Recap: Sixers go toe-to-toe with Oden and the Blazers and come out on top
by Jordan Sams on Mar 23, 2009 11:03 PM PDT
in Recaps
52 comments
Wow, and I thought the Lakers win was great. This one was even better! Here's why:
- The Sixers came out with way more energy tonight than they did in LA.
- Instead of relying on Donny-Ice to come in a lead a miraculous comeback followed by an Iguodala buzzer-beater, the Sixers traded blows with Portland ALL NIGHT and still prevailed.
- Even though LA was good at home, Portland was equally good. After seeing both home crowds in a week's time, there's no question Portland's crowd is 1000 times better. They clearly affected the officiating in the third quarter, and energized the Blazers for their comeback. The Sixers got a little flustered, but managed to get up, dust themselves off and answer every run the Blazers made.
- It was the last game of the brutal road trip, the rear end of a back-to-back and 53 minutes were needed to decide the game. The Sixers definitely left everything on the floor tonight.
- Philly was 35-39 from the free throw line! Enough Said.
- Note to Sixers equipment guys: Every player needs a bigger cup after tonight.
- The refs were whack tonight, but they were whack for both sides, so I don't want to hear complaining -- from Sixers fans OR Blazers fans.
- All announcers are homers -- let's face it. But the Blazers announcers were flat out obnoxious at times. "Royal Ivey is about to end up on a poster" says it all. How'd that work out for you? Also, every time Brandon Roy missed a shot, "Let's not forget to mention, Brandon injured his pinky 46 games ago. It looks to be affecting him."
- Sam sucked. Greg Oden completely owned him.
- Reggie Evans was HUGE.
- A new "big 3" is emerging in Philadelphia. Don't look now, but Thad's becoming a special player -- quickly.
- Royal Ivey and WILLIAM GREEN played huge defense on B-Roy down the stretch.
- Three Blazers really impressed me tonight -- Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez.
0 recs |
52 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
I called 1 win this trip
I expected a split with the bad teams. Was a bit surprised to see them beat Portland and the Lakers. Wow, that was a great trip. Felt like last year.
And yes, Thad is really stepping it up. His emergence these last 11 games (20+ pt average) has made this team worth watching.
Also, for all I think Miller is the wrong long term fit with this team, he is a borderline great player, and one of my favorite Sixers. The phrase tough competitor is kind of hokey, but Miller fits the bill. Portland could really have used him, eh?
http://www.phillyarena.com - Philly sports forum/blog
I agree with Thad stepping up big time. This month, he has upped his scoring average by 6 points over the rest of the season (!!!), and has shown a lot more authority in his game. He seems to be a lot more confident in what he’s going to do with the ball, either shoot or drive, and I think he’s catching on to the fact that there aren’t a lot of guys who can stop him from scoring. Oh, and he’s caused my already enormous man-crush on him to grown even more.
He seems to be clutch on key jumpers. He does sometimes lose his inside touch when things aren’t going well for the team.
His combo of great 1st step, spin moves and pull up jumper gives him a chance to be a big time scorer. he certainly has the attitude for it.
http://www.phillyarena.com - Philly sports forum/blog
And yes Thad is becoming a beast.
Confidence is key.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 24, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Or maybe just more minutes makes him seem better than he actually is?
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think so.
His jumpshot has become money in the bank, and his post game is awkward, but gets the job done.
He has some defense and rebounding issues sometimes. Not to mention his horrible fast break decisions. But in the half-court offense, he’s become one of our biggest weapons.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 24, 2009 11:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Go take a look at his stats on ESPN.com – compare 2007/08 to 08/09
He’s not as improved as people would like to think I don’t think
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
in just 800 more minutes this year (so far)
he’s taken 136 more threes than last year… i found that interesting considering it’s only been one season and that part of his game has changed so profoundly… i’ll take slight improvements every year for the next 2 years any day for thad
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Check out his ‘advanced’ stats – hs rebounding rate and assist rate are down – his turnover rate isn’t better his ‘hollinger per’ is down 2 points over last year – his FG% is down but his 3 point% is up
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions
i'd like to see his advanced stats
for the past month when he’s really turned it on….. i guess there would be no way of finding the hollinger stats broken up into periods of time though
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Not unless you want to calculate them yourself (which you can do)
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm just telling you what I see dude.
Thad’s taken soooo many more jumpers this season, so it’s understandable for his FG% to be down a little bit.
There’s no excuse for the rebounding.
