SB Nation - Andre Iguodala

Thoughts on Rockets 96 - 76ers 91 (Aka Game Recap)

Xiane — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:02:07 -0000

Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady is proud to represent the nation of China in the 2009-2010 NBA All-Star Game. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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This game was viewed through the prism of an ill child (nothing serious), so my thoughts are more fragmented that usual. I'll rely more on that last resort of scoundrels, statistics.

When one looks at the 76er starting lineup, it is pretty impressive:

Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Allen Iverson, Samuel Dalembert, Thaddeus Young.

That's a lot of talent, a ton of athletic ability. Elton Brand has in the past, been one of the finest players in the NBA at his position. Iguodala has one of the more well-rounded, athletic and interesting games in the NBA. Iverson, well, he's raging at the dying of the light, at any rate, and he looks to have something left. Yet the Sixers have now lost 12 straight games. Why? I (imagine I) hear you asking. Two words: The Bench.

Players seeing minutes from the Philly bench tonight include: Willie Green (25), Jason Kapono (17), Jrue Holliday (8), Jason Smith (3), Primoz Breszec (5).

Total points in 58 out of 240 possible player minutes? Six. I repeat. S-I-X.

Let's compare that to the Rocket's bench, total points: 46 in 84 player minutes. So Philly's bench scored roughly one point every 9.40 minutes. The Rockets bench scored a point every 1.5 minutes.

This is an object lesson in bench construction (and another reason why "WE © or Ω or √ MOREY" Guess what? No little "heart" thingy.). Houston, with 40% of an NBA payroll, has a bench that, frankly, buried Philly's in this contest.

That is not how the game started. Phily jumped on Houston early, prompting fears of the 76ers once again being a team that's pure poison for the Rockets, no matter how bad they look against the rest of the league. Then the benches matched up, and the Rockets closed a Philly lead that stood at 10 after the first quarter to 3 points at the half.

When outside observers look at the Rockets, I think they often make the mistake of looking at the starting lineup and saying "That's not a high caliber NBA lineup." Well, maybe not (though I disagree). But to understand the Rockets, you have to go 9-10 deep. You could start the Rocket's second unit and give up very little, overall.

The players aren't exactly comparable, with some offering more offense, some defense, so let's look at Win Shares so far in 2009-2010. The typical Rocket starting lineup boasts a 7WS total at this point. The second unit (of 4 players) is contributing 5WS - add an average rating of one starter from the first team and you get a total of 6.4WS for the second unit (as we've yet to see much of Taylor thus far). Point being, the Rockets give up little, or nothing, switching out almost their entire lineup. This, I submit, is a powerful, and under-appreciated, advantage.

Every Philly starter played 34 minutes or more, with the exception of Dalembert, who played 29. Brand logged 43, sitting down 5 minutes of the contest, and Iguodala saw 40. Only Ariza came close to that, going 42.

Notes:

I'm very happy we didn't once again drop a game to the 76ers as we have done so frequently in the past. We need to win every single game against floundering opponents. We're going to struggle to hit .500 against the top teams, so we need to clean up on games against below .500 teams.

Iverson gave young Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks a lesson in drawing fouls and shooting FTs. Lowry is good at it, but AI is the past master, and he put on a "weak contact FT shooting" clinic in the 4th.

Carl Landry is one of the most valuable players in the NBA on a salary/production basis. I'm now surprised when a Landry shot doesn't go in, and the reasons why not usually break down to: uncalled foul on Carl, the shot was a bit out of his range. That's it.

Commenting on the Tracy McGrady All-Star Game "controversy": what would happen if TMac's first 2009-2010 game appearance was in the NBA ASG? Could the Rocket's keep him out of it, if he hadn't played for them to that point, but wanted to play in the ASG?

The Lakers are going for their 11^th straight win tonight. Some Laker apologists have made an interesting argument that LA having 17 of 21 appearances at home to start the year isn't much of an advantage. After their recent run, can this assertion be supported? We'll have to see the record they compile when they actually do leave LA for more than 48 hours at a time to know more.

You know, every time I see those weird Charlie Sheen/Michael Jordan "Haynes Undergarments" ads I think a couple of things:

1. These are terrible ads. Are there two more unlikable pitch men than Pathetic Sheen, and Arrogant Michael Jordan, blowing him off? Who would those pitchmen be?

