Brand New Day

"I'm going to find something good to make him mad Friday" quipped Lou Williams. The Sixers outlasted the B’Cats 86-84 at home last nite.

So Elton Brand shows signs of life just a day after I was ready to give ‘em up for dead. His performance last nite was undeniable his best as a Sixer. 42 Minutes, 19 Points, 11 boards (7 Offensive), 3 steals and 6 blocks. I found the 6 blocks to be most impressive. He was getting physical. Something he isn’t known for … Something this team has sorely lacked thus far. So maybe Brand won’t be such a disappointment. Let’s give it 10 more games.

But it is still a concern that it took the final seconds to beat a woeful team like Charlotte. The Bobcat scored 25 points off of 19 turnovers. There was something wrong with the official scorer which only tallied 12 TOs for the Sixers.  They gave back the ball on back to back possessions several times. Which kept the Bobcats in the game despite their lack of team play and the ball hog that is the newly acquired Stephen Jackson.

When they weren’t turning the ball over they were bricking shots or whining to the refs. Carney was a bright spot. I give Jordon some credit for choosing him to be 1st off the bench in the absence of Speights. Carney went 2-4 from the 3 point line for 10 points and the +15 +/- was the best for any player that clocked in.

I supposed it would be too much to ask for a win Friday over the Grizzles. Another bottom feeder. We seem to play down to their level. (sigh) No AI for the Grizzles anymore. I may not go down tomorrow.

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Brand breaks out as Sixers edge Bobcats

I dunno what to think

Seriously … I dunno what to think.

"See no  evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil". "If we do not hear, see, or speak of how bad the Sixers are, then they can’t be bad.” Right?

But I was at the Utah debacle last Friday nite. It was disgusting. It was so bad  they had fans pining for Toney Dileo’s return.

Say what you will about last years team … no superstar, can’t shoot, can’t defend .. what have you. That team brought it every nite. They were often overmatched but rarely blown out (the same could be said for Mo Cheeks squad). But this years model has been blown-out 3 times in the first 2 weeks.

UGH!

That’s all I could say after the loss. “I dunno what to think” when reminded about the Bulls game Saturday nite. Against my better judgment … I watched game. They didn’t get blown-out, but they didn’t win either.

UGH!

And we lose Mo Speights to boot. As much as the Sixers did not want to talk about it. It can no longer be ignored. The EB experiment aint working. And with Speights out for 6 weeks there are no easy alternatives. Somethin' has gotta give.

So there are rumors about a Dalembert trade in the works. Nothing new about that. But who thought they would start out like this.

Even without Mo Speights the line-up will change tomorrow nite. The word on the street is that the Sixers will play more small ball.

UGH!

I can see how bad things are going.

I can speak about how bad things are.

I can hear all the bad things going on.

But it has only been 10 games! Remain calm … who am I kidding … I dunno what to think.

Arena Link: YungsMoove21

Post-Game Interview

Sammy man’s up for the stop & the win

The Sixers were in a dog fight against the winless New Jersey Nets tonite. The Nets nearly beat the Celtics in their last tilt. So the fact they dressed on 8 players (only 7 played) was of little consequence. The Sixers had their hands full against a desperate team.

The game came down to the Sixers holding a 1 point lead in the final seconds. The Sixers needed a stop. After the time-out the Nets went to stand-out center Brook Lopez. Sammy comes up with a HUGE block that essentially won the game. The beauty of his talent was on full display.

Also on display was Young smooth 21. Yes last year’s Thaddeus Young had 20 pts, 5 rebounds, & 3 assists. Young paced the Sixers with 12 points in the 1st period. It was a beautiful thing to see.

Willie Green hit two clutch buckets in the fourth period. Green, who was referred to as “the fungus” that would not go away in a blog post I read today, hit his first bucket of the game (a 3 pointer) with the Sixers trailing by one. It is plays like that, that keeps him on the floor. The coaches seem to like ‘em. So he’s going to be in the mixed. Like it or not.

At the end of the day … any road win is a good one and the 76ers are 4-4.

Al Cervi, 1917-2009

Al Cervi, 1917-2009. The upstate New York native played with the Rochester Royals in the old NBL (league’s leading scorer & MVP ‘45-46). Player-Coach for Syracuse Nationals. Coached the Nats to a NBA Championship in 1955. Inducted in to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1985. Inducted in to the Greater Buffalo HOF in 2003.