Despite the poetic title, I'm in no condition to write a coherent recap. It's just one of those nights. They come along every once in a while, where a game emotionally drains me. Tonight's game took a lot out of me. As Sandy Lyle would say, "I'm burning up; my lungs are burning." My eyes are burning. My stomach is growling. I seriously cannot believe the Sixers pulled it off. Here come the random thoughts.
Likes:
-Happy Birthday Andre Iguodala. Did you see his dunk?! Add that to his ballsy (new favorite word) jumpshot down the stretch and I think we found ourselves a player.
-Sammy D? Did you just block Tracy McGrady's game winner? Yes, yes you did. Sammy has quietly put together a solid month of basketball. He's been rebounding. He's been limiting the stupid plays. And he's been playing defense. Good for you Sammy, good for you. For the time being, I'm going to retract my "I want Sammy D traded NOW!" statement.
-Elton Brand looked fabulous. He finished around the rim and played tenacious/inspired defense. 25 minutes, 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6, count 'em 6 blocks.
-Speights played 20 meaningful minutes tonight. He seemed eager to play defense and rebound after his benching last game.
-Lou-Will played decent. He still takes too many difficult shots, but I'll live with them as long as he's getting to the line 6+ times a night. He also had 6 assists.
-Reggie Evans beard
-Watching Andre Iguodala's dunk over and over and over again.
-A win against a healthy Rockets team...in Houston.
-Back to .500!
-The Sixers swagger. Tonight they looked like they thought they were the better team. They weren't scared. They looked like they expected to win and they did just that.
-Willie Green's minutes continue to dwindle. Soon he won't play at all.
-The fact that Rafer Alston isn't on our team.
-20-21 from the free throw line.
Dislikes:
-The Rockets announcers
-They called Sammy D Theo Ratliff and Marreese Speights Sammy D. To top it off, they uttered this sentence, "Now Eddy Ratliff will come off the bench."
-Luis Scola
-Yao's overrated-ness.
-14 o.rebs given up.
-1-12 from beyond the arch
-18 turnovers
Bottom line:
Tonight told us a lot about the Sixers. They went into Houston after a huge letdown in New Orleans. They took Houston's best punch. They hung around and pounced in the end. Good defense, transition buckets and Andre Iguodala's balls dropping mid-fourth quarter lead to a HUGE victory. Next up they have 7 straight home games, including a couple against the likes of Washington and Memphis.
Tomorrow is when we find out if either Andre's prayers of making the all-star team are answered, so we wish them luck.
And just for good measure, take that Yao!