Ugh that was a tough loss. This is clearly the series of game winners and Orlando got theirs last night. 2-2 going back to Orlando is not ideal but it means nothing more than we have to win a 3 game series without home court. Doable!
Analyzing Game 4 Using the 6 Keys
Put up more shot attempts.
- Sixers: 80
- Magic: 70
Plus 10
Force turnovers and take care of the ball yourself.
- Sixers: 10
- Magic: 11
Minus 1
Control the boards with a team approach.
- Sixers: 43
- Magic: 37
Plus 6 and plus 7 on the offensive end.
No more “hope” perimeter defense.
- Magic FG%: 47.1%
- Magic 3pt%: 30% (6-20)
Foul Dwight Howard.
6-12 from the line. Beautiful. Howard had a nice 18-18-3 game. But his biggest impact was in controlling the paint and scaring would be Sixers penetration back the other way.
We must continue to attack him. Force him to make defensive play, after defensive play – without fouling.
Take Hedo Turkoglu out of the game
I will continue to harp on it. We can not let Hedo get into a groove and Iguodala must dominate this match-up for the Sixers to win. I do not think Orlando can survive if that happens. Last night he broke out in a big way.
8-11 from the field (more made shots than the first 3 games combined) 17 points and one huge three ball. What was different in this game than the previous three games? Was he simply just making shots or did Van Gundy do what he said he needed to do (see the etc.) which was put Turk and Lewis in better position to score?
Game 2 Specifics
The defense did enough to win the game. When you hold an opponent to 84 points you should win the game. And I can’t really say we got a typicallt bad Sixers shooting game either because we didn’t at all.
I have two images I think depict why the Sixers lost the best.
Normally we are complaining about the lack of perimeter shooting particular behind the arc. Well the Sixers were 8-19 from behind the arc and held a 6 point advantage on three point shots. If you look at the image to the right (click to enlarge) they made some jumpers as well. That wasn’t the observable problem for me.
I went in search of some numbers and here’s what I found. The Sixers had 21 fast break points but only 26 points in the paint. Now I won’t assume all 21 fast break points were lay-ups or dunks but a good portion were. So the big question: Where are all the points in the paint? We average 35 points in the paint per game. To me it just looks like we weren’t aggressive enough driving the ball, the Magic’s half court defense was just phenomenal and we simply just missed some good shots, which leads to the next image…
Look at all the missed shots in and around the lane within that 15-foot range (image to the right, click to enlarge). Orlando had 7 blocks so that certainly had a lot to do with it, but you can clearly see what a game looks like when Andre Miller and Thaddeus Young don’t shoot well. Those are our two best mid-range players and they missed 23 shots combined (12-35). If you take away Thad’s threes which he shot well on (3-4) he was only 3-13 inside the arc.
That game came down to not converting. All the numbers suggest the Sixers should have won that game except the most important one – the final score. Didn’t convert enough makeable baskets in the Sixers scoring zone – 15-feet and in.
Random stuff
While I am not at all in the “Iguodala had a terrible game” camp, I am also not in the he had an excellent game camp either. His game was okay and along with others not enough to win. Two of his shots were half court heaves you can throw them away. His end game shot I would not. It was a couple steps behind the arc and makeable.
By the way, why are we completely incapable of getting a catch closer to the basket or for a cleaner look in those situations? If you watched the Boston game they had a great in-bound play that got Ray Allen a weakly contest three on a back screen and direct skip from out of bounds to the opposite corner. I have no idea why we aren’t taking notes and stealing from them in those situation because they are very good.
Sam had another good game, hopefully he can continue to keep his activity level high and stay on the floor.
Lou Williams still stinks. While I acknowledge he made one and half good plays late (kick out to Iguodala for three and a made 2.9 shot attempt that only counted for 2 from the corner – dude get behind the line) he also had two fourth quarter turnovers and one unforgivable weak foul only to compound his initial mistake.
We’ll try again tomorrow. I still feel like we haven’t even come close to seeing Orlando’s best game and I am not sure we will. But if we do is it even possible for us to beat them if they play to their full potential and we play to our full potential?
