Sixers @ Lakers: HC race in the Finals too close for the "switch" mentality.

[WayOutWest]

Lakers On/Off switch really burned them vs the Sixers tonight.  You give young players on the Sixers a chance and their confidence skyrockets.  The Lakers looked very Clipper like in that they go into the 4th quarter up 14 points and end up with a 6 point deficit late in the game. 

[WayOutWest]

"Old" Donyell was the key late in the 4th quarter and setup Igs for the glory.  Nice win the Sixers, they need to move up to the 4th or 5th spot to avoid the Cavs, Celtics, and Magic.  Nice win.

[rickortreat]

Sixers brought out their "secret weapon" Donyell Marshall.  Iguodala has been taking and making last-second shots all year, but this one was really huge.

A very big win for the Sixers, now their West-Coast swing doesn't look so daunting.  No time for them to enjoy it, they play the Suns tomorrow.

IF they can sweep this trip they will have a real shot at 5th or 4th.  Both Miami and Atlanta have difficult schedules over this same time period.

Andre Iguodala is the best player to still not be an All-Star in the NBA.  Sixers got good play out of Thad Yong and Andre Miller too. Lots of forced turnovers by the Sixers.  Laker's 2nd unit looks too weak to get them through the playoffs.

[Reality]

Ballhoggin Kobme pitched in a lot in the 4th also.  Don't forget him.    Walks off with his smug little smirk and soaks up all the *glory* he can after his *gamewinner*.  

Sweet shooting by Marshal fo sho.

[WayOutWest]

Sixers brought out their "secret weapon" Donyell Marshall.  Iguodala has been taking and making last-second shots all year, but this one was really huge.

A very big win for the Sixers, now their West-Coast swing doesn't look so daunting.  No time for them to enjoy it, they play the Suns tomorrow.

IF they can sweep this trip they will have a real shot at 5th or 4th.  Both Miami and Atlanta have difficult schedules over this same time period.

Andre Iguodala is the best player to still not be an All-Star in the NBA.  Sixers got good play out of Thad Yong and Andre Miller too. Lots of forced turnovers by the Sixers.  Laker's 2nd unit looks too weak to get them through the playoffs.

I really thought the Sixers looked a lot better with Dalembert off the court.  Does it seem like that guy is holding the Sixers back?

Lakers 2nd unit has been very inconsistent.  They Lakers have got rid of guys that got playing time in Turiaf and RadMan and replaced them with guys who are not part of the rotation.  While it has saved the Lakers money it might cost them a bit down the stretch.  Powel has been a pretty good replacement for Turiaf but nobody has replaced the shooting that RadMan used to provide.  Ariza is trying but he's not as deadly as RadMan and Sasha is in a major "post-contract" slump.

The Lakers should still be ok in the WC but IMO they really need HC in the Finals.  Good win for the Sixers, they were very scrapy and hung tough.  They have a good young core in Igs, Young and that guard that was taking everying to the rack, not sure what his name was but he's 4 years out of HS and looked pretty good.  IMO once the Sixers get rid of Dalembert they will be fine.

[rickortreat]

Sam really had trouble scoring last night, but his defense and rebounding were important to the Sixers. I think the pressure of playing agasint LA gave him the butterfingers, even though he always flubs one or two shots per game.

The Sixers have no one else to defend and rebound the way Sam does.  Speights is developing, but right now Sam is better on the defensive end.  On offense Speights is a monster, but the coaching staff doesn't play him enough.  The Sixers gamble on defense and depend on a shot blocker inside to erase the mistakes. 

That speedy guy who was getting to the rack and drawing all the fouls was Lou Williams.  He actually did a good job of staying in control last night.  The Sixers need Williams and Young to help take some of the pressure off of Iguodala and Miller.                               

[Reality]

[WayOutWest]

That speedy guy who was getting to the rack and drawing all the fouls was Lou Williams.  He actually did a good job of staying in control last night.  The Sixers need Williams and Young to help take some of the pressure off of Iguodala and Miller.                               

Man, if that kid ever developes a mid-range game he could really kick some tail.  Williams kept stalling the Lakers break out lead, it was like 2 or 3 possesions in a row where the Lakers put pressure on the Sixers and Williams would come right back for an "and one".  I don't know if Williams is ready to be a full time starting PG but he looks promising as a scoring guard.