Cheeks is driving me nuts by being so willing to go small, and play without a shot-blocker/rebounder in the middle. I can't argue with the success of their win tonight, but if there was a weakness to their defense in the 2nd half it was their interior defense.
Sam Dalembert is playing terribly. It's as though he's regressed from last season. The Sixers would be far better served by playing Speights, if not as the starter, a backup with a good proportion of the minutes at Center.
These last two wins demonstrate that the team has the ability to compete, but still hasn't quite found it's way. A team that is playing with confidence doesn't let themselves fall behind by 25+ points in the first quarter.
Part of it is that Miller is doing a terrible job passing the ball, and Cheeks lets him play no matter how bad he is. The team doesn't know who to pass the ball to, beyond Brand. Iguodala and Young should have plays run for them continuously, to break down defenses. Their speed and athleticism give them a huge advantage.
Against Indiana the Sixers were fortunate to get away with the win considering how many shots they blew at the end. Anytime a Sixer would get the ball down low, he was instantly surrounded by three Pacers. Yet, none of the other players worked to get open, so that ball handler would have an outlet. Instead of easy buckets, they gave up the ball. Indiana just couldn't buy a bucket at the end.