Next Game: Tuesday in Orlando at 7:30
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
“Two of his shots were half court heaves you can throw them away. His end game shot I would not. It was a couple steps behind the arc and makeable.”
A couple steps behind the line, with two men on him and 1.1 seconds to get it off. I think makeable is a pretty liberal interpretation there.
Personally, I think under the circumstances (being doubled like that all night long), he had a great game. I mean, the alternative was for him force up another 10 shots and finish maybe 7 for 20, if he was lucky.
How are you feeling about the series now? Toss-up, leaning toward Orlando? Sixers have a 50/50 shot? Orlando’s going to win?
Brian – You are right it was liberal but 1.1 seconds, with the luxury of inbounding on your half of the court is not dire straights either and enough time to make a winning play/shot. We gotta send the Sixers some better side-out plays!
About double teams. I am slightly torn on that subject of Iguodala being double teamed a lot (teams best player in general), leaning more to giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. I mean for now it’s okay but that can’t be an excuse for weak scoring games ongoing. If we want to assume Iguodala is already or will soon be an elite/great player he needs to be able to get/make more good shots and/or more FTA even when double teamed to go along with his assists. We don’t make the “oh he was double teamed all game” excuse for other elite players because it happens all the time. I just hope he gets used to it and can remain a multi-faceted offensive player (score and pass). Because when you see your guys not making shots sometimes that great player needs to just got do it himself regardless of being doubled. But I am not sure he is built like that offensively.
I am in a weird place right now. On the one hand I honestly keep waiting for the Sixers to run out of gas (i.e. stop making winning plays at the end of close contests). On the other hand I think Orlando, while talented are weak mentally as a whole and lack a champions mentality which is why they have yet to impose their talent on us more (credit to the Sixers for not making it easy for them to do so).
I’d say at best we are 60/40 to win and more likely 45/55 to lose only because they have home court and historically home court matters.
Dannie, There’s a big difference between “terrible game” and “chump[in'] out.” The first is a low-end qualifier of your imagination and application. The latter (my characterization of Iguodala’s approach last night) refers to a psychological/emotional softness (a reserve, if you will) that he had on display for a significant portion of the game from the jump, one that contributed to the loss. He took the easy way out in Game 4, serving the ball to others, compiling decent across-the-board numbers, playing not poorly, but certainly not with #1 player/leader initiative until the closing minutes. He isn’t paid handsomely to be Guy Rodgers when the season’s on the line, distributing the ball so that others may finish. Dwight Howard was in his head and he backed off, settled for clever. Not a good development. Redemption opportunity tomorrow night though.
Lovetron, Turkoglu wasn’t saying “look at me” by thumbing out “ORLANDO.”
It’s called team pride. Hedo knows the game, doesn’t try to play beyond his means or publicly glorify his individual self. You need to brush up on your interpretive powers.
A good back and forth on jumping and passing, as a coach of youth basketball I was one to bring this to the attention of the kids early. The pass to Sam was luck, pure and simple, I was in Iggy!s line of sight and that was a last second adjustment, but it got there. Jumpin, having Iggy force things is not what I want to see and until we put shooters around him we will struggle to score when teams pack it in. Howard wasn!t the issue last night, he couldn!t get near the lane with all the help sliding towards him everytime he had the ball. A.Miller tried to force shots a couple of times with bad results and it accomplished nothing.
jjg: IMHO, running 40 feet down the court with your shirt puffed out shows up the other team, whether or not the emphasis is on the team or the individual. Maybe I need to brush up on interpreting gestures (I don’t claim to understand any of the gestures players make today), but I would still be willing to wager that if Iguodala had done the same thing, you would have roundly criticized him for it.
Will our experienced guys come through Game 5,6, or even 7? (Marshall, Ratliff, or even Rush).
Those guys played a lot of games like that and have been past the first round in their careers. In fact, they have played huge roles to winning those games in their careers.
Stan Van Gundy is still the master of panic. The pressure is on the Magic since they were the favorite to begin with. The Sixers MUST not press or feel too tense early on!!
I felt like Lou was trying to make the home run plays in both Game 2 and 4. Instead, he has to let the game come to him and take it to the hoop FIRST, then shoot the jump shot in rhythm.
