Sixers vs. Short-handed Jazz

[tk76-]

This from Fagan's blog:

But the problem lately is that the Sixers have been doing the things they said they needed to do to win. They are scoring in transition (25 tonight), shooting well from the floor (48.7 percent), scoring off of turnovers (20 points tonight), and yet, losing by 17? It would be one thing if this were a five-point game. But it wasn't. The Sixers were down by 20 at one point.

Long way of saying this flawed team is bad.  They can have a decent shooting night, force uncharacteristic Utah turnovers and still look like a bad.  Brings you back to Carl's statement about bad teams find ways to lose.

I'm going through my stages of grief with this team.  I never should have had my hopes up for an entertaining tear.

[Skates]

This from Fagan's blog:

But the problem lately is that the Sixers have been doing the things they said they needed to do to win. They are scoring in transition (25 tonight), shooting well from the floor (48.7 percent), scoring off of turnovers (20 points tonight), and yet, losing by 17? It would be one thing if this were a five-point game. But it wasn't. The Sixers were down by 20 at one point.

Long way of saying this flawed team is bad.  They can have a decent shooting night, force uncharacteristic Utah turnovers and still look like a bad.  Brings you back to Carl's statement about bad teams find ways to lose.

I'm going through my stages of grief with this team.  I never should have had my hopes up for an entertaining tear.

Losing like this to Utah is no different at all from last year.  Utah, i.e. Deron Williams, carved us up last year as well.  As long as we are a team that depends on scoring in transition and plays poorly in half court the Jazz will have us for a snack anytime.  They are a bad matchup for a young team that is weak defensively at PG.  The Indiana and Denver games were the upsetting ones, this one I expected.

As for trades, both Sam and Miller can be looked at as pieces that can fit into a team with specific needs.  Miller's value is enhanced by his short contract, Sam's is not.  Neither is a put you over the top piece, but there are very good teams that need help in specific areas, plus there is still time for injuries to open up some more teams to need help for the stretch.

[tk76-]

Last Spring I was skeptical for a while about how that team was able to be so competitive.  They looked so bad in the Fall, and yet turned it around to where they were even beating some good teams on the road.  I was eventual sold that that group of players and style could at least have some success. 

This season was supposed to be about some early struggles but coming out of them as a better team than last year.  A team that would be less reliant on a gimmicky fast paced scheme. 

[Skates]

Three point shooting is just becoming too important in this league to succeed without it.  On this team the best shooters are Speights, Brand, and Jason "not playin' this year" Smith.  None is a three point shooter, maybe Smith would have reached there this year, but it is a moot point for now.  Thad was hot early in the year, but has tailed off. Miller is consistent from 17 ft and in and Williams shoots hard shots better than easy ones. 

Biggest needs:

1. Shooting, shooting, shooting everywhere, but primarily in the back court and on the wings.
2. A good defensive PG, preferably young and a good or developing shooter.
3. A starting center with a brain.

[Derek Bodner]

1. Shooting, shooting, shooting everywhere, but primarily in the back court and on the wings.

I actually think our big men shooting isn't bad.  When Reggie's playing 30 mpg with Dalembert, it's obviously not.  But when our main rotation includes Brand and Speights, I think that's a good shooting big men group.

[Skates]

1. Shooting, shooting, shooting everywhere, but primarily in the back court and on the wings.

I actually think our big men shooting isn't bad.  When Reggie's playing 30 mpg with Dalembert, it's obviously not.  But when our main rotation includes Brand and Speights, I think that's a good shooting big men group.

Exactly, we need some guards and wings that can do that and extend their range out to three point land.

[rickortreat]

I didn't see the Sixers defend the pick and roll once successfully the entire 2nd half.  Without defensive stops, you can't get back into a game.  The Sixers either made mistakes or did stupid things to loose the ball right back to Utah, including two fouls by Reggie Evans, yet DiLeo continued to play Evans at Center for most of the fourth quarter.

The team had a few days off before the game and Utah has no secret plays. There was no reason for the Sixers to be unprepared to defend against the Jazz.  They were able to get turnovers but no stops, and they were too panicked to score once they had the ball.

I feel very disappointed in the Sixers. From the coaching to the players things are not going well right now and they need to get things turned around fast. The team is playing worse than last year, even thought they're the same group minus Jason Smith and Rodney Carney, but with Marresse Speights instead. If anything they should be better than last season and they're not. Lou Williams and Thad Young are not playing as well as expected. Neither has Andre Iguodala although he has started to improve as of late. Speights has done everything to justify being given more minutes, including shooting well over 50%, but still is limited to less than 20 min.

Dalembert has gotten significantly worse.  I mean, he's actually harming the team with the way he plays.  It is stupid to keep playing him thinking that that will change him.  At the very least he should be given reduced minutes which should go directly to Speights.  Sam can still start, but make sure that Marreese is in at the end of 2nd and 4th quarters, and get more like 30 minutes than what he's getting now.

[jemagee]

I didn't see the Sixers defend the pick and roll once successfully the entire 2nd half.

So - consistency then - they have''t defended the pick and roll much successfully this entire year

[Skates]

One thing I realize we never noted in this game htread, that "fake behind the back pass and cradle dunk" by Thad was absolutely sick (sure he took a minimum of four steps, but it's the NBA).  Is it me or are Speights, Thad and Lou the only guys on this team who ever make me jump out of my seat or simply desire to see a replay of what they just did?  Iggy is a great dunker, but these guys have flair and some jaw-dropping moves.  Of the three I think I have made my wife come over and watch more highlights of Speights than anybody.  His freakishly good hands allow him to make great plays out of crappy passes routinely.

[tk76-]

I think we have been spoiled by what Iguodala can do.  He gets a big crowd reaction on the road with a lot of his dunks, and has started to spin in some crazy reverses on drives.  Iguodala's putback dunk 2 years ago was amazing.

[Skates]

Iggy's most spectacular plays to me are some of the passes he makes when his game is on.  When he plays within the flow of a game he is an amazing passer, when he tries to do too much he makes stupid turnovers by trying to make too diificult passes.