12/1/12
The 76ers have had two days to rest up and prepare for last
night’s game against the Bobcats. The last game the 76ers played was a nail
biting finish at home against the Dallas Mavericks. They have scored 100 points
in each of their past three games. Would tonight be a fourth time they score
100 points? Last year the Bobcats were the worst team in the entire NBA. In
fact, they had the worst winning percentage in NBA history last year. They were
7-59 winning 10% of their games. The previous worst record in NBA history was
held by the 76ers when they went 9-73 in the 1972-1973 season winning 12% of
their games. This year, the Bobcats already eclipsed their win total from last
year and are 7-7. They have a veteran and athletic team this year than in years
past. Gerald Henderson has the only injury in this game. He has a foot injury
and is expected to rejoin the Bobcats soon.
The first half was a neck and neck battle. Hardly anyone
missed a shot and it was a fast paced half. Both teams showed off their
athleticism and quickness. Jrue Holiday had what I call a Rajon Rondo-esque first
half. I say this because Rondo usually has a ton of assists and not a lot of
points during a game. Holiday had 2 points,
but 10 assists in the half. Thaddeus Young led the team with 12 of his 15
points in the half. Whenever Ben Gordon faces the 76ers, it seems like he loves
to have good games against them. He had 15 of his 19 points in the first half.
Byron Mullens also had a strong first half with 10 points, but he was absent in
the second half. What he was doing earlier in the game when he did post-up
moves against Thaddeus Young and Lavoy Allen, he avoided that in the second
half and kept trying to make jump shots. At halftime the 76ers led 54-50.
In the second half, the pace of the game slowed down and the
defense came into play. The 76ers took control of the game in this half and did
not lose the lead. Their largest lead of the game was at 10 in the third
quarter. The Bobcats tried to rally back, and they came close, but failed to
overcome the deficit they put themselves into. The big men for the Bobcats
showed their presence abusing the 76ers big men with their size and rebounding
ability. Bismack Biyombo was one of the Bobcats big men that stood out in this
half. He scored 12 of his 14 points in this half and grabbed seven rebounds.
His 14 points tied a career high he had in a game. Evan Turner and Jason
Richardson both led the team in the second half with 16 points. Turner finished
with a double-double and had a game high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Richardson ended with 22
points including hitting a few clutch three’s to put the game away for good.
Allen and Holiday both finished with
double-doubles. Allen finished with 10 points and snatched 10 rebounds. Holiday had 11 of his 13 points in the second half and
dished out 15 assists. Aside from Biyombo having a career game, rookie Jeff
Taylor scored 16 points, and another rookie, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, finished
with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Kemba Walker collected 13 points and
nine assists in the game. The 76ers won the game 104-98.
Overall, this Bobcats team is not a walk in the park like in
years past. They love to push the ball up the court and beat you with their
athleticism. They have guards who can score and big men who can stand under the
basket and grab rebounds. I can see them being a decent team in a few years or
so. The 76ers and Bobcats shot effectively in this game. The 76ers shot 51%
while the Bobcats shot 47% in the game. If the Bobcats made their free throws,
this game would have been decided in overtime because this was a neck and neck
game. The 76ers are 10-6 in the standings while the Bobcats fall to 7-8.
Can the 76ers
continue to score 100 points in their next game? Sound off and stay tuned to my
next entry tomorrow when the 76ers travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls.
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