In what may have been the sleepiest game of the season thus far, the Spencer Hawes-less Sixers spiked the Cleveland Cavaliers minus Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao. The 76ers yawned their way to a 15 point second quarter win and never looked back. In fairness to the Cavs, they were without their two best players and are forced to play their home games in Cleveland. Bummer.
There were some good things and some bad touches tonight, as there always are, and I will outline them below, using as many incorrect usages of the word "Cavalier" as I possibly can in honor of Marc Zumoff and Malik Rose. Plow ahead.
Jrue Holiday finally relented to our constant urgings and found himself at the foul line a season-high 8 times on the night. This is good. The stats reflect it, with Jrue scoring 20 points (superstar) on just 13 shots and dishing out five assists to no turnovers. 9 of his 13 shots were taken within 10 feet of the basket, and it's amazing how much difference that makes. With a team-leading 35 minutes, Jrue cavaliered his way to his most efficient game of the season. Hopefully this continues.
The team took 30 foul shots tonight, one shy of their cavalier high. Three guys (Jrue, Louis Williams, Elton Brand) had over 7 FTs, the first time that's happened all season. They responded by making 23 of them, good for a 76.7% and the admiration of all fans everywhere. They should be better from the line, but as we said earlier today, it hasn't made much of a difference thus far. Free throws are just an easy, tangible stat to point to that "proves" why they won/lost a game. They're important, but extrapolated over the season so far, the issue is the lack of attempts, not the percentage of makes.
In other news, the team is still cavalier at not turning the ball over, Evan Turner is still outside pawing at his wet food and looking for his bone, the Night Shift outscored everyone, and Andre Iguodala took 5 shots (5 too many if you ask me, heh heh), blending into the general sleepwalkingness that was tonight's win. But a win's a win and there are a few other points with which I'd like to share.
Sorry for being so cavalier about this recap. Hope no Cavs fans are offended and that Kyrie Irving gets better soon. Your team is infinitely more watchable when Ramon Sessions and Daniel Gibson aren't sharing a backcourt. The Sixers traverse to Charlotte on Monday in search of their 20th win. Five of their six games before the All-Star Break are on the road, where they'll hopefully play some teams that matter that aren't missing any players/coaches/cheerleaders so they can finally put a signature win on their resume. Chicago, Atlanta (twice), LA (purples), Orlando, and Indiana notwithstanding, natch.
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1 recs | 42 comments
Watching this game made me feel cavalier.
Justin F. - February 11, 2012
Issues rebounding
As much as I hate D Howard, do we have any chance of making a play for him? We can’t rebound for shit as proven against the CAVS of all teams. I hate to trade guys who play as a team, but it is the NBA. Can we give Evan (who is not consistent at all), Meeks, Allen (preferably Brand), and two first round picks to get D Howard? I am oblivious to cap considerations, but it is painfully obvious to make a playoff run we need a legit big guy.
Pilgrim34 - February 11, 2012
I think the Sixers would be reluctant to do that for a half season rental. I also think the Magic might rather have the 1st round picks of the Nets and their scumpty billions in expirings. It would be nice to not have to worry so much about the glass. Going into the post season with Hawes/Brand/Thad as your top of the BIG rotation means we will continue to give up O boards. I think that becomes a bigger problem in the post season than now, when we are often playing lesser teams.
wannabgm - February 11, 2012
Holiday was the Jrueth last night. So if the Knicks were to offer Lin straight up for Jrue (completely hypothetical and less likely than Clarence Witherspoon returning to glory) but you had to take the deal today, would you take it? Would you?
Blunt Philly Guy - February 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Anyone who would trade away Jrue for Lin after only 5 games needs to stop watching too much sportcenter.
tk76 - February 12, 2012
You are an idiot for even asking that
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
He scored 20points last night!!! On 8/24 shooting!!! Yay! He’s an allstar!
He’s basically turned into carmelo with his high usage, and remember, this is before he makes it to a lot of scouting reports. Let’s see how he adjusts once carmelo comes back and doesnt let him touch the ball, and defenses learn how to stop him.
jefu - February 12, 2012 via mobile
To be fair that was his first inefficient scoring night as a starter.
yosoysean - February 12, 2012
Right, so toward the end of the game when he was 8/19 somehow he found it necessary to take five more shots.
Im not hating (although he does play for the knicks) im just not believing. four games are a small sample size.
jefu - February 12, 2012 via mobile
I agree with the not believing. But he has been extremely good in his few starts. I just wanted to point out that the bad shooting night that you mentioned was the only bad one of the five starts he’s had.
