Game 80: Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards 4/12/08

[dandridge 10]

Geez, I didn't expect all this in-house bickering tonight.

I just got back from the game. Defense for the first three quarters was, simply put, putrid. No one was closing out on shooters, Daniels was allowing Miller to penetrate at will, our bigs were not rebounding etc. However, in the fourth quarter, it was a totally different team...we were doing everything right defensively. Did Jordan all of a sudden become a genius defensive coach in the third quarter? Hell no. The players just decided it was time to play defense, plain and simple. Should Jordan get all the blame for the players waiting until the 4th quarter to play defense? Hell no. If these professional ballplayers don't know that they have to play some semblance of defense to win in this league, then we need to find new players. Jordan can lead these guys to water, but if they don't drink, it ain't his fault...especially when none of the guys are playing any D. Listen, we all have seen this team play good defense, sometimes great defense. They know the principles, they know what they have to do, they just have to decide that they are going to do it. I don't blame E.J. for not hounding the players for something that is obvious to EVERYONE...the Wiz are not going anywhere without playing better D.

I think the biggest problem with this team is that they think they can turn it on whenever they want. They feel they can coast during most of the game, and then bring it on at the end. Well, it certainly don't always work that way, especially so in the playoffs. If the Wizards play the way they played tonight in the playoffs, there is no way they are going to make it out of the second round.

[TheBigThree]

To say that the defense in the fourth was light-years better than the defense in the rest of the game is a little disingenuous. It was certainly better, but the Sixers were also missing a lot of the same open shots they were knocking down throughout the rest of the game.

[dobrojim]

To say that the defense in the fourth was light-years better than the defense in the rest of the game is a little disingenuous. It was certainly better, but the Sixers were also missing a lot of the same open shots they were knocking down throughout the rest of the game.

I think the D was better because the O was better

My take home message from watching the 6ers for the first
time in a while (since they went on a roll) is that maybe
they're not nearly as dangerous as I thought. If you protect
the ball and keep them at a reasonable pace, they're beatable.
Our TOs are what made our D look bad as much as anything.

who is their go to guy in the half court? No one that strikes fear
into the hearts and minds of opp players/coaches. That said, I like
their team. But after watching them tonight, I don't see them winning
in the first round. Maybe I shouldn't put so much stock into one
or now 2 games from them. We shall see.

[miller31time]

I'm so glad NBATV got the post-game video phone feature working for LaMarcus Aldridge, but had it mysteriously break when Antawn Jamison was set to talk.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

-= original quote snipped =-



Bullsh*t. For the selective "negative" posts there are plenty cheering and positive posts by the posters.

You know what. I'm done with posting through games. This board has nothing but a bunch of pansies who like to call out fellow fans, when they themselves don't have an opinion of there own and simply come out of the shadows when things are good.

Win after win, it becomes an issue for a selective jackass to call out a group of fans who posted a selective amount of negative in game posts.

Don't go away. Keep posting what you post.

I post what I feel at the time, knowing I'm not always right. It bothers me that if game threads were a chat room what is said during the game would be gone and not open for scrutiny and criticism--long after I've forgotten that emotion--but that's okay.

Taking time to call out others is derisive but fair game.

At the same time pointing out negatives bothers some who want positive posts almost all the time.

I just say post what you post and realize all of us just have opinions.

In the end what difference do any of our opinions make?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Geez, I didn't expect all this in-house bickering tonight.

I just got back from the game. Defense for the first three quarters was, simply put, putrid. No one was closing out on shooters, Daniels was allowing Miller to penetrate at will, our bigs were not rebounding etc. However, in the fourth quarter, it was a totally different team...we were doing everything right defensively. Did Jordan all of a sudden become a genius defensive coach in the third quarter? Hell no. The players just decided it was time to play defense, plain and simple. Should Jordan get all the blame for the players waiting until the 4th quarter to play defense? Hell no. If these professional ballplayers don't know that they have to play some semblance of defense to win in this league, then we need to find new players. Jordan can lead these guys to water, but if they don't drink, it ain't his fault...especially when none of the guys are playing any D. Listen, we all have seen this team play good defense, sometimes great defense. They know the principles, they know what they have to do, they just have to decide that they are going to do it. I don't blame E.J. for not hounding the players for something that is obvious to EVERYONE...the Wiz are not going anywhere without playing better D.

I think the biggest problem with this team is that they think they can turn it on whenever they want. They feel they can coast during most of the game, and then bring it on at the end. Well, it certainly don't always work that way, especially so in the playoffs. If the Wizards play the way they played tonight in the playoffs, there is no way they are going to make it out of the second round.

That IS the problem.

They think they only have to play defense at certain times and that stops will come then. They always want to be about good offense. But there's no accountability and consistency on defense stress by EJ. Not where I can see, anyway.

[doclinkin]

I don't think there's any danger that we'll get any 'positive all the time' folks on this board. Not a fickin chance. It does gratify though when I see at least a few more posters now and again who seem to have confidence in the team and think that's a good thing.