2. I always imagine Charlie Sheen is the head scout, or cap guru, for the Bobcats. He's trying to get Jordan to pay attention to some mundane franchise detail, like player signings, or budget, and MJ just drives away, late to a tee time.

Surprisingly, the Rockets are not playing a back-to-back on the road Saturday night. Next game vs Toronto in that mysterious and far-away land known as Canada.

Daily Links 12/8

FLCeltsFan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:35:13 -0000

Herald    Young Buck runs wild
Scouting report: Bucks at Celtics
Tim Donaghy has standards, just not high ones Tim Donaghy has standards, just not high ones
Globe     The power of words The power of words
Allen gets defensive
Chat with Gary Washburn right now
Jennings owes a bow to Garnett
Vote for Perk

CelticsBlog     Happy Birthday Larry Legend
Everyone Loves Brandon Jennings
Loy's Place    Celtics Host Bucks Looking for 8th Straight Win
ESPN    Tim Donaghy, disgraced NBA official, sticks to story: Biases helped bets
It's clear Daniels has been hurting
C's climb in power rankings
Garnett named the best in the East
Former Celtic mentored Jennings overseas
Owner sorry for Michael Jordan-Bryon Russell 1-on-1 hoax
Tim Donaghy's claims on trial
Nick Friedell's Blog - What happened?
NBA Basketball Power Rankings
Celtics 17    Iverson scores 11 in inauspicious return
Red's Army     Case of the Mondays: Lakers Lovefest Makes Me Wanna Puke
KG is the Player of the Week
The Morning Dump... Where Ray Gets Defensive
Andre Iguodala nails full court shot
CSNNE    C's Xmas list: Board game
Basketbawful     Happy Birdmas 2009!!
Celtics Hub    Statistical Oddities of Questionable Significance
Everybody Loves Ray
North Station Sports    Dwight Howard has worse hygiene than your garden variety preschooler
Anything Is Possible! KG Wins Player Of The Week
Keep Shooting Ray Ray!
Celtics Town    The Morning Walkthrough: Brandon Jennings was mentored by former Celtic Allan Ray
Is Tim Donaghy lying? Statistics prove it likely
Glen Davis has cast taken off, does 'light work' in practice
Lebron James bashing gone too far
Hardwood Houdini    Kevin Garnett – Hardwood Houdini Player of The Week
Hardwood Houdini NBA Power Rankings
Lex Nihil Novi     Larry v. Magic: Game 6 Preview
Red: Parish Doesn't Take a Back Seat to Anyone
Larry v. Magic: Game 6
Larry v. Magic: Game 6 Post-Mortem
CelticsLife    The decline of the White American NBA Player
More Donaghy
The Rarest of the Rare
What the Hell Happened to...Eric Montross?
Gino's Jungle     Write For Gino's Jungle
One at home then back on the bus.
Celtics Stuff Live    Covering the Celtics the Yahoo! Way V.2
Herald News    CELTIC KNOT:Boston has company at the top of the Eastern Conference
Charlotte Observer    CELTIC KNOT:Boston has company at the top of the Eastern Conference
Newest Bobcat's got your back - always
NESN     Celtics Seeking Eighth Straight Win as Bucks Visit Boston
Bucks' Rookie Star Brandon Jennings Set to Face Celtics
Bleacher Report   NBA Power Rankings: Lakers Still King but Magic, Celtics, Nuggets Closing
How Badly is Rasheed Wallace Out of Shape?
Dimemag      Most Improved NBA Player by Division
Back for the First Time
Slam Online    Phil Jackson on Women in NBA: No Way
Inside Hoops   NBA Rumors: Tuesday, Dec. 8
Patriot Ledger     The Shot heard ’round the Celtics
Cleveland.com    With Shaq and a beefed-up bench, there's plenty to like about the Cleveland Cavaliers
JS Online    Preview: Bucks vs. Celtics
Hoopsworld    NBA Power Rankings
Evan Brunell   The end of the Most Valuable Network, MVN.com
Sports Central     LeBron Develops Kevin Garnett Syndrome
BetUs    NBA Week 6 Hot or Not – Celtics are Back, Cavs Keep Rolling
FanHouse    Rondo Deserves to Be an All-Star
Tim Donaghy on '60 Minutes,' Puts Pressure on NBA
NA Sports     Coach of the Year – Worst. Title. Ever.
Orlando Sentinel    NBA Insider: The New Jersey Nets have sacrificed the present for the future
NBA.com    Kevin Garnett and Carlos Boozer named Players of the Week
My SouthEnd    Last Call for Tony Allen
Mass Live     Celtics buzz: Marquis Daniels out, Tony Allen in, and more
CBS Sports    Bucks-Celtics Preview
Herald Extra     Michael Jordan sighted in Orem for 1-on-1 challenge
American Chronicle      Quite a haul ; The Red Claws open a new era of pro basketball in Maine with a big win in their home opener.
TruFan    Are you ready for Tony Allen?