Though who else on that team is going to take shots right now? 8 players played for the Knicks yesterday: Lin, Tyson Chandler, Landry Fields, Jared Jefferies, Bill Walker, Mike Bibby, Iman Shumpert, and Steve Novak. Not exactly much offensive firepower.
I don’t see him having as much of an impact when he’s not taking the shots. His assist-to-turnover ratio is pretty terrible for a PG. He has been racking up some steals though. I don’t know if it’s him taking risks or if he’s actually a good defender.
yosoysean - February 12, 2012
I dont usually like to associate steals with good defense. Wuth that said, youre right in that there really arent other guys capable and worthy of taking shots.
With his high a/to ratio im wondering if he’ll produce as much once he’s taking less shots.
jefu - February 12, 2012 via mobile
He’s only faced one good defense & one average defense so far. The good defense(the Lakers) happened to be a good matchup for him since they have Derek Fisher starting still(they are rumored to want Sessions from the Cavs don’t know why they haven’t made that deal yet) & the average defense(Minnesota) who doesn’t have a old PG who sucks at defense he has his worst game
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
Contrary to popular opinion
Rubio is actually a pretty good defender
YBT - February 12, 2012
I didn't say Rubio was a bad defender I said Derek Fisher was
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
misread you…my bad
YBT - February 12, 2012
He’s a poor man’s Nash in a system and a situation that maximizes his talents. I’d stop watching Sixers basketball for a few years if that trade happened. I wonder what I would do with my time? I don’t think I’d want to take up all the responsibilities I’ve been shirking. Badminton with old dudes?
wannabgm - February 12, 2012
Are you kidding me? 0% I would ever do that deal… this is one of the dumbest things i’ve ever seen on this site
Djax10 - February 12, 2012
Nope.
Absolutely, definitely not.
Justin F. - February 12, 2012
Im cracking up from the missaneli piece on philly.com
according to him we need to trade for a guy like paul pierce who can hit the big shots, and also due to the lockout it’s impossible to tell what teams are actually good.
jefu - February 12, 2012 via mobile
Yes, trade for a clutch 34 year old and hopefully sign him for 4 years. That way wee can be clutch and gritty. (sarcasm)
It is odd how the media forget that players don’t earn that “clutch” label until they win several years in the playoffs. So to say any of the Sixers young players are or are not clutch is way premature. And to want to overpay a second level older superstar because they hit some big shots in their late 20’s and early 30’s is absurd. And put some of these current Sixers on a high profile team and I bet they would gain the “clutch” label quickly… heck, put them in NY and they will me media sensations… Lou Will would win some games and suddenly be a star who came “from nowhere” (since South Philly is nearly parts unknown in the NBA.)
I’m not against acquiring a good vet player- I’d certainly sign a guy like Ray Allan to a reasonable deal because he is a pure shooter. But trying to add a “clutch” player is chasing a false pretense. For example, Barea was “clutch” for the Mavs last year. He is all of the sudden a whole lot less clutch on the T-Wolves (shooting 30% from 3 and 35% overall.) Did he leave his clutch gene in Dallas, or maybe playing for a vet star team had something to do with it?
tk76 - February 12, 2012
The media also doesn’t know how to determine “clutchness”. They see a guy make a bunch of game winners but don’t realize that he’s missed twice as many as he’s made in the same situation. See: Bryant, Kobe.
yosoysean - February 12, 2012
lol I hate casual, dumb, NBA fans
jrb5094 - February 12, 2012
At the risk of sounding like one, I would have maybe pulled off a trade for him back when the Celts were playing poorly. I’d rather pay him this year, and the two after that, then Thad, Lou, and Hawes all on 8 million dollar deals. Pierce, despite being ancient, is still pretty darn good. If you’re lucky enough to get one more high quality year out of him, then you trade his expiring.
wannabgm - February 12, 2012
He wants to trade Dre for him no way should we make that trade
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
Agreement. That trade doesn’t make a ton of sense. Trading for Pierce just to lose Iggy doesn’t really improve our post season aspirations all that much.
wannabgm - February 17, 2012
the casual, dumb fans wouldn’t be playing Jodie Meeks over Evan Turner, so they aren’t as dumb as you think they are.
splinter27 - February 12, 2012
I’m still wanting to see ET play well against longer defenders.
I don’t understand why ET can defend big, athletic SF’s, but he can’t seem to score against them- or maybe I have not paid attention to when he has done this. To my eye it seems like his offense works best when he is being guarded by a smaller player- and that has been the case since college.