In this thread, I like the new power-of-positive-thinking version of hands11. Surprising and refreshing. This team has made believers out of a few determined skeptics; fewer fans head early for the exits, metaphorically speaking-- we come to expect the comeback and the takeover. Nice to see. I get to give hands his props on this, he's been slowly changing to a steely-eyed optimist over the past few games and even the minor qualms and quibbles are muted.

But come on now-- no names mentioned but--- calling Caron 'Soft-Boiled Egg' and all when the guy has killed himself to be out there every night, in pain or not? When the guy defied team doctors in the past, playing when he should be resting. This man played with a broken thumb in the playoffs (but refused to get it x-rayed because he didn't want to find out it was broken and be told he couldn't play).

The team is walking wounded nine/ten deep. Playing on will, grit and determination alone. What the hell, you want the license to kick 'em when they're struggling then expect no one to say 'boo' when you're proven wrong? Why, because you might get hurt feelings re-reading what you yourself wrote? I dunno man, seems to me these guys deserve just a little bit more benefit of the doubt is all. I don't know any other fans that kill their own team, a winning playoff-bound team, as constantly as we hear it here.

Should the team be able to crush the opposition and remove all doubt and drama? So nervous fans can relax a bit more. Okay, sure, but I don't see where we're that much better than anybody in terms of overall overwhelming talent etc. We have talented players who mostly win by hustle and outworking the opposition. Overacheivers. That's simply their character. A guy like LeBron's a whiny punk, I'm sure he works hard too, but he's had everything handed to him, bxtches when he doesn't get his way, he can rely on pure talent to carry him through. But would you rather root for him than these guys? Than Caron?-- a 6'5" undersized bluecollar guy who wins by attitude and determination more than ungodly vert and muscle mass.

This team wins, when it does, by executing their game plan at both ends. When talent falls short, shots don't fall, someimes they jsut have to stick with it, never give up and keep pluggin away. Maybe it's not comfortable to watch, makes you nervous. But good god man how comfortable must it be to play with: a bone bruise, a sprained wrist, a tweaked hammy, a hip bone contusion, and whatever all else Caron has. I guess I rank more highly his sacrifice than a fan's hurt feelings.

Nothing to say that you're any less of a fan for having passion about the team and sticking with 'em, even though they're at least half terrible half the time apparently. Passion's a fine thing. But dang, what a fine thing it would be one day to see the fans as fired up for the squad as say the Caps fans have been at the phone booth this past stretch. Cheering them on, not critiquing every move or non-move.

I suppose the only way that happens is if we win every game, night in night out, long enough that folks can start to trust it, and not spend half of every game checking their parachute just in case the plane starts to nosedive. If we win a playoff series-- is that what it takes? Can we then get some unreasonable homers and blind faith optimists on this board? You know, just to balance things out?

2nd round then?

ECFinals?

Championship game? Just wondering what it'll take.

[doclinkin]

That IS the problem.

They think they only have to play defense at certain times and that stops will come then. They always want to be about good offense. But there's no accountability and consistency on defense stress by EJ. Not where I can see, anyway.

I dunno. I think the problem is in part that they're winded and wounded. The defense was solid early on, but has slipped as players get injured and other players pick up the slack. They prove they can turn it on and play D every now and again, they just don't have the energy (and occasionally: size) to do it all game long. They have to hustle at both ends in order to win.

And meanwhile Gil still has a ton of bad habits on D, but aprt of that is injury, part conditioning, and part familiarity, team practice. From the ocaching perspective you can't kill that point though while he's still trying to re-discover his game and get confidence find his new role with the team. There's a delicate ego here that needs more confidence than critique for a bit. seems to me that's just intelligence on the art of EJ. A correct assessment and a good eye for the measure of the man. He's got to get back a bit of the old Gil before he insists on something new and unfamiliar.

[hands11]

-= original quote snipped =-



That IS the problem.

They think they only have to play defense at certain times and that stops will come then. They always want to be about good offense. But there's no accountability and consistency on defense stress by EJ. Not where I can see, anyway.

While I'm not going to say that doesn't play a role but I believe a lot of it has to do with the players on the court and who we are playing against.

AD, DS, AJ, Songaila and Haywood

vs a track team of a Phili team.

As we showed, we could be effective against them. Songaila start hot. He cut well in the post. But there is little margin for error when this was the line up. No one of these players is going to run anyone down. If and when we made a bad pass or got out of balance on the court, they were off to the races. That's there game. Once they started, they got their swagger.

When we got better on D was EJ put in more quick feet. Actually AB had a big effect. And the combo of GA hitting shots and AB running the floor made a big difference. GA and AB is a lot quicker then AD and BH. Once Phili wasn't running, it wasn't their game anymore. They lost there Mojo and then shots stopped falling and it all fell apart.

I think it's a lot more then just effort.