Iverson returns; Sixers lose 10th straight

jsams — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:35:17 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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Box Score

Even as a non-supporter of the Allen Iverson signing, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of his return tonight. Being a Sixers fan has been pretty depressing lately, so it was refreshing to receive some national attention and see more than 600 people in the Wachovia Center. I got chills during introductions and I got chills watching Iverson score his first bucket. His presence clearly inspired the Sixers, especially Andre Iguodala and Sammy D, as the both of them put together an incredible first half of basketball. Sammy looked like Bill Russell out there, blocking 6 shots and altering everything else. He protected the paint about as good as I've ever seen a big man protect the paint. As for Andre Iguodala, simply put, he was on fire. Not just, "he's feeling it" on fire. More like "NBA Jam" on fire. I think I literally saw flames trailing the ball as he shot it. His hot streak was capped off with a 93-foot shot to end the half. Unfortunately, it didn't count.

The Iverson honeymoon lasted for about three quarters and then reality set in. I realized that Eddie Jordan was still the head coach, and his awful rotations and defensive philosophy will continue to haunt this team. It's a real shame too, because I believe Iverson gives a healthy Sixers team enough of a boost to make some noise in the playoffs. If he's used correctly and surrounded by good defense, much like 2001, he can provide a spark to the much-maligned half court offense come April, and put the Sixers in position to advance past the first round for the first time since 2003. Unfortunately, none of that is possible with EJ at the helm. As a matter of fact, EJ will turn the Iverson signing into a top 5 pick -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing if a couple ping pongs bounce the Sixers way.

Enter: 10th straight loss.

The Iverson-adrenaline eventually wore off, and Andre Iguodala's hot streak eventually wore off. The Sixers stopped playing defense, and the Nuggets woke up after being in an Iverson-stupor for the first three quarters. The better team won tonight, but the Sixers have nothing to be ashamed of. They played their butts off most of the game, and did all they could to overcome the stupid rotations, defensive philospohpy -- or lack thereof -- and absolutely zero bench production (1-15 from the floor). It will be interesting to see how long the Iverson excitement can carry the Sixers, and how they play against a team who isn't as good as the Nuggets.

He was lost in the shuffle of Iverson and 90-foot shots tonight, but Thaddeus looks much better than he did earlier this season. His offense is really coming together and if my eyes aren't deceiving me, he's been crashing the boards -- something he hasn't done since his rookie year. On the downside, Elton Brand still looks awful to me. I thought he was "back" for a couple games, but then he hurt his hamstring and is back to "Reggie Evans 2.0", especially against legit big men like Nene and Kenyon Martin.

Player of the Game: Sammy D

Bobcats Slip By 76ers 106-105

David Arnott — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:36:12 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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(Note: The Official Girlfriend of Rufus on Fire happened to have an important function for me to attend tonight, so I haven't watched the game yet. I'm going off the box score, just like most of you, since there was no local broadcast. If you watched the game, fill in with your thoughts in the comments.)

The Charlotte Bobcats pulled off a fourth quarter comeback in Philadelphia to beat the 76ers 106-105. After Andre Iguodala sank two free throws to put the Sixers up in the final minute, Raymond Felton's layup with 4 seconds remaining put the Cats ahead for good.

A few weeks ago, I named a few developing stories to follow with this team. Free throw shooting is still a problem, and three point shooting hasn't been as much of one, though it's still lurking just under the surface. However, the third issue, playing time for young players and roster management in general, has become a glaring problem since the Stephen Jackson trade. In this game, we can see Larry Brown still has yet to realize that even the teams that rely on a veteran core give their rookies and other young players significant playing time while attempting to win now. Of course, it's easy to argue the Bobcats aren't a title contender and are barely a playoff contender, so it's probably in our best interests to play rookies and young guys as much as political concerns will allow, so we can find out how good they really are.

