The game we've all had circled on our calendars since the Sixers shipped Marreese Speights off to Memphis earlier this year has finally arrived.
Ok, maybe that's not the case. Speights has generally played poorly for the Grizzlies since being traded there, averaging 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game sporting a woeful 47.2% true shooting percentage. But you know Speights is eager to show Doug Collins that he made a mistake. Speights didn't see any minutes in the Sixers first 4 games before being traded for a bag of basketballs. That probably means he is ready to shoot a plethora of 18 foot jumpers tonight.
To Speights credit, he's been playing better of late after it began to look like he was close to losing his starting job. Speights is averaging 12.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game over his last 8 games, shooting 54.2% from the field over that stretch (while averaging 0.8 assists per game, 0.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks. Indifference!). Perhaps most impressive is he's been shooting more near the rim of late, getting shots off of offensive rebounds, pick and rolls, and off his teammates dribble penetration. Speights always had the skills to play that kind of role offensively, but then somebody showed him the 18 foot jumper and completely derailed his career.
It's been marked on my schedule since the beginning of the season, but today is finally the day Ricky Rubio showers us with smiles and hair flips as the Sixers head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Kevin Love and his facestomping ways are enjoyable as well, but it's the Spaniard with his absurd 39.6% AST% that's got me giggling.
The Wolves are coming off two easy wins against punching bag Charlotte and Houston, the latter of which saw both Kevin Love and NIKOLA PEKOVIC score over 30. The last time the Sixers had a player score over 30 was at least five Doctor Who's ago. The Wolves had two in one game. Thus, they are better and the Sixers are terrible, trade everyone.
I do love the young talent on Minnesota, though defense is decidedly not their forte, it's gotten markedly better than in years past. Led by stability at the point guard position (if inefficient shooting), dominant rebounding from Love, and the tremendous improvements of the previously mentioned PEK (watch that video), this team is definitely shooting upwards. Once Derrick Williams figures out how to play in the NBA, Rubio makes a few shots, and Wesley Johnson does....anything, this is a dangerous team.
Tonight though, I'm looking forward to seeing how Doug Collins opts to handle KLove. Similar to Dirk two nights ago, Thaddeus Young should see a lot of time on him, but he's not nearly as agile or dangerous off the dribble so Elton Brand could see more time on him. Rubio's just going to be fun to watch.
If you're looking for reasons why the sky isn't falling, read this, but if ranting and statistical anomalies fit your fancy, give this a look. To sum everything up, the Sixers have been bad, but they're never as great as they look when they're winning and never as bad as they look when they're losing. Somewhere in the middle means they have a good shot to win a second round matchup this season.
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Coming off an extremely ugly loss at the hands of the icy-hot shooting Orlando Magic, the Sixers will be looking for another statement win to prove that - hey, we're still pretty good! Dallas hasn't been nearly as filthy as last season, but they're still 4th in the West and riding a 5-game winning streak and Marc Cuban's pony into town. I spoke with (t)Jonathan Tjarks from SBN Dallas and after we settled our football differences under the fact that the Giants suck, we talked about the game.
Read my answers to his questions here.
LB: Dallas is holding opponents to a startling 41.7% from the field. How has the defense gotten better since last season?
I'm not going to lie, that statistic really surprised me. The additions of Odom and West have really improved the team's overall athleticism, especially on the second unit, but I'd say any improvement is probably more a function of offense being down across the board b/c of the lockout. When Haywood is in the game, the Mavericks are really vulnerable to dribble-penetration and that will be exposed at some point in the playoffs.
The 20-9 Philadelphia 76ers will take the floor in Orlando on Wednesday for a game against Dwight Howard and the Magic. These two teams met a little over two weeks ago in Philadelphia, where the Sixers won 74-69. Despite the final margin the Sixers dominated the second half and led by 69-51 with 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining. At that point, the game was over, but the Magic were able to trim the lead in the final minutes, capped off by a J.J. Reddick three at the buzzer for the backdoor cover.
The Sixers' lackadaisical play in the final three minutes left coach Doug Collins steamed and you may remember the obscenities lip-read 'round the world that Collins shouted in the general direction of Evan Turner after the game, which prompted E.T. to spike a towel in frustration. Correlation or not, Evan's minutes have slightly diminished since the incident.
