I am not going to go jumping up and down and chest bumping everyone I see because the Sixers did exactly what they should have last night. They beat a bad team in the Toronto Raptors, 115-106. It is exactly what they should have done the other night against the Thunder. Still, it was good for the Sixers to get a win and get back to .500. They will be in a dogfight the rest of the way just to make the playoffs. Depending on how things shake out, I could see the Sixers finishing anywhere from out of the playoffs to the number 5 seed.
The Sixers were led by Thaddeus Young’s career high 29 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the field. Maybe the work he put in with a shooting coach last week is starting to pay dividends. What was good to see was that Young was very confident in his shot all night. He was catching and shooting when he had open looks. I would like to see that confidence from Young consistently. With his ability to score around the rim, if he can develop a consistent outside shot he will be a nightmare to defend. Another positive that I saw last night was the play of Lou Williams. Now, I will say that I am a fan of Lou Williams. But, at the same time, I understand his critics, especially because of his recent play. I juts think the kid is 22 years old, and needs some more time to figure out the type of game he can be successful playing. The skill is there. I loved the way Williams played last night. In 25 minutes off the bench, Williams had 13 points, 5 assists, and only one turnover. He was constantly looking to get into the lane by beating his man off the dribble. Williams is a good finisher and has the ability to drive and dish if he is committed to doing it. I constantly watch games where he relies on the jump shot way to much. With his quickness, he can get by almost anybody. If he can continue to make it a point to be aggressive and not settle for jumpers, he can change the opinion of many of his critics.
I also want to give a little credit to two guys that you’ll rarely see me praise: Samuel Damembert and Reggie Evans. Yes, I am actually admitting it out loud! Evans had his once every two week game, where his spastic energy contributes positively, and Samuel Dalembert may have had his best game of the season. I have had enough of Sammy’s bitching in every interview and sounding like a little brat kid. But, since Sammy wants playing time I will give him a hint: Play like you did last night and DiLeo won’t be forced to remove you from the game!!!! It really is that simple. Sammy played 33 minutes, had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Even better than his numbers? He actually seemed like he was interested in what was happening on the court!!
It was a much needed win, but let’s be real here and admit that Toronto didn’t seem to care one bit about the result of the game. The one part I didn’t like about last night’s game is the Sixers continued to struggle on defense. You can argue that they had a comfortable lead so they relaxed, but I would counter by saying that good teams would have blown Toronto out of the building by continuing to defend. That falls in line with that killer instinct that I haven’t seen from this Sixers team. The Sixers really need to ramp it up and start playing good basketball. They have a home game at the Spectrum against the Bulls up next, followed by a tough game against the red hot Dwayne Wade and the Heat. After that, the Sixers go on a tough 5 game west coast road trip. It’s now or never time for this team.
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