In that respect, the game's a mixed bag. The winning result is good, but LB's process leaves a lot to be desired. Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Are we sure Ronald Murray isn't still recovering from his shin's stress reaction? His important rate stats are down across the board and he put up another 0-6 tonight. I mean, he's able to play a bit of point, but only when the matchup is absolutely right should he play more than a few minutes there.

-- Maybe D.J. Augustin's been struggling because that's what happens to young players who don't get consistent playing time and don't have the full confidence of their coaches. This is the second straight game he's been held out with a DNP-CD. What the hell? I mean, Flip is going to be streaky and is, at times, probably well worth the risk at PG if we're looking for scoring from that position because everyone else is getting shut down. However, D.J. is the guy we want out there for at least twenty minutes per game, sharing time with Raymond and easing into next year's starting role. Or maybe LB is giving up on him.

-- Seriously, LB, you can't keep giving Crash and Jax 45 minutes per game. If you're playing Game 7 of the Finals, that makes sense. If you're playing Game 19 of the Regular Season, then you're just wearing down your best players early on and hoping they don't succumb to general fatigue before clinching a playoff spot. Or, from a more cynical point of view, you're wearing down your best players early on so that when the playoffs slip out of your grasp, you can blame them for not giving good enough effort down the stretch, deflecting some attention away from your coaching and front office shortcomings.

GOOD

-- I'll keep writing it because he deserves the praise: Gerald Wallace is a stone cold beast. 24 points on 9-18 shooting, and 14 rebounds. The more I think about it, I like the "Rodman with Drexler's finishing" comparison more and more.

-- Boris Diaw finally snapped out of his funk. He had a game high 28 points on 10-12 shooting, including 5-6 from three. This kind of scoring outburst is absolutely welcome, but, if I may tamp down some premature celebration, it looks a lot like a lucky night where the shots were falling. It's a good sign that, perhaps, he's turned a corner, but the most we should hope for is that he's his old self again and not this bumbling new self who doesn't score much, doesn't pass all that well, and still turns it over too much.

-- Gerald Henderson: 20 minutes! I'm agog. Those 20 minutes are good in and of themselves. More! More! Free Gerald Henderson!

-- Derrick Brown: 10 minutes! Keep doing this. 3 points and 3 rebounds is just fine for a role player. Free Derrick Brown!

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs Philadelphia 76ers

David Arnott — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:50:55 -0000

Pump Up Music: Wilson Phillips -- "Hold On"

(Via my friend Anya)

The Big Picture: At least the Bobcats aren't the 76ers right now. They've lost eight in a row and are so desperate for guard help they've brought back the corpse of Allen Iverson. What's worse, they have two legitimate All Stars on the roster, but one, Elton Brand, has lost all semblance of that All Star-dom and is coming off the bench now. They're trying to trade him, but he's got so many years left, I'm not sure there are going to be any takers unless the Sixers get back totally useless players.

The good news for Philly fans, though, is that they do have Andre Iguodala, and when Louis Williams gets back, they'll have their pilot for a group of young run 'n gunners. Right now, though, they're casting around for something that works.

Key to Victory: The last time they played, Iguodala got his, and Brand stepped up to bully around the smaller Boris Diaw. This time around, without Williams running the point for the Sixers, the Cats can try to short circuit the Sixers' offense at the source. Iverson won't play tonight, and even if he did he's not a real point guard. Willie Green and Royal Ivey aren't exactly floor captains. They would like to use rookie Jrue Holiday in that role, but he's still learning the position, since he didn't carry much point guard duty at UCLA.

I like when the Bobcats pick spots to apply full court pressure, and they should kick it up a notch tonight. Maybe that plays into the Sixers' hands and allows them a more open floor, but if it does, that's what in-game adjustments are for. I'd like to see our guys take a chance early and make Philly prove they have the ballhandlers to bring the ball up the floor against some pressure and then run the offense in a compressed time frame.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Sixers coach Eddie Jordan led the NBA in steals while playing for the New Jersey Nets in the 1978-79 season.