Which Willie Green will show up, Game 1&2 or Game 3&4? I hope the second choice.
Again, our bench MUST come out big, especially our experienced guys if we want to make things interesting!
The Sixers MUST continue the perimeter defense and not let up. The 3rd quarter is the key!!
People on ESPN think this series will go 7 games and say if the Sixers win it would be in 7. But that’s just them.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=nba&pollId=70615
GO SIXERS!!
DD Love From Overton– Hopefully, the Sixers will remember THAT gesture and use it as fuel for the fire. In fact, VanGundy had the guts to rip Tracy McGrady in an article Dannie attached from the Orlando Sentinel. Point is for both teams, they better keep their mouths shut! Words are weapons.
GO SIXERS!! SHUT DOWN TURKOGLU!!
unfortunately i think yesterday’s game was the difference between winning in 6 and losing in 7.
jjg, did you even watch the game? every time iguodala drove he was drawing contact but not getting any calls. they were doubling him the entire night. after he saw he wasn’t getting any calls he went into distributor mode. why would he try to force things when nothing was there for him? i’d rather him dish out 10 assists for 20 points then take 10 shots & miss 7 or 8 of them, for only like 6 points. the difference between last year & this year is that now he knows how to remain effective if the opponent is keying in on stopping him from scoring.
Mike, Yes, I watched the game. Yes, Iguodala was getting closer attention by a healthier-footed Turkoglu, and was double-teamed at times. You’re right, forcing bad shots up isn’t a good idea. It’s my read though that the 1st 2 defensive factors were aided and abetted by his awareness of big, young number 12 waiting in the paint to contest his shots, and that Iguodala considered that considerable factor to the point of it turning him into a distributor, rather than a game-changer. My questions to you: Did you observe his general demeanor throughout the game? Did you find it winning? I didn’t.
Willie has to work on his hand jive and raise that relatively low SG FT % to 78-80 next year. (No reason why he couldn’t.) Those 2 late misses hurt.
i just think he did everything in his power to help his team win, based on the way orlando was defending him. he didn’t have a great game, but i think he has proven to be the 2nd best player on the court (howard) this series. no one seems to give him any credit for his lockdown defense either.
and if the defensive player of the year is waiting for you in the paint, along with 1 or 2 other defenders, why would you force shots? especially if you are drawing contact but not being rewarded by the refs? it’s not being intimated at that point imo, it’s just smart basketball to set your teammates up for easy baskets instead.
Andre Miller has never been on a playoff series winner. Why do you suppose that is? (Odds are the streak will continue.)
Donyell Marshall can still shoot it, but he can hardly bend at the waist anymore.
In playoffs, Thad Young is young Thad (game winner aside).
Andre Iguodala’s soft-spoken, intelligent post-game commentary starkly contrasts his usually rambunctious game.
Sam. Is he still on the team?
Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooou.
Georgia peachfuzz, opponent enabler.
Willie for President in ‘16. “A great country starts with a strong defense and contributions from every man, regardless of stature.”
Where’s Waldo, er, Marreese?
Ratliff strongly contributed, but wasn’t great in ‘99; fill in the blank for ‘09, 10 years down the line.
Ivey: poison to offense unless he’s hitting his 3 point stab; energetic defensively though, doesn’t give an inch.
Rush: Why did Sixers sign him? As insurance, in case one of their shooters went down?
Evans: beard makes him look like “Old Scratch” and play makes him look overmatched; missed his calling at defensive end.
Mike, I see where you’re coming from. OK, not intimidated. Will you give me dissuaded? As I’ve said, his performance was somewhat productive, just not enough. His defense comes and goes in my opinion. I’ve commented enough on him for now.
jjg, Evans’ beard is hilarious. He looks so goofy running around the court complaining of a foul right after he missed a lay up. Although no one can beat Sammy’s braids that one time. Uhhhh.
