Sixers beat Dallas!?

[rickortreat]

In a 2nd game in two nights the Sixers won the first time this season without Allen Iverson.  After loosing to the NO Hornets, I didn't expect even a good game.

But the Sixers played good defense from the start, and the Mavericks shot poorly the whole game.  In the first half the Sixers managed to open up an 11 pt lead before ending up at the half with a 9 pt one.

The Mavericks closed the gap and even had a four pt. lead in the Fouth with a little less than 5 min. remaining before Kyle Korver and Corlis Williamson finished them off.

The key to the win was the Sixer bench, with Salmons going for 19, Williamson 13 and Jackson 11.

It was nice to see young players like Green, Igoudala and Salmons working hard and running the floor.  Dalembert who had been playing well lately, was in foul trouble most of the game and really didn't contibute much.  The Sixers had a higher energy level than Dallas and looked like they came to play.

I really wasn't sure if the Sixers could play well enough to win without Iverson, but if they can beat Dallas without him, they should be able to beat a number of teams without him.  I hate to say it but the ball moved a bit better without AI holding the ball and forcing the action.  

  :nod:


It's not that he doesn't get his teamates involved, but that without him in there to rely on, they all seemed to take more responsibility for makeing something happen.  I don't think they'd win more without him, but they'd become better players playing without him.  

[Mr. Meaner]

It's not that he doesn't get his teamates involved, but that without him in there to rely on, they all seemed to take more responsibility for makeing something happen. I don't think they'd win more without him, but they'd become better players playing without him.

Rick -

Sometimes the NBA game is hard to figure. The Sixers look like a solid team without Iverson against a tough road team like Dallas.

Then today, the Kings go into Minneapolis to play the Wolves, with a five game regular season losing streak against them and the Wolves with a five game winning streak otherwise; and they have to play them without both Peja and Webber, with Mo Evans and Bobby Jackson already sidelined.

No hope in hell, right?

Turns out, bench guys like Matt Barnes and Darius Songaila are too tough for the Wolves to handle. Brad Miller goes off and Bibby kills the comeback of the Wolves in the fourth. But it is Mobley who truly makes the difference.

Where did THAT defense come from....and the rebounding?

94-84 Kings. This game adds a level of comfort zone for the Kings that was sorely missing before.

Did we miss Peja? Not really, as the Wolves routinely shut him down anyway. Webber? Well, Chris essentially created the previous win the Kings had in Houston, hitting a three pointer with 1.3 seconds left to send that game into overtime, and he played his heart out in that game.

But Garnett creates a unique problem for Webber. Mainly, he just cannot control him with his limited defense these days and Kevin gets 20 + boards every time he goes up against him.

Maybe the problem the Kings have had against the Wolves is that their stars don't play like stars when they play the Wolves, but Minnesota knows nothing of the King's bench guys Adelman had to play today.

[Guest_Randy]

Sometimes it's easier to upset a tough team when your star IS gone -- the other team has a let down in their intensity and they always center their defense around that star -- with that guy gone the defense isn't usually ready for the team and the offense is often not focused like it should.  Don't expect to do something like that in a series though!