Sixers win. Just kidding.

jsams — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:44:00 -0000

More photos » by MIKE STONE - AP

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Box Score

Boy, Dallas teams own Philly teams. Wink.

The Sixers played a surprisingly competitive game in Dallas tonight, but ended up dropping their seventh straight game. The final minute could not have summed up the Andre Iguodala-Sammy Dalembert era any better. Here's how it went down:

Play 1: Andre Iguodala has a chance to tie the game, pulls up for a stupid jumper, shoots an airball, and acts like it's somebody else's fault.

Play 2: Then the Sixers foul Jason Kidd, he makes one of two free throws, Sammy grabs the rebound, and the Sixers call a timeout.

Play 3: Out of the timeout Andre drills a three to tie the game, and acts like he's the baddest dude in the NBA.

5 seconds remaining.

Play 4: The Mavs inbound to JET Terry and the curse of game-winners struck yet again, as JT hit a fadeaway J with 1.4 seconds left.

Final play: Thad inbounds the ball to Iguodala, he shoots an off-balanced three to take the lead, and according to Kate Fagan, Sammy D thought it was an alley-oop. So, the obvious thing to do was offensive goal-tend, and prevent any chance of the shot going in. Andre Iguodala responds with: " I was shooting, Sam ..."

For the record, I don't think Iguodala's shot was going in, and I hated all three of his shots down the stretch, but still, not a smart play by Samuel Dalembert. And it's a shame, because it's going to take away from Sam Dalembert's best game of the season: 6 points, 19 boards, 3 blocks, 3 steals.

Elton Brand killed it tonight. He looked very vintage, dropping 21-10 off the bench. He had three great games, then a stinker in Washington and everyone said, "See, those 3 games were a fluke." Wrong. He's about as back as he's ever going to be. And he looks pretty good to me.
I hate to say it, but with Lou-Will out, Bill Green is one of the Sixers' best scoring options. He carried the team for stretches tonight.
I could say this after every game, and probably will. Andre, stop taking jumpers!!!

It was a good effort by the Sixers, but like we say with wins, a loss is a loss, and bad teams find ways to lose games. The Sixers aren't a good team, although, I see some signs of a turnaround. They'll be just good enough to barely miss the playoffs or get eliminated in the first round, like the have the past couple years. Joy! Look on the bright side, at least Allen Iverson is coming back.

Spurs vs Sixers: Stats of the Game

BlaseE — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:00:29 -0000

There was something very weird about this game. I think ATS was pretty close about the game feeling in control even when it got close. I was excited for the big plays, but I wasn't super excited for the gritty stuff like usual. I think I've come up with a few culprits:

* A Sunday game

* During football season

* Against the Sixers (AI2, Dalembert, and who? I've heard of Holiday but, yeah...sorry Ivey, but I didn't even know you were on the roster until I looked at the boxscore. Shame on me.)

* Where the main event is actually post game.

Another list after the jump....

I don't listen to much Green Day anymore, but this is a great one for me.

STATS OF THE GAME

* We "live and die" by the 3 so anytime we shoot over 50% behind the arc is worth noting, 55.6% to be exact. So without Mason; Bonner, Finley, Manu, and RJ combine for 9 of 13 for 69.2%. Where were the other 5 attempts? K-Boges was 1 of 5....In his defense, I think most of them were fair attempts. You can't make them all.

* The Spurs have been doing a good job of making opposing leaders into being poor leaders. Jennings looked not so great against us. The Wizards, a veteran team, looked completely leaderless. Ariza chucked away to get his points. Iguodala 21 points and is an awesome athlete, but please don't tell him that. He was 1 of 6 from 3. If I was the Sixers coach, the first thing I would do is sit him down and say, "you are an average 3 point shooter at best, but you can rock the paint and get to line at will so if you don't drive the ball, I will bench you!" Once again, an opponents best player finishes the game with the worst +/- on the team. AI Jr. was -15.

* Dejuan Blair had a disgusting line (11 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks).....in 16 minutes of play! A note from watching the Spurs this season: Manu likes passing to Blair more than anyone else. Watch for it. Manu forced at least 3 crazy passes in this game alone at Blair. The first I remember was a turnover because Blair wasn't ready. The second was a turnover because Manu's pass went too crazy for any human or Beast. The third was an easy score. I'm not sure if Manu and him just have a a connection, Manu wants to see Blair dominate the opponent, or Manu trusts Blair's wingspan and low body center to the person guarding him to prevail, but watch when they are on the court together. As the season goes along, expect Manu to Blair, points for Blair, assist for Manu to be a very common and efficient sight.

