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76ers never quit, but must step up on defense

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Charley Rosen

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 17 sports books, the current ones being Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees and Crazy Basketball: A Life In and Out of Bounds.

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Updated Nov 8, 2009 7:08 PM ET
     
 

Game Time: Pistons 88, Sixers 81

This was definitely an aggravating loss for the visiting Sixers — a game that could very easily have been won. Let's break down Philadelphia's performance into cinematic terms.

The Good

Andre Iguodala's sterling first-half output included 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. For the entire game, he was granted only three iso opportunities and responded by scoring six points. In short stretches, A.I. played like a bona fide All-Star. Willie Green came off the bench to play considerable minutes (23) at both the point guard and the shooting guard slots. His defense was commendable, and he was also a forceful presence on offense. Marreese Speights was deadly from mid-range and was impressively active in the paint. Occasionally, he also showed on the weak side in defense of high screens to good effect. Thaddeus Young didn't shoot well (4-for-13) but was energetic at both ends. Ditto for Jason Smith. Even though four of their 14 offensive rebounds came on a single first-quarter sequence, the Sixers were uniformly aggressive in trying to retrieve their own misses. At times — mostly in the second half — they had good success when they doubled Detroit's high screen-and-rolls. Whenever they were able to run, they always wound up with good looks. Except for two forced shots — each by Lou Williams and Samuel Dalembert and one by Green — the Sixers diligently moved the ball and looked to make the extra pass. Their Princetonian offense featured everything from backdoor cuts to triple-staggered screens and created numerous open shots from near and far. Despite trailing for most of the game, the Sixers never stopped hustling.

The Bad

Lou Williams was never in synch, finishing with six points on 3-for-10 shooting, five assists and four turnovers. He seemed confused and tentative on offense, and overwhelmed, mostly by Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum, on defense. Iguodala was an afterthought on offense during the second half — except for some desperation isos in the waning seconds when the game was already lost. Indeed, he didn't put up his initial shot in the third quarter until 5:36. Too often, the half-court offense stalled and degenerated into two-man games. For the most part, weak-side help was perfunctory on high screen-and-rolls. Defensive rotations often left baseline shooters unattended. Nobody except Green was able to prevent Detroit's wings from freely driving the ball into the paint. Elton Brand was never a factor on offense, contributing six points on 3-for-10 shooting, one assist and three turnovers. In addition, his one post-up plus his three isos produced zero points. The ball rarely was swung from side to side. Their primary technique for setting up somebody in the pivot — Brand, Iguodala, Young, or Dalembert — was to have the potential poster set a high screen, then dive to the box while the ball was passed to a strong-side wing, who theoretically had an open lane for an entry pass. It was a good theory that never really worked, mainly because too many of the Sixers are inferior passers. There were huge holes in Philly's zone defenses — mostly in the shadow of the basket.

The Ugly

The Sixers missed a bunch of layups, and most of their 16 turnovers came in the immediate vicinity of the hoop. The Pistons were able to split double-teams at least a dozen times. Philadelphia's long-range shooting (3-for-18) was abysmal. Their designated 3-point specialist, Jason Kapono, was 0-for-3 in a mere three minutes of action. Detroit pulled down 21 offensive rebounds, including one captured after a missed free throw. With the Sixers trailing by six and 38.1 seconds left in the game, Iguodala bricked a brace of free throws. Dalembert was a total embarrassment — floor-bound, useless in defense of screen-and-rolls, passive, forcing shots (1-for-3) and trying to force his dribble into the paint (four turnovers). No wonder why the Sixers are desperately trying to trade him, and no wonder why nobody else wants him. For this team to be consistently respectable:
  • Iguodala needs more touches and viable shot opportunities.
  • Some way must be found to get Brand involved in the offense.
  • Their defensive glass has to be protected at all costs. How about devoting an entire practice session to boxing out?
  • Their screen-and-roll defense and baseline rotations must be tightened.
  • Potential dribble-penetrators have to be overplayed and forced into help spots, and the help has to be there on time.
  • Williams' education as a lead player has to be accelerated.
  • Dalembert has to be ditched. Once everybody becomes more comfortable in Eddie Jordan's quick-hitting offense, their ability to score in half court sets should improve. Also, since their defensive flaws are imminently fixable, the Sixers will be a better ball club after the All-Star break than they are now.

