Talking about low basketball IQ

Yeah, we finally managed to watch a whole Sixers game thanks to NBA League pass broadband (great stuff, by the way). It was an OT 103-97 loss to the Clippers, that sent us below .500 for the first time in this season (4-5, 0.444).

Actually it wasn’t a bad game. We could have won it, since we led from the tip off to 5.18 left in the fourth, the first time Clippers were ahead (78-77) after we blew a +16 first quarter lead. But we could also have lost at the end of the regulation: Maggette missed a wide open 3 pointer at the buzzer after we had a terrible turnover on an inbound pass. So here are our overall impressions about the Webber-less team.

The overall effort was good: everybody played his butt off, hustled and gave all to win the game. The intensity was there, the will, the heart too. Our defense was decent, while we struggled again in rebounding the ball: Clippers killed us under the boards, helding a 49-33 advantage with Elton Brand abusing our big men. Shav, Dalembert, Henderson and even Mc Farlin were taken to school.

What really made me mad was the amount of stupid plays that I had to watch. It seems that many of our players aren’t that smart (from a basketball point of view, of course) and that they take wrong decisions when it counts.

Willie Green is pacing this list. I don’t know if he pisses me off more with his ill advised quick shots, with his stupid turnovers or with his damned stupid fouls. I know Cassell is smart and he’s been doing this for 13 years in the NBA but – just because he’s been doing it for so long… – how can you still fall for his (lame) fake when you know that he’s just looking for someone to jump at it, take a foul and go to the line?

Many fans complain for Dalembert’s stupidity (silly, early fouls, goaltendings etc), and he’s not a genius either, but he looks like a Nobel prize compared to Green. At least Sam doesn’t think he’s a superstar who wants the ball down the stretch. Green (a 15% 3 pt shooter…) took a clutch 3 point shot late in the game. Of course he missed it.

Speaking about stupid fouls, how many 3 point plays Brand had? He went to the line 14 times, many for “and one” plays. Too many. Seems we aren’t even capable to foul guys. (By the way: is Charles Oakley available? No? What are you saying? He retired? Ouh… Anthony Mason, then. He must still play somewhere, go get him. No? Damn…).

The list goes on with Iverson (…) who had an improbable alley hoop pass to Dalembert resulting in a bad turnover, Korver, who took a tough (too tough…) turnaround 3pt shot that could have tied the game while his man was just coming at him, and Igoudala, whose ball handling skills aren’t exactly the best in the league but tried a tough (too tough…) drive and also missed.

All those plays came in the decisive moments of the game and costed us a W that the guys perhaps deserved.

But they showed some Philly pride, let’s try to build from this.