2/7/13
The three words that can sum up this game are sloppy,
physical, and ugly. The Pacers were playing their third game in three nights.
It is very rare that an 82 game NBA schedule has any team play three games in
three nights. This situation occurred because the Pacers were snowed out of a
game a few months ago when they were suppose to face the Chicago Bulls. I
expected the Pacers to not display their best effort on the court. The Pacers
preach defense as they allow the second fewest points in the NBA. They also
have the same offensive output as the 76ers. Both teams have difficulties
scoring. The 76ers were coming off an ugly, but bittersweet win against the
Orlando Magic as they lost Thaddeus Young for the next three weeks. The 76ers
also announced last night that Jason Richardson will be shut down for the rest
of the season as he will undergo surgery on his left knee. He has had left knee
synovitis for the past few weeks.
The first half was really dreadful to watch. Nobody could
shoot. Nobody wanted to score. The 76ers looked like they outplayed the Pacers
in this half, but their shots were not falling. They missed a lot of wide open
shots. They also forced a few shots that looked like undisciplined basketball.
They were attacking the basket and rebounding the ball better than the Pacers.
It didn’t help that the refs were swallowing their whistles for the entire half
and let the players play. There were seven free throws combined by both teams.
That is something you don’t see too much in a half. The Pacers led 37-34 at
halftime. That’s a score you see in the middle of the second quarter, not at
halftime. The 76ers bench played a vital part because they scored 21 of the team’s
34 points. Lavoy Allen led the 76ers with eight points at the half while Roy
Hibbert led the Pacers with 10 points.
The second half was terrible to watch, but better than the
first half. The scoring picked up for one side, which is what decided this
game. The 76ers were terrible with their ball movement on offense. They seemed
stationary and let one player run the offense by himself. Could it be that the
76ers showed their soft side and let the Pacers bully them in the physical
game? I think so, especially with Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough controlling the
paint. Those two players are too much for the 76ers to handle. The 76ers still
continued to miss most of their shots while the Pacers were starting to make
their shots. It also helped that the Pacers went to the free throw line 21
times in the second half compared to the four free throws they shot in the
previous half. The Pacers won this game easily by a final score of 88-69. The
69 points the 76ers scored were the fewest they have scored in a game this
year. Holiday finished with 19 points, six
rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Allen and rookie forward Arnett
Moultrie both had 12 points in the game. Allen also collected six rebounds. For
the Pacers, Hibbert collected a double-double. He scored 18 points and
collected 14 rebounds and blocked five shots. Paul George, David West, and
George Hill all finished with 15 points.
Overall, the 76ers look like they are turning back the
basketball clock to how the game was played 50 years ago. They scored 78 points
in a win against the Magic and 69 last night. That’s not winning basketball. As
frustrating as it seems that the 76ers offense is stagnant, you have to applaud
how physical they played for the first three quarters of the game. They kept
fighting with the Pacers, but unfortunately the Pacers wore out the 76ers with
their physicality. I have to give a shoutout to Arnett Moultrie. This guy was
not playing at all for the 76ers, had to be sent down to the D-League to get
him some playing time, and now is having a role with the 76ers with the injury
of Thaddeus Young. I feel that the 76ers were taking a game off and didn’t care
about this game.
Can the 76ers turn
the page and play better against a woeful Charlotte
Bobcats team? Sound off and stay tuned until next time...
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