But like you always say with Speights — Thad is 20 years old.
Next season will tell me a lot more abut his work ethic than this season
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I called 4 wins.
I expected them to steal one from either Portland or LA, not both. I expected them to win both games against the sorry teams, and win a close one with the Suns.
That said, I’ll gladly trade two wins against Portland and LA.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 24, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
I couldn't watch the game but looking at the boxscore
Did the Sixers miss a shot all night? 38-74 (.514) 3-5 from 3 (.600) and 35-39 from the line (.897).
That stat line wins games on the road. Very impressive effort from the Sixers. Blazers went 10-34 from the three point line (/facepalm).
Karma
They slowed down.
I believe they shot 80% in the first quarter.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 24, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
We also destroyed the comments record thanks to some help from visiting fans. I really wish I watched every minute of this but my gf got sick of bball after I watched every game thurs-sun
Sent from my iPod (thanks John)
Ah – see – you need a better gf – my gf really never gives me grief however much sports i watch – she watches with me or just finds other things to do
If your girlfriend can’t understand march madness – then my friend you are in trouble
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions
thank god mine appreciates basketball
she goes to pitt so she kind of has to…….. ashton gibbs (pitt’s backup pg) tried to take her on a date… i’ll kill him
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Long distance relationships can be tricky.
Just hope DeJuan Blair doesn’t hit on her. I’d have your back and all, but I don’t like our chances.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 24, 2009 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
we've done the thing for 2 yrs
it’s fairly easy now….. anyway dejuan blair would crush us both with his pinky at the same time…. in his sleep nonetheless
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions
She has my condolences
For going to pitt that is
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
My wife is not a Pitt fan
Goes more for Clooney… and she has no idea that Pitt is a basketball team.
Works out fine.
http://www.phillyarena.com - Philly sports forum/blog
Eastern PA and Western PA don’t get the attention of a ‘rivalry’ that San Fran and LA get – or New York and Boston – but trust me – there’s some true conflict going on there.
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:44 AM PDT reply actions
absolutely
it’s hard to tell with basketball (mostly because p-burgh has no team – and only lately because ‘nova just started to get good again recently) but i see it with eagles/steelers (especially in pittsburgh) and mostly with this thing called hockey (if you’ve never heard of it i understand); i actually know people who like that game and there is a lot of smack talk goin on between flyers/penguins fans
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I remember the Phils and Pirates rivalry
Anyone my (our) age remembers it, but since the Pirates moved from our division and fell out of relevance, it’s sort of languished a bit. Pittsburgh still hates Philly with a passion, however, the way Philly hates NYC.
Pens/Flyers have quickly blossomed as one of the best rivalries in hockey. Lord, I hate the Pens.
Pitt and Nova have always had a good time beating up on each other. But for my money, I hate Georgetown so much more. And there’s a special place in youknowwhere reserved for Duke.
Yes, PIttsburgh Hates Philly
Philadelphia on the other hand can’t be bothered to care one way or another about Pittsburgh usually – doesn’t register on the radar
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 11:56 AM PDT up reply actions
That’s generally true except when it comes to hockey. These two fanbases want to kill each other.
There’s no NBA team, so can’t go there. Steelers always beat Eagles in Pittsburgh and the Steelers haven’t won in Philly since the war. There’s a rivalry there of sorts but it’s sort of one-sided as you suggest.
plus it's kind of hard to have a rivalry
when eagles/steelers (with exception to a possible super bowl) only meet once every four years
by Tanner Steidel on Mar 24, 2009 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions
But it’s hockey – and as we all know – hockey fans in general have an IQ lower than FOrest Gump – so that’s to be expected :)
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 1:08 PM PDT reply actions
Oh, now, I see—you wanna fight. lol.
I love hockey. It was the first sport I ever learned to love. It’s more than just fighting and scoring goals. I appreciate the nuance of the game. And I think football fans actually have lower IQ’s than hockey fans and I love football, too. It’s just that I’ve been to Flyers and Eagles games and I’ve never feared for my life at a Flyers game like I have at an Eagles game. And I root for the Eagles!
Some people hate basketball, you know. I am constantly arguing how good the NBA can be despite the fact that it has become a “star first” league. Many fans think college ball is better because the emphasis is more on team. My response is, “Then you would love the Sixers.”
In truth, I love all sports, except Nascar and golf. I have no tolerance for Nascar because it wastes fossil fuels and golf is…well, it’s golf.