* Duncan and Parker were monsters of efficiency. For the sake of this being a triumvirate of power, I'll include Manu who wasn't half bad either in his limited role and coming off an injury. So your Cerberus of All the is Holy has a combined stat line of 84 minutes, 46 points on 17 of 30 shooting and 11 of 11 from the line, 15 assists, 9 rebounds (in spite of Blair's night and then Bonner, Finley, and Bogans combining for another 16 rebounds), 2 steals, and 5 blocks. What turnovers? I don't see that column.....

Finally, here is the man of the night!!! Thank God every Spursday or those ones in between that we can claim this guy to our franchise so I leave you with this last stat of the night: +1 Spurs with their retired jersey saying "Hall of Fame".

Sixers lose to Hawks

jsams — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:36:47 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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Box Score

Tonight the Sixers played well enough to keep it interesting, but ultimately lost their fifth straight game. The way they hung in there reminded me of the 07-08 team, which was good to see. They have no business playing with teams like the Celtics, Hawks and Cavs -- especially with 3 of their best players out with injuries -- but as long as they play with as much effort as they did tonight, they'll steal a few wins here and there. At least good teams aren't blowing them out anymore.

Andre Iguodala continues to struggle, and I'm beginning to lose my patience. His jump shot is flat-out painful to watch, and I wish he'd just stop taking them. I'd rather see Thaddeus Young shoot 30 times a game. After watching him put up brick after brick, complain about every foul and non-foul call, make behind the back passes in traffic, and have Joe Johnson back him down with ease, I'm starting to question my once passionate man-crush on Andre Iguodala. I understand that he doesn't have much help on the offensive end, and I don't care.

Jrue Holiday was equally painful to watch. The defensive stud himself was torched by Mike Bibby. However; this was his second career start, and he's the youngest player in the NBA -- he's entitled to these types of games. For much of the game I had to remind myself that Royal Ivey and Jrue Holiday did not switch numbers, because that's who Jrue looked like. If you're a Sixers fan, no further explanation is needed, but if you've never seen Royal Ivey play, YouTube him. If you don't find a single highlight, there's a reason for that.

Even though Andre and Jrue stunk, the other young fellers impressed. Carney and Smith were all over the place, and look like legitimate bench players. I'm convinced that both of them could play key minutes for a contender right now. And Thaddeus Young was fantastic on the offensive end.

The Sixers gave their best effort tonight, and I'm pleased about that. But after three straight years of "We tried really hard, but still lost," as the team's motto, I'm enjoying watching this team less and less.

Player of the game: Jason Smith.

Sixers lose to Celtics 113-110

jsams — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:58:48 -0000

More photos » by Mary Schwalm - AP

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Box Score

To no one's surprise, the Sixers lost again. The odds were stacked against them, playing the mighty Celtics on their home floor, and missing three of their best players: Lou Williams, Mo Speights and Elton Brand. The Sixers could've easily mailed this game in, especially down 10 points with 5 minutes to go, but they didn't, and I respect that. They battled for 48 minutes and only lost by three points. But don't confuse "battling" with playing well, because they didn't play well. Their defense was shredded once again, and it took insane performances from Bill Green and Jason Kapono to keep them in the ball-game.

I know I'm going to hear, "No way dude, the Sixers blew that game!" Well, if you believed the outer-worldly performances from Bill Green and Jason Kapono would last for four quarters, then yeah, I guess they blew the game. And if you believed the Celtics were never going to turn it up a notch, then yeah, the Sixers blew the game. The bottom line is, the Sixers were shooting 10 times better than usual, and the Celtics were in third or fourth gear until the final quarter. There's no way the Sixers "gave the game away" because it took every ounce of their bodies just to keep the game close for three quarters.

I'm not sure what to say about the defense, besides "What defense?" The Celtics had a ton of open shots, just like every other team who plays the Sixers. The constant switching and over-helping seems to be the root of their problems, and that falls mostly on the head coach.