I appreciate what ET brings, but he looks to be very much still a work in progress. Keep giving him his 20+ minutes a game to learn to be more efficient on the floor and hope he becomes their Harden (or better) or maybe can replace Iggy or Lou when they are gone.
The problem right now is that the Sixers have too many players with poor TS% and low eFG%. Iguodala, Jrue and ET do not get to the line enough. But at least Iggy and Jrue hit enough 3’s to get a respectable eFG%. You need at least some semblance of floor balance, and Meeks at least provides that as the only guy with a reasonable eFG% and TS%. And you don’t need a great defender with your 3rd best perimeter defender most nights.
TS%:
Meeks 60%
Iggy 53%
Lou 53%
ET 51% (which is nearly league average of 52% and much better than 48% last year)
Jrue 49.5% (down from 53% the prior 2 years)
eFG%
Meeks 57%
Iggy 50.5%
ET 48% (again, much improved from 43% last year)
Jrue: 47%
Lou 47%
So looking at the numbers you can see ET has made huge strides in his shooting efficiency (by scoring more in the lane, since neither his 3pt% and 16-23ft % is improved.) You can make a decent argument for him taking more minutes from Lou, Jrue or Iguodala. But Meeks is their only player who spreads the floor, so I still don’t see how playing Turner in place of Meeks works in terms of the team concept.
tk76 - February 12, 2012
I think ET would be perfect in the 6th man role with how it’s constructed right now then he can backup all 3 spots on the perimeter. Then hopefully in the draft if he doesn’t go in the lottery we could trade up for someone like Terrence Ross
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
I would not mind them trading Lou and letting ET step into those minutes. Lou will likely be up for a raise after this year assuming he opts out of his final year (which makes sense given the cap goes down after next year.
I’m not sure ET would want the Harden role long term, but he would work well in it for another 2 seasons until Iguodala expires.
tk76 - February 12, 2012
With three other guys shooting near 40% from 3 land, how is Meeks the only one who spreads the floor? People are jumping out on Lou bigtime, now. And if Jrue is taking catch and shoot jumpers from 3 land, he’s probably close to as effective as Meeks…..moreso in the game’s crucial moments.
Also, this only takes into account the offensive end of the floor. Anyone who thinks our defense is better with Meeks on the floor, I just don’t get it. Weirdly enough, Collins himself seems to be of that opinion at times.
wannabgm - February 17, 2012
I will copy and paste my own post from a couple of days ago in case some haven’t read it.
The team has been playing (much) better this season when Iguodala is paired with Meeks than when he’s paired with Turner.
yosoysean - February 12, 2012
That’s because Turner is playing with Lou whereas Meeks is playing with Jrue. Lou brings down the team with his gunslinging. Turner has had the joy of playing with Lou for almost 500 minutes.
splinter27 - February 13, 2012
Good point. When it’s Jrue/AI9/ET the pus/minus and win percentages are pretty good. When Jrue is taken out for Lou in that threesome, the numbers go south.
wannabgm - February 17, 2012
SIGN ROBERT HORRY!!!
dweebowitz - February 12, 2012
Trade for Billups. Sure, he can’t walk but he is money.
tk76 - February 12, 2012
Allen is a free agent this year right? I wonder if he would leave Boston to come here? I love Jodie & think people hate on him a little to much sometimes when Turner doesn’t get to play a lot of minutes but I’d have to move him to the Night Shift if Allen were willing to come here on a reasonable deal
KJ Brophy - February 12, 2012
Missaneli
he needs to shut it and stick to football
YBT - February 12, 2012
I love Mikey Miss’s show but he’s a casual basketball fan who doesn’t realize that he really has no knowledge of the game.
The Crooked Man - February 12, 2012
Missaneli
He’s the most entertaining on the Fanatic..and by far the most knowledgeable on basketball matters, but he still doesn’t know shit. I like that he’s a LeBron fan though. On similar matters, Charles Barkley I don’t think is all that of an analyst myself.
YBT - February 12, 2012
Tristan Thompson really impressed me defensively.
secondroundpick - February 12, 2012
doesn't surprise me
that was the rap on him since he was still in college. Now Christian Eyenga on the other hand, he was all LAWAD on ET, that surprised me
YBT - February 12, 2012
is it at all ironic that before the clippers game i rode listening to WDAS singing unshamefully whitney houston’s “are you really ready for love boy?” replacing the last two words in the phrase with LAVOY. just something i thought about deeply last night as i dont listen to whitney that often. rest in peace.
J.Michael Woodson - February 12, 2012
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