1st Quarter
Uh oh, two of the refs are from Philly. Great, Butler has a sore knee too. We knew Caron was limited in practice, I figured it was because of his hip.
10:37 - The Wizards do a great job of containing Andre Miller, Haywood gives help with a soft double, the defense rotates well, the Wiz get a steal and a bucket. 2-2.
9:53 - Antonio Daniels doesn't pick up Willie Green soon enough in transition. Green did what he was supposed to do, and that's get into the paint and get fouled by AD.
So far, the Wizards have run a couple good plays to get post touches for Jamison and Butler, but the team offense hasn't been crisp.
8:48 - Dalembert jumper...I know Haywood was guarding against a roll to the basket, but he left too much room and didn't recover to the open Haitian. 7-4 Philly.
Jamison doesn't begin the game well, missing his first 3 shots. He's a gamer to the end, but I wish his looks to start the night were more physical and aggressive.
6:50 - Haywood fights hard for position, gets an offensive board, gets fouled and gives the Dave Hopla treatment to a couple FTs. Game tied at 9.
For the most part, the Wizards have been in a man D. Steve Buckhantz comments that the 76ers have been in the paint a lot. Agreed - the Wiz aren't displaying their usual active hands.
6:15 - I really like how Haywood is muscling Dalembert. He's throwing around his weight on offense and looks to be moving his feet well on D, also dissuading rolls and dives to the basket. The Wizards seem to be playing good team defense, but the players need to do a better job of individually locking down their man. Timeout, game tied at 11.
5:16 - Stevenson hits his second 3 and ties his career high for 3s in a season with 74. Who thought we'd get that from him this year? It was great court vision from Caron to swing it to DeShawn across the court for the open look. 14-11 Wiz....But on the next possession, the Lock Smith turns the ball over trying to do a Jackson 5 spin in the lane, this leads to Philly points.14-13.
4:10 - AI fast break slam; no one accounted for him after a quick Sixer rebound off a Mason 3 miss. 15-14 Philly.
3:39 - Haywood is playing very well. He ran the floor and got the put back off a Butler miss on the break. We've already thanked Dave Hopla, now how about the conditioning coach, Drew Cleary? BTH has 6 points and 4 rebounds. 16-15 DC.
3:01 - But do not thank the 'Be Aware of Andre Igoudala' Coach. AI just got another fast break dunk off a Wizards miss.....the Sixers got the ball down the court with 2 passes, 17-16 Philly.
2:10 - That's the Jamison we need to see. He gets an offensive rebound and put back. 18-17 Washington.
You know, I almost like Andray Blatche in the starting role. I love AD, but he can't keep up with quick guards. What if Eddie started Blatche and went back to bringing Daniels off the bench? Can't Butler and Stevenson get the offense initiated? I like Antonio's value coming off the bench. Perhaps his presence with the 2nd crew can bring more stability to the lulls the Wizards seem to display when the 2nd unit is in at the beginning of the 2nd.
0:35 - Uh oh...I think Reggie Evans in grabbing balls again. Coming down the court, Evans ran into AB...looked subtle, but knowing the nut grabber, I might give AB the benefit of the doubt and say that Reggie grabbed him. AD pushed Evans straight to the ground. I'm sure there's a history too. Unfortunately, Reggie makes both FT. Game tied at 23.
0:01 – Roger Mason hits a clutch shot with 1 second left to put the Wiz up 2 after 1, 25-23.
DeShawn just got a tech. He drew a charge on the Sixers with 0.8 left. Reggie Evans is a straight trouble maker. Stevenson was lying down on the court after the charge on Reggie. Meanwhile, Evans walked by and dropped the ball right on the Lock Smith's chest. Well, DeShawn didn't take too kindly to that and threw the ball at the back of Evans’ head. Stevenson, being the last one to take action, receives the technical. C'mon ref? Tit-for-tat.
Yea, even though the Sixers are bad, this is a budding rivalry between these close proximity teams.
Just look what I wrote about Reggie Evans in my Game 10 Blog:
At the very end of the [first] quarter, Antonio Daniels took a hard shot from Reggie Evans...a little bit of a dirty play. Evans was going to set a pick and moved his hip right into AD's chest. Coming from anyone else, it's just a moving screen. Coming from Reggie Nut-Cracker Evans, it's a dirty play. AD seems to really be hurting. Damn, and I was just on the Bullets Forever pre-game post commenting that I hope Evans wouldn't "maim" any of the Wizards. Reggie Evans is good at 3 things: Horse Play, Rebounds and Ass Play. He's already done two tonight...hope he doesn't do to Andray what he did to Chris Kaman.
Oh yea, instead of sitting on the bench, getting cold, Caron Butler rode a bike in the corridor. Smart. I always wonder why Gil never did that.
2nd Quarter
10:54 - Sweet Lou Williams gets on the board. That guy kinda scares me. Nick Young definitely can't keep up with him. 28-27 Wizards.
Full court pressure and the Wiz turn it over three times in a row. A travel by Nick Young, a bad pass by D-Song, and another travel by S-Song. They have 7 turnovers in the game now. Where is the mental toughness?
