3/1/13
Previously against the Orlando Magic, Doug Collins had a
meltdown with the media calling out his players on the 76ers for their lack of
effort calling it “mind-numbing.” He went as far as saying that his players
should be held accountable for how they display themselves on the court. Would
the 76ers respond to Collins’ criticism and play hard against the Bulls? The
Bulls have been struggling in the month of February. They have been playing
very well for the first three months of the season. The Bulls play tough
defense and they rebound the heck out of the ball. Their problem is playing an
efficient offense without the presence of Derrick Rose. Rose has not played a
game this season as he is recovering from a torn ACL injury. The Bulls were
also without the services of Rip Hamilton and Taj Gibson. Hamilton has back
spasms and Gibson has a sprained MCL.
The first half was boring. Then again, both teams have
defensive minded coaches so anyone could expect this game to be low scoring.
The Bulls dictated this half by grabbing not only defensive rebounds, but
offensive rebounds. They also got to the free throw line when they kept
grabbing those offensive rebounds. Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday were carrying
the 76ers in the first half scoring 23 of the team’s 39 points. Carlos Boozer,
Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng carried the Bulls scoring 33 of 45 points. The Bulls
led 45-39 at halftime. Holiday led the 76ers with 13 points and Boozer led the
Bulls with 12 points in the half.
The Bulls controlled this game in the second half. They had
a lead as big as 16 points, but the 76ers kept fighting with them until the
end. Kirk Hinrich stepped up for the Bulls along with Noah, who had a career
game. Spencer Hawes stepped up for the 76ers although his numbers were
deceiving. He was not great in getting position for rebounds. He let Boozer and
Noah abuse him on the glass. Turner disappeared from this game after having a
solid first quarter. The Bulls won this game 93-82. Holiday finished with 22
points. Hawes collected a double-double. He scored 20 points and grabbed a
career-high 15 rebounds. Turner ended with 12 points and eight rebounds. For
the Bulls, Noah’s career night ended with him collecting his third career
triple double. He scored 23 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked a career
high 11 shots. Boozer had a double-double. He scored 21 points and snatched 12
rebounds. Deng disappeared in the second half after having a solid first half.
He finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Hinrich scored 15 second half
points.
Overall, the 76ers have taken a turn for the worst. They
have no offensive execution and they have an inability to box out and rebound
the basketball. I liked how they competed and gave effort in this game after
what was said by Collins against the Magic. However, competing and putting
effort into a game just isn’t enough for this team. It’s simple: they don’t
have quality talent on this team. Nick Young, Spencer Hawes, Kwame Brown,
Dorell Wright, and Lavoy Allen don’t cut out as quality talent. That’s who the
76ers signed after releasing Elton Brand, letting Lou Williams sign with the
Atlanta Hawks, and trading Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets, and Nik
Vucevic, and Moe Harkless to the Magic to acquire Andrew Bynum and Jason
Richardson. Bynum has not played a game all year, and Richardson is out for the
season. I wish Collins would play Arnett Moultre more. When he played his six
minutes in the second quarter in this game, he made his shots and was hustling
up and down the court.
Should the 76ers tank
their season? Sound off and stay tuned until next time…
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