Sixers muffle the Sonics in Seattle

It was a thing of beauty. A sight to behold. The Sixers rotated to the ball with tenacity ... with a sense of purpose. They were keenly aware of who the shooters on the floor were and covered them first. Ray Allen was a marked man. Stifled by 'lil AI, Willie Green and others. Green and Kenny Thomas picked up the scoring load when Iverson got off to the slow start, just like the nite before in a win over Portland. A glance at the scoreboard after 1 period showed the Sixers in the lead (29-26). At halftime the Sixers were clearly the front runners in the contest (59-48).

The Sixers thwarted 2 furious runs in the 3rd period as AI started to heat up. Ray Allen finally got it going in the fourth (scoring the Sonics first 12 points in the period) to finish with 32. But the Sixers did not wilt in the final period as they have in the recent past. The offense did not turn cold. Green's 20 pts and aggressive play made a big difference. The winter west coast grind has started 2-0. With the Nuggets on the horizon. Denver sleep walked thru a recent match-up in Philly. But they may be fired up after the head coach was fired yesterday. Friday will be the first game for interim head coach Michael Cooper (yes of the old show time Lakers). The 76ers should win if they continue their play from the last 2 nites.

Sixers 114 Sonics 107 - It was a thing of beauty.

Iverson Sizzles Again as Sixers Top Pacers

AI fails to score fitty points in his 3rd straight game, but we win the game over the star strapped Pacers. That's more important. I remember Iverson's early years when a 40 plus nite from AI was almost surley a loss. SportsCenter likes the highlights, but unbalanced scoring is a lowlight for a team game. Not to slight AI, you want a player to do what ever it takes to win. That's his greatest quality. But I fear we will never get above .500 if Allen has to score like this every nite. To the 76ers credit, they came together in the 4th period. But team play for four quarters is sorely lacking. The Sixers' annual west coast grind is coming up ... sorta of a exam ... stay tuned!

New York comesback in Philadelphia to win in OT

Don 't call it a comeback. The Sixers have been doin' it all year. Lack of performance in the 4th QTR. The sixers lead by 15 to start the QTR. Posted only Fourteen for the period. The Knicks force overtime where the pull away. It makes you sick to see this 4th QTR fade so often.

Is the answer to start the fouth from behind? Like the Tuesday nite Nuggets game. That way we are the team that needs to mount a comeback.


Knicks 113 76ers 107

Iverson double-double paces Sixers

Gotta Luv those Bulls. Nothing cures a bad losing streak on the road, like a trip to Chicago. A win is a win, but we still saw the lack of a killer instinct in the 4th Qtr. The Sixers went scoreless for 4 MINUTES. AI was the only one to score down the stretch. I saw several times when players passed on shots they buried earlier in the game.

The big change, was to start Sammy and move Iggy to 2 guard. Jackson came off the bench to play power forward, the Sixers looked BIG. Sammy responded well to the start. The tinkering for O'Brien continues. Let hope this sparks a winning streak.
76ers 93 Bulls 88

Maybe the Tin Man would've been proud ...

But I witnessed a Sixers team with no heart last nite. They were never in the game. They showed no life. You'd have thought that they were the one who played the nite before and had to fly across the country.

The week nite crowd had nothing to get into except some great dunks by Iggy and Garnet. We've reached the consensus that the rookie is the best dunker on the team.

Xposed.com: Hawks Beat 76ers 96-92 to End Losing Skid

The title of the online magazine is as revealing as the article linked to. This recent road trip has 'exposed' the Sixers. There is 'No Fear' factor when a teams laces 'em up against the Sixers. 0-5 on this road trip. They lost a game to the Hawks, the worst team in the NBA, after leading for most of the game. Outscored 20-6 in the final minutes. SIX points!

Everything aches when you're losing. Now 6-11, the Sixers weaknesses are now officially problems. They are not stuff we gotta work on. They're not things we gotta do better at. They are not something that will work it self out. They are real problems:

• Defensive Rebounding - the Hawks had 19 offensive rebounds
  
• AI at the point - AI started hot, but cooled in the second half. This time he chose to take his own shot instead of passing to his teammates when the game was on the line. Bad shot ... turn-over ... Bad shot, but it's tipped in ... turn-over. This was the prognosis at the start on the season when O'Brien put a scorer at the point.
  
• The gang that couldn't shoot straight - You can hardly blame AI for trying to put the team on his back. Earlier on the road trip, he was making the pass and guys were missing bunnies! He scored 18 of the Sixers 26 point in the 1st period. Nobody picked up the slack.
• Where the BIGS at? - The Sixers are perhaps the smallest teams in the league. If you're that small you better be able to shoot (okay, we're working on that) or a great rebounding team (well that's a work in progress also). The Sixers don't have enuff size to rebound, block shots, control the paint or any of those hardhat tasks that don't show up in the stat sheet. I like Marc Jackson, but he needs help! What up with Sammy D. He's down to ~25 minutes/game to ~8 minutes/game I know he gotta a low basketball IQ, but it won't get better on the bench!
  
• What with that defense? - O'Brien's rally cry was "D + 3" (I'm paraphrasing). His insistence on fronting the post seems bizarre. Most players, especially ours, don't know how to do it. It has to be more difficult when the defender has a height disadvantage and it leads to that rebound deficit. The Sixers were out hustled 51-42 on the glass. Both teams had 33 defensive rebounds. The difference was 19-9 on the offensive boards. Jimmy O'Brien's defense ranks 21st in the NBA (97.7 ppg) , but they only score 93.67 PPG. Do you see something 'we gotta work on' or a problem.
  
• Lost Dog - What's up with Big Dog. He's taking up a roster spot and CAP space we could be using for another BIG.
  
• Rotation Notation - There's a different starting team every nite. There seems to be no rhythm to the people on the floor. Earlier it was full scale substitutions. "Hey, everybody not named AI is out". Last nite 2 guys had DNP's (the BIGs Dalembert & Davis). The coach doesn't admit it to the public, but he's got a dog house that seems easier to get into than out off. Jimmy I hope you can admit that to yourself. Sammy D hasn't played in the last two games. Willie Green's minutes have diminished (but it has nothing to do with his recent shooting slump; wink-wink). We should know what the line-up is after 17 games, right?
• The Killer Instinct - What's up with all the close games. You need to crush weak teams like the Wizards, not win in overtime. You jump on teams in the midst of a long road trip or in back to back games. You need to out hustle a team on a losing streak like the Rockets on the road. And you MUST close-out against the worst team in the league. Those games are the one that make a difference between a contender and a pretender!
  
• Should I go on?

Well I'm glad their at home the next few games. Watch out Timerwolves! Maybe some home cooking and "Mommy Loves U" is the ticket after getting spanked in somebody else's house. I will let you know.

Xposed: Hawks Beat 76ers 96-92 to End Losing Skid

Duncan leads Spurs past Sixers, 105-72

OUCH!

The Sixer's got spanked in San Antonio! I was fortunate enuff not to see this one. 'nuff said.