9:32 - Another turnover....what are Roger Mason and Nick Young doing? This time, just a lazy pass. The defender was RIGHT THERE to jump the lane, take the ball, and score. Eddie Jordan calls a timeout. This is unbelievable. I'm sure that everyone wants to blame Jordan, but being able to get the ball up the court should be second-hand to NBA players. This bench unit is not playing with any kind of concentration. 4 possessions, 4 turnovers, 9 Sixer points....all in about 100 seconds. 32-28 Philly.
Gil timeout interview: He still hopes to be back at the end of the month. He looked "good" playing 1 on 1 with Nick Young. He's limited to half-court right stuff now.
Steve buck informs us that Roger Mason somehow got a tech during the timeout. He breaks the 4-minute long FG drought at the 8:33 mark, 34-32 76ers.
6:09 - It hasn't been easy for Caron Butler on offense. He only has 6 points, but he does have 3 steals and 7 assists and 0 turnovers. Roger Mason is leading the Wiz with 10. Nine different Sixers have gotten in the scoring column.
5:37 - Another 3 from RMJ, 13 points and 3-5 from 3PT. Mason is getting more and more dependable...now he's getting plays called for him. Roger is separating himself from Nick Young for PT when Gilbert comes back. Wiz have 43-36 lead.
5:16 - And Andre Miller goes back to eating AD's lunch with a body-up mid-range jumper.
4:01 - The offense is much more fluid now with AD, Caron, Antawn, D-Song and Mason in the game. 47-39 after a Jamison tip. D-Song has picked up his play since the bad start. I see hard cuts, passing and hustle from him, along with 4 points.
1:55 - Finally, a made jumper by AD, 50-45 Wiz. If he could only shoot the ball more consistently. I know, Antonio has never been a shooter. But teams always go under the pick on him ....negating anything the Wiz are trying to get going to the basket. It'd be easier if AD made the defense pay more often.
0:25 - DeShawn's crazy spin fade away is distressing ...especially because it's blocked. I know that the shot clock was down to 7, but you're telling me that the best he can get?
Aww man...Andray Blatche, hit a shot from the opposite key, but it came well after the buzzer. The half ends and the Wiz are up 56-49.
That's Philly for you, I couldn't exactly see what happened, but Antonio Daniels had words with a fan on his way to the locker room.
Half The Battle
- 76ers: 57.6% Wizards: 51.2%
- The Wizards are killing Philly on the boards, 21-15 with 8 offensive boards to 1.
- The Wiz got 19 from their bench, well done after that bad stretch. On those turnovers in the back court, Roger Mason said they were surprised the Sixers bought pressure. You were surprised 3 times in a row? Gil said they weren't aggressive enough and that sometimes you need to drive past the D without being tentative. Makes sense to me.
- Dre Miller: 10 points, 11 assists.
- Butler: 8 points, 8 assists.
3rd quarter
The Wiz begin the 3rd well enough, retaining a 60-53 lead. After Haywood picks up his 2nd foul, Phil Chenier says that he really needs pick it up and that he never got it going in the first half. ...funny, Brendan seemed to start well, but I definitely did not notice him after that. Of course, Haywood went out with about 1:55 left in the first and didn’t come back until 2:50 left in the second.
10:56 – Jamison, Mr. Double-Double, 13 points, 11 bounds, 5 offensive.
8:03 - Typical DeShawn Stevenson -- he hits a 3, and then turns to the crowd....just slowly jogging back. "Keep calling my name, keep calling my name," he yells out according to Steve Buck. Meanwhile, the Sixers went right down the damn court, like they’ve been doing all game, and no one was there to protect the basket. DeShawn commits a foul. 2 FTs and it’s 63-57 Wizards. The Lock Smith needs to lock that mouth up.
"Here they come and there they go." –Steve Buck
7:09 - Philly after break basket gives them an 8-3 run, 63-59 Wizards. All this Philly team does is run, run, run...just a bunch of athletes, not necessarily ball players, but a bunch of running athletes.
6:02 - Stevenson answers a 10-3 run with a 3, 66-61 Wiz. Got back on D that time didn't you buddy?
5:37 - DeShawn with another 3.....still talking smack and blowing kisses...right near the Philly bench. Guess he knows they are going to call timeout. He got the first 3 off a BTH pick, and the second within the motion offense. 69-63 DC.
4:26 - More full court pressure from Philly....the Wiz are surprised and turn the ball over. Again, this is something the Sixers did in the first half with success, press and run. How soon do the Wizards forget? Is this coaching? I can't imaging that Eddie didn't go over those very two aspects during the half. I think it's concentration on the part of the players. Philly within 2, 69-67
3:20 - Monster dunk by Haywood. He had the ball high, Mason went over and the 76ers anticipated a dump off. BTH kept the ball, turned around, and had a wide opening lane for the flying two hander. After the dunk, he slowed for just a split second...caught his balance, tapped the support, and then realized that the needed to haul ass back down the court. 74-67 Wiz.
