to adapt to the team, especially defensively. His offense yesterday was certainly needed against a grindout team like the Rockets. (Three defenders against Brand and still muscles in for some tough buckets.)
8) 4-1 under Tony DiLeo with Brand on the active roster
Tom: You’ve got the inside dope, so tell us honestly: does Willie have photos on Ed Snider, and would Snider be arrested if they came to light?
Morty,
Willie Green is a 43% shooter, has 41 TOs, plays respectable defense.
Lou Williams is a 40% shooter, has 82 TOs, is a sieve defensively.
[Minutes played, very close]
Willie’s reported 2009 salary, with 5 years experience, is $3,388,000.
Lou’s reported 2009 salary, with 3 years experience, is $4,500,000.
If you’re gonna lay it on Willie, it would only be fair to bash Lou too.
Or does he get a waiver for high style and a high school diploma?