Jumpin, are the Sixers over or under achieving in your opinion? I am real happy that the effort has been there every night, unlike during the year and I am happy our young guys are contributing. To turn your words around; what has D.Howard won and id Lewis [off court issues aside] earning his 17 mill. . It goes both ways don!t you think.
jjg, i’m inclined to agree about andre miller. don’t get me wrong, the sixers wouldn’t even be competitive without him right now. but he seems to take bad shots or commit dumb turnovers in crunch time. as you said, there is a reason he has never contributed to a winning playoff team.
but when Sam has played this series he has done a tremendous job on howard, imo. he just needs to play smart and find a way to stay on the court w/o picking up stupid fouls. he will always have low basketball IQ. that isn’t changing.
a guy sitting in the row behind me last night was whining the entire game about how iguodala is overpaid for someone who is not a superstar, which is a huge misconception imo. first of all it’s the NBA, where everyone is overpaid anyway. it’s why there will probably be a lockout in 2 years.
anyway, he signed a 6yr $80mill contract, which people think means he is making superstar money. well he made $11.3mill this season, and won’t make $13 mill until 2011/12. he is basically being paid the same amount as Dalembert over the next 2 seasons. some players who made more $ than Iguodala this season include Iverson, Kidd, Jermaine Oneal, McGrady, Shaq, Marbury, Steve Francis, Marion, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Redd, Bibby, Vince Carter, Kirilenko, Zach Randolph, Lamar Odom, Ben Wallace, Arenas, Brad Miller, Kenyon Martin, Wally Sczerbiak, Larry Hughes, Rasheed Wallace, Raef LaFrentz, Brand, Peja, Jason Richardson, and Richard Jefferson. you could make a legitimate argument that Iguodala was more productive than every single one of those guys.
wow is there nothing positive to say? if the difference between a loss and a win in this series is just one last second shot, then does it also imply that our moods are that fickle? are we gonna argue over the fundamentally soundness of a jump pass? I still remember clearly when the Sixers were stinking it up. I dunno what happens in this series but I am satisfied to see them playing at a high level (for them). I am going to have faith in them for once and hope they can pull out another one. So far they havent backed off, it probably wont happen now.
GO SIXERS!
guest: can’t get that Sammy braids image outta my head now…look what you’ ve done! along with Turk’s fish-face, EWW!
As far as A.Miller, the list is long of p.g.!s who never won a title. I, for one, would go to war with him anytime. He forces some shots for this group because it is needed and if with the Lakers I am sure he would defer to the proper teammates. His defense is lacking do to age and quickness, not because he doesn!t give effort. Watching how Billups is outplaying C.Paul in this year!s playoffs shows me what A.Miller was up against last year. I went in to the playoffs thinking a new p.tg. is needed here, but he is making a case, at a reasonable price, to be brought back and in a smaller role [28 min.?] tutoring our next p.g., hopefully a defensive type.
Dannie: excellent post using the shots made/missed diagrams. u can almost see the game playing out in ur head.
What the Sixers need to do to win the series:
-continue defending the perimeter throughout
-2nd and 3rd quarters
-bench production (especially Lou)
-get to the line more
-quiet the Magic crowd once again
-play through the no-calls on Howard
What the Magic need to do to win the series:
-take care of business at home
-not panic
-move the ball more
-limiting free throw attempts
-bench?
The Sixers have broken the ties twice, at 0-0 and 1-1. Can they do it again?
Also, will we see some big production out of Theo Ratliff, Donyell Marshall, or even Kareem Rush, our established vets for Game 5, 6, or even 7? They could be the diffence. Guys could be jittery for both teams during these big games and big moments. They have played in big games and have come through with cold blooded plays.
Stan Van Gundy has encountered familiar territory being when starting a series 0-1. So far, his teams have lost a series when trailing 0-1 whether it be with the Heat or the Magic. His teams would lose a series due to losing two games on their home floor. Stan’s teams inability to give the ball to their dominant centers down the stretch is another big resason why they would lose those series. Maybe some of those nightmares might jump out for Stan.
Let’s give him a scare!!
GO SIXERS!!
Interesting stat from writing of Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel:
Elias Sports Bureau reports that of 145 ‘Best Of 7′ Series tied 2-2, the team that has won Game 5 has gone on to win the Series 121 times (83.4%).