    Straight Shooting

    The disagreements of some readers not withstanding, there's a significant value in composing scouting reports of NBA teams so early in the season. Doing so provides a quick reading of how much or how little any given player has worked on his game during the offseason. Has Dwight Howard added anything to his offensive repertoire? Is Shaq in shape? What are the results of Kobe's working on his pivot moves with Hakeem Olajuwon? And check out the 20 pounds of muscle that Chris Bosh has added. Early reconnoiters can also establish a team's capabilities. For example, San Antonio certainly established a high standard of play in their opening game against New Orleans — a standard that they haven't quite matched since then. Also, there for the discerning viewer's consideration are any potentially fatal flaws in a particular ball club. Like the Raptors' awful defense. Like the Hornets' dire need for another creative scorer. Like the Spurs' unbalanced reliance on their outside shooting. Moreover, a team's ability to focus — or its lack thereof — is likewise on display. Will New Orleans' poor team-wide concentration plague them for the duration? It's also interesting to note how a team's newcomers are, or are not, fitting into their new environments. Early indications are that Rasheed Wallace and Channing Frye have already undergone smooth transitions, while Shaq and Richard Jefferson are struggling. Early-season injuries to key players also provide opportunities for other players to either step up or step down. Andrew Bynum has been effective without Pau Gasol active, but the youngster isn't in tip-top condition as evidenced by his absence of lift in the fourth quarter. New coaches, as well as hold-over coaches with new game plans, are also well worth early inspections. Mike Brown's Shaq-oriented offense isn't yet functioning at a high enough level, but Alvin Gentry's reinstallation of Mike D'Antoni's run-and-stun tactics is off to a good start. In general, identifying where a team is and where it has to go over the course of the next five-plus months is always useful. A corollary to this is determining which teams can get there as presently constituted (i.e. San Antonio) and which teams cannot (i.e. Toronto, New Orleans). For sure, the NBA season is a marathon, but no matter how long the journey, first steps are always meaningful.

    Vox Populi

    How do you think LeBron would fare playing in the Triangle offense? Gary Payton didn't succeed, but how about Jason Kidd? — Majek, Lagos, Nigeria

    Success or failure in the Triangle depends more on attitude and maturity than on sheer talent. Payton failed miserably with the Lakers because he wanted to post up, run low screen-and-rolls, or play one-on-one from the top. Considering that Payton had played many times against Phil Jackson's triangular teams in Chicago and L.A., it's incomprehensible that he really didn't know what he was getting himself into when he signed with the Lakers. Either Payton was ignorant, or else he firmly believed that Jackson would alter his offense to suit the Glove's own personal requirements. The Triangle was in vogue when Jim Cleamons coached J-Kidd in Dallas, but Kidd wanted nothing to do with it. Indeed, giving the ball up without the remote possibility of being credited with an assist was beyond Kidd's concept of what his game was all about. However, as a ringless, much slower 36-year-old, he would probably be more willing to operate the same geometric offense that he had rebelled against when he was a callow youth. Also, since passing is critical to the success of the Triangle, since Kidd's perimeter shooting has so dramatically improved over the years and since he's big and strong enough to play three positions, Kidd would be a natural. LeBron is so powerful and so talented that he could be personally successful in virtually every offensive scheme — even the Cavs' current one in which he still mostly starts from a dead stop and massages he ball before he makes his move. But would he be willing to make facilitating passes to initiate offensive sequences? Pass, go through and frequently never touch the ball again? Be the focal point only in specific situations? If he really values winning above his own aggrandizement, then LBJ would be almost as effective in the Triangle as Kobe is. But if LeBron cares mainly about himself, then he just might wind up playing free-for-all offense next season in New York.

    Travels with Charley

    Part 2 If my playing career could be highly successful, it was also blighted by several humbling experiences:
  • During my sophomore season at Hunter College — to be more specific, only my third varsity game — we were trounced at home by Maryland State. Their frontline went 6-10, 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-8 and intimidated me so much that I managed to score a mere seven points, the only single-digit outing of my college career. Throughout the rest of my varsity career and despite my record-setting point-making, I always felt that the Maryland State game represented the ultimate representation of what kind of a player I really was.
  • After I'd been named to the Tri-State League's All-Star team after my initial varsity season, I received a phone call from a total stranger, who said that he was entering a team in a fast amateur tournament in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. He'd pay me $25 under the table, plus subway fare, if I'd consent to be his team's ringer. Sure. Too bad the home team featured two player from Boys High School — Billy Burwell, a 6-foot-8 senior destined for Ohio State and a 6-foot-8 junior named Connie Hawkins, who was destined for the Hall of Fame. Burwell's pre-game warmup included his palming a ball in each hand, then taking a mighty leap dunking them in quick succession while still airborne. These two guys proceeded to block every shot I even thought of taking and also had me continually ducking away to avoid being brained by their game-long dunkathon. And I never got my ringer's fee.
  • Worst of all was my experience with the USA team at the 1961 Maccabiah Games in Israel. My teammates included Larry Brown, Art Heyman, Mike Cingiser, Julie Cohen and several more of the finest Jewish hoopers in America. But since we played 1-3-1 zone at Hunter and I was always stationed in the low-post on offense, I didn't know how to defend or play facing the basket. As a result, I was so lost on the court that I was eventually designated as an alternate and never played the tournament, which the USA won. Even worse, I came down with a virulent case of amoebic dysentery and lost 21 pounds in the 15 days we spent in Israel. So despite the gaudy numbers and the page full of school records, I left Hunter convinced that I was nothing more than a small-time big man. And, in truth, I didn't grow into my game until years after I graduated. That's when I learned to pick and pass, to move without the ball and to shoot only those shots that I knew I could make. More significantly, I didn't learn to see and to understand the entire game until I coached in the CBA.
    • Tagged: Raptors, Magic, Celtics, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Suns, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Mavericks, Spurs, Chris Bosh, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bynum, Lakers

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