from espn.com
Going into last night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, I felt pretty damn good that the Sixers would come away with a victory. The Suns are an older team that typically struggles in the second game of a back to back. More than that, I loved the match up. The Suns don’t play a lick of defense, and basically just hope to push it up the floor every chance they get. Teams like that play right into the Sixers hands, in my opinion. You may beat the Sixers, but it certainly won’t be at their own game. Not to mention, the Suns tend to turn the ball over a lot, and when teams do that against the Sixers, they are just asking for trouble.
Well, last night’s game ended up playing out exactly how I thought and hoped it would. The Sixers led the entire game and crushed the Suns 108-91, leaving Stoudemire, Shaq, and Nash sitting on the bench for the 4th quarter. This was the third win in a row for the Sixers, and brought their record to 17-10 under Tony DiLeo. That’s a far cry from the team’s 9-14 start. Last night, the Sixers were led by Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights. The two young guys put on a show that was fun to watch. It is hard for most teams in the NBA to compete with the athleticism of the entire Sixers team, and specifically their frontcourt. The Sixers took care of the ball with only 10 turnovers, and conversely forced 18 turnovers by the Suns. Steve Nash and Shaq were nothing more than also-rans in this game. Three Sixers ended up with more than 20 points: Young with 25, Speights with 24, and Iguodala with 22. Honestly, I could rattle off a bunch of stats, but the bottom line is, the Sixers dominated the game from start to finish, and seem to be continuing to improve as a team. Because of that, I just wanted to quickly touch on a few positive developments that I have seen in this team.
1) The continued development of Speights- I like the fact that Speights seems to be getting more and more minutes, especially late in games. He is gaining confidence each game, and is showing the ability to score in a variety of ways. Also, I think he brings some swagger and attitude to the team when he is on the floor, and they need that.
2) Defense- While the numbers may not show it, I would argue that the Sixers defense has significantly improved under Tony DiLeo. The rotations are much better, and Dalembert is doing a nice job challenging shots in the lane. The Sixers definitely need to defend the 3 much better, but if they continue to improve on their team defense, those numbers should improve as well. We all know that when the Sixers can get stops and turnovers, it allows them to play up tempo much more.
3) Lou Williams- Even though Williams has struggled of late with his outside shot, he has continued to help the team and contribute off the bench. To me, it is a great sign that he is taking the ball into the lane and either finishing or getting to the line, as well as developing into the leader of the second unit.
4) Elton Brand’s Injury- I have said many times that I thought eventually the Sixers would be better with Brand. Still, with the team knowing he will not be back this year, it allows them to establish their identity. They understand what their roles are, and exactly the type of basketball they have the most success with. There will be no worrying about trying to gel with Brand.
5) Offensive Efficiency- It is obvious to me that the Sixers are much better under DiLeo in their half court sets. They seem to have a clear idea of where to be and what they are running. We have seen a lot of back doors, alley oops, and even a few jumpers coming off screens. They look to be taking advantage of mismatches on that end of the floor more than they used to. Now, I realize they still don’t have consistent shooters, but even given that I feel much more comfortable with the team when they have to slow the game down.
6) Attitude/Energy- I am going to shock some and say that Evans helps in this category from time to time! But, overall I think the Sixers are developing a little bit of a swagger. They play aggressively, and I like seeing guys like Dalembert give hard fouls near the basket. I think Speights and Ivey, along with Evans have given the Sixers a little more “in your face” nasty side.
The team is playing well and I think can continue to improve. I have felt all along that a minimum of a 5-2 home stand was necessary heading into the break. Well, they have that opportunity if they defeat the Grizzlies tomorrow night. I am hoping that all the points are touched on are areas that continue to improve as the season winds down, and then we will see where that puts the Sixers at the end of the year.
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