The Philadelphia 76ers will look for their 20th win of the season when they travel to Charlotte to face the Bobcats Monday night. Last year they didn't record their 20th victory until game 45; tonight is the 29th game of the season.
Charlotte is easily the worst team in the NBA with a record of 3-24 and 14 consecutive losses – 9 of the last 11 by at least 10 points. They rank dead last in rebounding rate and offensive efficiency, and 29th (out of 30) in defensive efficiency.
D.J. Augustin and Derrick Brown are the only two players on the Bobcats roster with an above average PER (player efficiency rating), and Augustin has missed the last 10 games with a broken big toe - he won't play tonight either. Gerald Henderson will also miss tonight's game with a hamstring injury. Spencer Hawes is still out for the Sixers.
The 18-8 Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to avenge a recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs as they face off against Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the 15-8 Los Clippers tonight. Like the Sixers, the Clippers are also coming off a loss, to the Cleveland Cavilers, on Wednesday night. Tonight's game represents the fourth of a seven-game road trip for the Clippers. For the Sixers, this the seventh of a season-defining eight-game stretch, in which they're 4-2 thus far.
Jrue Holiday and the Sixers were manhandled by Tony Parker in their Wednesday night loss, and it won't get any easier when the best point guard in the NBA, Chris Paul, enters the Wells Fargo Cenger. After being traded to the Lakers during the off-season, then sent back to the Hornets, only to be traded to the Clippers a few days later, Paul is having an unbelievable season and, along with Blake Griffin, has turned the perpetual losers, the LA Clippers, into a first place team and serious title contender.
CP3 ranks third overall in PER, fourth among PGs in true shooting percentage, third overall in assist rate, third overall in steal percentage and third among qualified players in win shares per 48. He also leads the league in assist:turnover ratio at 4:3:1. Any way you slice it, Paul is the best point guard in the league and neck-and-neck with LeBron as frontrunner for MVP. Jrue Holiday and the Sixers D are going to have their handful tonight, especially after their abysmal showing against Tony Parker.
Fresh off Saturday's 98-87 thumping of the Hawks in Atlanta, a brief road interlude on what would otherwise be a 10 game homestand, the Sixers return home to take on the Lakers for the final three games in the friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center before playing 7 of their next 8 on the road.
The next three games will all be against quality opponents with the Lakers, Spurs, and Clippers coming into Philly, even if the Lakers are somewhat struggling at the time. The Lakers have gone 4-5 over their last 9 games.
That being said, the Lakers present some tough matchups for the Sixers inside, and this will be one of the games playing Thad at the 4 will be challenging. As much as any time in recent memory, this game is less about stopping Kobe Bryant and more about stopping Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum down low.
UPDATE: Spencer Hawes says he's playing tonight!!!
DOUBLE UPDATE: Elton Brand is OUT with a sprained thumb. Lavoy Allen will start in his place.
Less than 24 hours after completely falling apart against the Miami Heat in the 4th quarter, the Sixers scurry to Atlanta to face the Hawks team they beat two weeks ago. If you recall, the Sixers mounted a 51-29 second half bruising to down Atlanta minus Al Horford. Well, they're still without Horford and will be for a while, but the team hasn't been suffering as much as previously thought.
Tied with the Sixers for 4th in the East with a 16-7 record, Atlanta has won 7 of its last 10 games, riding some pretty stellar play out of Jeff Teague, selected only two picks after a certain Jrue Holiday in the 2009 NBA Draft. Teague was held mostly in check by Jrue last time the teams met, scoring 12 on 10 shots and 6 assists to 2 turnovers. He did pester Jrue on the other end though, forcing 5 turnovers from the normally conservative Holiday.
Though the boys are certainly winded from chasing LeBron James and Dwyane Wade (and Mike Miller, Norris Cole, and Mario Chalmers), at least Elton Brand and Nikola Vucevic didn't play too many minutes. It'll be interested to see what a rested Vuce can do tonight, though there's no telling how much Collins will play him. The Hawks interior is extremely vulnerable and taking it to the basket will be a big key to winning the game.
Here's hoping for a big game from Thaddeus Young, who always seems to be pesky on the offensive glass against Atlanta. Who else is primed for a big night?
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