Disclaimer: I'm sure this isn't the first thing on most fans' minds right now, since they're probably celebrating the World Series like wild animals and I'm sorry the recap is a little late; I got caught up in some things.
Man, I was so hyped going into this game. I rushed home from school to watch it on my DVR. Everything went as planned in the first quarter. Thad opened with a three, Sammy and Elton owned the offensive glass. It was beautiful. The only problem was they were absolutely dominating the game, yet only still only led by single digits.
Then things started to go bad in a hurry. The Sixers shot 35% from the game. They turned the ball over 17 times, to the Raptors 9. It wasn't really nerves. That's not what lost us the game. To be honest I don't really know our major problem. It could've been that we let the Raptors light us up from downtown. It could've been that we couldn't make shots. We turned the ball over way too much. We missed a ton of free throws. It just sucked. That's really all I can say. Here are my thoughts on all the individuals.
Andre Miller-He played alright. He ran the offense very nicely in the first quarter and made a couple shots here and there. He was just "ehh". I didn't really notice anything extremely positive or negative.
Andre Iguodala-Had some very nice finishes around the rim including a Doctor J-like finger roll. He didn't complain about as many foul calls as he normally does, which is good, but he didn't look good offensively. He just never got involved. As for his jumpshot, it looked slightly improved, but he still took some ill-advised shots.
Thad-It's night and day to watch him this year compared to last year. He has so much more confidence and his jumpshot is much better. We didn't really see him get in a rhythm because of foul trouble, but I'm encouraged with what I saw.
Elton-I liked what I saw on both ends of the court. I'm not worried about the low field goal percentage. I'm positive that will improve as the season goes on.
Sammy-Sammy rebounded like a man possessed tonight and played incredible D in the first quarter. News-flash: He still can't catch or finish though. He missed so many bunnies; it was ridiculous. His D also got worse as the game went on. Bosh ate him alive. Not to mention the fact that he committed some horrible fouls. Not that any of this surprises you. To be completely honest, I'm ready for the Speights era to begin.
Lou-He definitely did not look like the point guard of the future tonight. The offense went completely stagnant while he ran it. Before they could even get set, the shot clock was already at 6 seconds. We all know what he can do offensively, but tonight he was unimpressive, but then again, so was just about everyone else. Heck, even this recap is subpar, but after waiting months for this game, I'm extremely disappointed.
Willie Green-First guy off the bench. Why?! Get rid of him please.
Rush-The dude has a very quick release. He barely played and hit a three.
Donyell-There's not enough to judge him on, besides the fact that he looked pretty old and slow out there.
Theo-Again, not enough to judge him on.
Reggie Evans- I can't tell you how much I love Reggie Evans. He plays with so much energy and ignites the whole stadium. His offensive goaltending didn't help the team, but I'll chalk it up as a bad break.
Player of the Game: No one.
Record: 0-1
Favorite Open Thread Comment: "My lack of belief in god is not a result of my learning as a Jew, it is a result of my learning in a tradition of secularism. I also think it is hard to argue that Jews are a significantly oppressed group in the world anymore so as to say we endure much in the face of insurmountable odds."--FuqaManuel
Congrats Philles and Phillies' fans.