I played hockey every summer at camp kweebec – 8 weeks – real summer camp not the wussy week long day camp – played 3 times a week – was the biggest sport there since all the cherry hill gits loved it so much – so i know hocky – (it was street hockey but it was violent) – i was a goalie – i was mediocre at it (I liked playing goalie) – i just don’t like hockey – i never did – and it’s embarassing that the NHL is less popular than bowling.
PS – I don’t ‘love’ nascar – but watching races can be fun – some of those things those cars do – it’s not fair i don’ get to do it.
Blaming Nascar for fossil fuels is like blaming golf for a titanium shortage
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 24, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Blazer Fan Here
Tip of the cap. The Sixers were flat out awesome. No talk of being tired. No excuses. They came out and took this game and never gave up.
More performances like this and you will turn some heads in the playoffs.
A Blazer Fans' Perspective From the Rose Garden
This was a great win for Philly. Not many teams have been able to come in and steal one in the RG.
Early in the game Philly’s game plan was pretty apparent. Take it to the hole, hard and often. Andre Miller made Blake look like the poster child for UUU defense. Miller’s aggressive takes set the tone for the game and the tone for the officiating. It felt like to me, from sitting in the stands, that a lot of the fouls called on both teams were ticky-tacky and the blatant hacks under the basket fell by the wayside.
The four point play that Rudy hit and the “hit” he laid on AI while shooting a 3 during the waning moments of the fourth quarter were two of the worst calls of the game and maybe the season.
I don’t know if it has been this way around the league, but to me, it seems like the officiating this season has been worse, far worse, than in years past. Maybe this is because Tim Donaghy is our of the rotation.
Just Sayin.
Congrats Philly.
Thank you.
All year, people have bashed on Greg Oden relentlessly, giving him the bust tag, saying that he would never great.
If you watched the game last night, you saw an extremely raw, out of shape Oden dominate a basketball game. Aldridge, Roy, Outlaw, and Blake, our four most reliable scorers, all had terrible nights, scoring very inefficiently. It was Oden and Rudy that led the team back in the second, and it was fun to watch. Oden has expressed frustration with how little contact is allowed in the NBA. With a physical team like the Sixers, he was able to get into the flow of the game, just like he did against Boston.
I know it’s a Philly blog, and that this is probably the wrong place for this. I was just glad to see a few bloggers give Oden some credit for his play last night.
I love your team. Great defense, great in transition. Iggy is one of my favorite non-Blazers, right up there with Gerald Wallace. I hope you guys knock the crap out of Howard in the first round. A poster of Iggy over Howard would be incredible.
draft dejuan blair
That’s a big wishful thinking there
"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."
Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.
by jemagee on Mar 25, 2009 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh man
You got us both times this year! AARRGH! Sorry I couldn’t be around for this one. I am homeless in Japan (not a good thing to be) right now. I finally found a job, but my last apartment was company owned and they gave me the boot over the weekend. My friend who I am staying with doesn’t have internet, and I had to go get my visa extended on the day of the game. Talk about bad timing. Guess I’m glad I missed it. I hope we can get over this losing streak to you guys. In 2 years the Finals match-up is not gonna be favorable if this keeps up. Nice to know someone is giving Oden props outside of Portland though. We’re not delusional, just impatient homers.
It took my two years to come up with an avatar and sig
and this is the best I could come up with.
I’ve watched Oden a couple times, and he never looked like he did last night. He hasn’t looked that good to me since the NCAA championship.
He was a man among boys.
Remember our pre-game discussion?
See what I’m talking about? Double double machine.
Karma
by Sabonis4Ever on Mar 25, 2009 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions
He hasn't been consistent
But when he has been on, it’s been a lot better than that (judging from stats anyways). He’s 20 and had an injury riddled career so far. If he can stay healthy, perform on a consistent basis and stay out of foul trouble he will be an absolute monster. I know that’s a lot of ifs, but it’s not a pipe dream by any stretch.
It took my two years to come up with an avatar and sig
and this is the best I could come up with.
another blazer fan cluddering up your blog
Great game last night. We were flat beat by your team. No excuses. The Blazers were outplayed.
The game last night made me a fan of your team. Thanks goes to the sixers, I needed an east coast team to follow.
Hello Dum Dum
I like the Blazers.
But not their announcers.
by Jordan Sams on Mar 25, 2009 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions
You're not alone
It took my two years to come up with an avatar and sig
and this is the best I could come up with.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