Andre Iguodala did not take a jumper until the second quarter. He was 4-6 from the field. I was very pleased. However; his next 12 shots were all jumpers -- most of them heavily contested and early in the shot clock. He made four of them. I hate watching Andre Iguodala take bad jumper after bad jumper. He's not Kobe Bryant. In his defense, no one else was doing anything offensively, but when Lou, Brand and Speights return I want Andre to take a lot less jumpers. Drive, kick, dunk... no more jumpers unless they're wide open!

Jrue was very up and down, as expected. He played very rookie-ish, but I'm completely fine with that. God bless Eddie Jordan for leaving him in. Sure, he had no other options, but that hasn't stopped him before.

Tonight was a tough loss, but they were playing the Celtics, and missing three key players, so don't get too down on the team. Plus, Jrue played 34 minutes. That alone warrants a celebration.

That's all I got for tonight. Have a good Thanksgiving, and Go Cowboys!

Briefing: Wizards Hold on to Beat the Sixers

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:41:41 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

24 days ago: Washington Wizards guard Nick Young (1) goes to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers' Andre Iguodala (9) and Louis Williams (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, in Washington. The Wizards won 108-107. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

[Ed. Note: Obviously, there was a lot more than a game going on last night. Today's briefing will be two-part. The first part will focus striclty on the game last night and in the second part we'll focus on tributes to Abe Pollin. -Jake]

Wizards pull off comeback, hang on for win - Mike Jones, Outlet
The unlikely hero of the night, however, was Nick Young. Young had been inactive on Saturday night, and had five DNP's this season. But he came out tonight with the Wizards shorthanded with Mike Miller and Caron Butler out with injuries, he started and played a smart game on both ends of the floor. He scored 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, grabbed four rebounds and had two assists.

Wizards 108, 76ers 107 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider
Young helped hold Andre Iguodala to just 12 points on 2 of 10 shooting. He also made some smart basketball plays, like when he recovered a loose ball in the third quarter and alertly called timeout before falling out of bounds. Saunders said that going on the inactive list probably forced Young to say, " 'I got a choice. I can change myself or go along with the motions.' To his credit, our last few practices, he's probably been our best player."

Wizards win one for Pollin - William Yoder, Agent Dagger
Antawn Jamison notched a free throw at the 8:24 mark in the third to get things started for the Wizards and to give them a 56-55 Wizards lead. From there on the Wizards would turn up the pace as the club would go on a 19-4 run to take a 15 point lead at 74-59. In a stretch where the Wizards looked like the club we had hoped to see going into 2009, as opposed to the club we have, Washington shot seven for nine from the field while tallying four assists and no turnovers. It was a stretch where the Wizards looked like a team that was in-synch offensively, and mature enough to hold on to the ball.

GM 13 RECAP: WTF !? - Philadunkia
The Wizards won without Caron Butler. — Out with a sore ankle, we thought the loss of Butler’s 16 & 7 a night would spell doom for the Wizards. We were wrong as the Sixers had no answer for Antwan Jamison (32 points) or Nick Young and that was all the Wizards needed. By the way, how good is Jamison? You really forget just how good he is because he is such a quiet guy and plays in DC, but he is just awesome and arguable one of the best forwards in the League.

Defensive lapse proves costly to Sixers - Kate Fagan, Philadelphia Inquirer
In the third quarter, nothing blocked the Wizards from the rim: They shot 16 for 25 and built a 15-point lead. What happened to the Sixers' defense? "The same thing we've been doing all year," said swingman Andre Iguodala, who shot 2 for 10 and sat for most of the fourth quarter. "Giving up open shots, second-chance points. Teams get in a good rhythm, and we don't apply enough pressure and they score the ball pretty easily."

Sixers lose to Wizards, but Jrue is free! - Jordan Sams, Liberty Ballers
The game-winning attempt upset some people. Lou dribbled 11 seconds off the clock and pulled up for a jumper instead of driving to the basket. I completely understand why fans are mad that he didn't go to the basket, but I'm okay with the shot myself. What I'm not okay with is the 11 seconds he dribbled off the clock. I would've much rather seen him take a quicker shot, so the Sixers could foul and get the ball back should he miss. My counter to the people saying he should've taken it to the hoop is: how many NBA players settle for a game-winning jump shot instead of taking it to the hole? 99%. That doesn't make it right, but that's the NBA folks. Everyone wants to be a hero and hold the pose.