11/12/12
The 76ers were coming off a road trip in which they won all
three of their games. They began a five game homestand against the Bucks. Both
the 76ers and Bucks have had good starts to the season. The Bucks came into this
game as a scrappy defensive team plus the dynamic duo of guards Monta Ellis and
Brandon Jennings. They also have one of the top benches in the NBA. The 76ers,
known for playing tough defense and forcing turnovers were on a shooting roll
in the past two games. The 76ers got a player back in Jason Richardson. He was
out for a few games with an ankle sprain, but they are still without the
services of Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown. The Bucks were not missing anyone
significant to injury.
The 76ers looked dead in the first half. They were losing
62-50. They played half-hearted defense, but I give credit to the Bucks for
shooting very well. They shot an astronomical 64% in the half. Jrue Holiday and
Dorell Wright were my standout stars of the half. Both of them scored 14
points. Wright, off the bench, scored all of his points in the game in that
half. Jennings is my standout star for the Bucks
scoring 19 points.
In the second half, the 76ers woke the crowd up in the third
quarter. They were losing by as much as 16 points and made it a tie game at 83.
Their defensive intensity picked up and they shot the ball very well at 60%. In
the fourth quarter, the wheels fell off and they shot poorly. They made four
out of 21 shots, which is especially terrible when they got back into this game
to tie it up in the last quarter. The 76ers lost the game 105-96. Holiday again was my standout star of this half. He had 11
points and finished the game with 25 points and six assists. Jason Richardson
scored 20 points in his first game back since his injury. Thaddeus Young had a
quiet 11 point game with seven rebounds. Once again Jennings
was my standout star of the half scoring 14 points and finishing with a
season-best 33 points, eight assists, and four steals. Ellis had 18 points, but
shot 8-20, which is not good for a premier scorer. Mike Dunleavy contributed
with 13 points in the game off the bench.
Overall, the 76ers had chances to win the game if their
shooting was better in the final quarter. They had multiple chances to win, but
couldn’t make their shots. Once again I will bring this issue up, but Holiday has to cut down his turnovers. He had eight
turnovers tonight however some of his turnovers were not entirely his fault.
There were times when Holiday was double teamed
and trapped in the corner of the court and tried to throw cross-court passes to
his teammates that the ball was on the floor for the taking. His teammates
should have come closer to Holiday and/or the
ball so there wouldn’t have been so many turnovers on his part. The Bucks were
a bigger and more physical team than the 76ers. The Bucks outrebounded the
76ers 48-31. A few notable quiet players for the 76ers were Spencer Hawes and
Nick Young. Hawes did not shoot well tonight shooting 3-11. Nick Young, in my mind,
didn’t feel like shooting. Six shots in a game for him is uncommon. A notable
quiet player for the Bucks was Ersan Ilyasova. He played very well last year
and got a contract extension that pays him handsomely only to underperform this
year.
Are the Milwaukee Bucks a legit team? Will this game be a wake-up
call for the 76ers? Sound off and stay tuned for my next entry when the 76ers
host the winless Detroit Pistons.
Jrue Holiday really struggled with turnovers and bad shot selection when the offense became one dimensional (pick and roll Jrue) in the latter portion of the second half yesterday. He needs to look for his teammates more often and be more unselfish in the future. (ie. instead of driving and forcing the issue, drive and kick, then re-cycle back up through perimeter rotation, looking for his patented stand still trey).
ReplyDeleteI’m also becoming concerned with the questionable substitution patterns Doug Collins has been employing through these first few games. Big, crunch-time minutes for Royal Ivey need to be all but forgotten about. His defensive awareness, pressure, and intensity are lauded, but Turner needs to be given more looks at the point in the absence of Holiday. Overall, and especially in game deciding, crunch time, half-court situations, the Sixers need to be giving more responsibility to Turner. In turn, taking some of the weight off of the shoulders of Jrue Holiday allowing each Holiday and Turner to progress naturally. Holiday's and Turner's development is key. If continued, steady improvement throughout the year is not seen on each’s behalf the Sixers will run the gambit of allowing Andrew Bynum (The ultimate prize) to walk come this offseason. And no one in Philly wants to see that happen.
The Bucks are a legitimate playoff team, but will likely be slotted in the lower half of the pecking order going without home-court advantage. They will be a hungry and competitive team all year long, should they stay healthy.
This game really highlighted the Sixers need for a crunch time offensive player who commands respect, demands the ball, and breeds success. New Years 2013 will be highly anticipated by basketball and especially Sixers fans who patiently await the return of the franchise center, Andrew Bynum. On January 1st, the Sixers plan to welcome back and introduce Bynum in Los Angeles, where the Sixers will find themselves pitted against Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and the newly acquired Mike D'Anonti's Lakers.
what you just said is spot on. I would have written more, but I didn't wanna go overboard on my entries. Thank you for the insight. Appreciate it.
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