2:21 - Haywood with an offensive rebound, put back, And1. Maybe Phil was a little harder on him earlier.
1:08 - Caron is limping back into the locker room.....great. D-Mac is in the game, maybe his athleticism and get after these Sixers. 79-73 Wiz.
Maybe Phil Chenier contributed to the 'talk bad about Haywood and he'll play better' superstition. BTH had 10 points in the 3rd, 16 total. 6-6 on FTs. 8 rebounds, 4 of which are offensive. I'm betting that he'd have a double-double by now if Philly wasn't shooting 58.8%. The Wizards have 0 blocks, rare since they average over 5 a game and are 11th in the NBA in that category.
Roger Mason is always ready to shoot...nails another clutch jumper with 3 seconds left. Wiz up 10 after 3, 83-73.
4th Quarter
11:01 - Songaila had to battle his hardest to get a rebound from Reggie Evans. BTH gets a dunk on the other end because he ran the floor well. 85-76 Wiz.
10:08 - Mason and Songaila run a two man game with a D-Song roll and bucket with 2 seconds on the shot clock. 87-76 Wiz.
8:51 - Antonio Daniels made a long sweeping move to the basket...hoop and the foul. And get this, he didn't go crashing to the floor. Way to save your body AD. 90-78 Washington.
Looks like Caron is out for the rest of this game and possibly tomorrow. He re-aggrevated that left hip flexor.. Not good.
8:06 - And D-Song is back to his ways. He makes a bad pass on the perimeter and Reggie Evans of all people picks it off and goes for a relatively unchallenged dunk. Philly down 10.
This isn’t looking right....I'm not sure what the Wizards are going on offense. Yes, got to Roger Mason, but don't force it to Roger. Then, they look like bunch of 45 year-olds with knee braces trying to keep up with high-school kids.
6:05 - More "great" Washington offense involves a heavily contested DeShawn 3 as the clock was running down. Sixers transition bucket...even Jason Smith is running. Philly down 4, 90-86.
5:29 - Deja Vu....another contested Stevenson 3 from the corner as the shot clock was running down. Sixers fast break.....Roger Mason commits a foul to slow them down.
5:09 - Louis Williams steals an offensive rebound from Blatche, holds the ball, then brings it right down the paint for a dunk. 12 point Washington lead cut to 2 in about 4 minutes.
4:44 - Stevenson drive....careless turnover...Sixers breakaway. 12-0 Sixer run, game tied at 90......This is absolutely insane to watch, Philly gets another easy bucket off a Mason miss to take a 2 point lead. Another timeout by EJ. A 14-0 run in the middle of the 4th. What the hell is that? I know Caron is out, but this is ridiculous.
3:52– Jamison drive and another turnover.
3:14 - Om my god, Why isn't Carney back in the dunk contest? Another Sixer steal and fast break dunk. I don't even think a comeback like this can happen in a video game. The Sixers must be in a revenge mind set after a tough loss to the Hawks last night. Philly is up 4.
2:44 - Wiz still can't score. An AD drive gets blocked, the Sixers get the loose ball and draw a foul on the other end. 95-90 Sixers.
2:21 - Great, now we have Stevenson chucking up crazy runners. He get hit and now he's rolling around the floor, holding his neck. Oh man, on the replay, it looked terribly painful. The Lock Smith was going full speed caught a forearm shiver from Sam Dalembert right to the neck. I can't even imagine. I keep thinking about Denzel Washington’s fight tactic in He Got Game.
Philly fans....a handful of the handful that showed up tonight, clap for DeShawn as he gets up. One guy screams "Jamison you're next!," as Steve Buck recants. Stevenson goes to the locker room. If the Wizards were to lose this game, it would be absolutely tragic.
I'm not sure I can watch anymore...even though the Wiz are only down 5 with 1:42 left. Stevenson comes back to the court.
0:35 - The Wizards simply cannot do anything on offense. Jamison airballs a wide-open 3. Sixers up 6, 98-92.
0:21 - Wow...the Wiz, down 4, don't immediately foul Igoudala. He gets free and dribbles around, but ends up stepping on the back court line right before AD pushed him for a foul.
0:15 - Stevenson misses a 3 and Dalembert is fouled with 14 seconds left. That will just about do it. Hard to believe that the Sixers took this one. The Wizards, who were up 90-78 with just under 9 minutes left in the game were outscored 23-6 from there. The final: 101-96 Philadelphia.
Eddie Jordan with his coach speak after the game: He tried to carry the water, take the heat. Eddie said the small lineup he inserted to keep up with Philly threw things off. He took the blame for putting the team in situations where they could not make reads under pressure. Of course, he later said that as NBA players, you would expect them to make the necessary reads and understand what the other team is trying to do. In my opinion, this one is on the players. They were put on the court to play. It wasn't Eddie who pushed the panic button.
This is a bad, bad loss and I’m not feeling good about these next five. I initially predicted 3-3 over this stretch of 6. Now, I’m not so sure about 1-5…especially with Caron still on the mend. But no one is feeling sorry for this team.