Game 21 (12-10-12): Sixers (11-9) vs. Pistons (7-15)

[RickyPrior]

Did they do those things?

Yes

We didn't really get to the paint or the line more,

I didn't ask them to get into the paint. And yes, they got to the line more. More, in fact, than did the Pistons in the second half!

we just started dropping the mid range shots.

Like I asked of JRich and Holiday.

We also didn't rebound all that much more,

We ended up OUT-rebounding them. Thanks to (me and) the second half.

I'm absolutely not denying the importance of the things you mentioned - I just think tonight wasn't a victory because we did those things, it was because they're a mediocre team that got colder than us late.

As stated, we did what I asked and then won.

[warfelg]

Wow - Lots of discussion of how we won.

In reality at this time of year it isn't about how you won, it's that you won. When we get into the last 10-15 games and playoff seeding is important and its all fine tuning then I'll start nitpicking the nuances of what we could have done better. In the mean time lets just enjoy the wins. All shows up the same at the end of the season anyways.

[RickyPrior]

Wow - Lots of discussion of how we won.

In reality at this time of year it isn't about how you won, it's that you won. When we get into the last 10-15 games and playoff seeding is important and its all fine tuning then I'll start nitpicking the nuances of what we could have done better. In the mean time lets just enjoy the wins. All shows up the same at the end of the season anyways.

The opposite of everything he said.

[Mandrew]

PS nobody bother reading that, I'm just ranting.

Too late, read it. Its an interesting theory.

[bholly]

I didn't ask them to get into the paint. And yes, they got to the line more. More, in fact, than did the Pistons in the second half!

I interpreted getting agressive as attacking the paint/rim - particularly as you mentioned getting to the line along with it. If not, what did you mean by agressive? Just a general platitude?

We only got to the line more in the 2nd half if you count all the ones we got from being intentionally fouled at the end - and I know you aren't seriously giving us credit for 'getting to the line' on those.
Take out the intentional fouls at the end and they got to the line for 14 free throws to our 10 in the second half.

Like I asked of JRich and Holiday.

You told them to 'actively look for shots'. That's not what they did - they just got hot on the same midrange shots they were already taking. If you're going to try and twist that into something you suggested, your brags are going to pretty quickly lose any credibility.

We ended up OUT-rebounding them. Thanks to (me and) the second half.

Right - but a big point of that was that we missed 21 shots in the first half and only 12 in the second - so of course Detroit got less rebounds. We got less offensive rebounds in the second half, too.
Our rebounding was improved, but not nearly as much as the raw numbers suggest.

And, more to my point, it wasn't Thad and Lavoy like you picked out - it was Evan who stepped it up (8 of his 11 in the second half).

As stated, we did what I asked and then won.

I mean, kind of? I guess you can claim a mild improvement on #2 (although not the guys you mentioned), although I don't think you can have #3 at all. #1 you can claim only to the extent you can make it into some vague thing that you could claim in any game, rather than the actual specific (getting to the line) that you mentioned. Similar with #4 - the kind of predictions (1 and 4) that you could just say 'see! we did it and won!' if we won, and 'see! we didn't do it and lost!' if we lost - they're so vague and not really directly observable in any meaningful way, so you can just claim it either way.

Hardly brag-worthy results for a set of prescriptions like that. The two that sort of came true (improved rebounding and getting to the line more) only really came true on the stat sheet - in that they were the natural result of something else (hotting up from midrange), rather than improved rebounding effort and aggression like you were mentioning.

If your prediction was "we'll keep taking the exact same shots but will heat up from the midrange, which will lead to less missed shots and less Detroit rebounds, and they'll go cold late to fall of the pace, and start intentionally sending us to the line" then you'd have been right on.
But as it were, it's pretty funny to try and claim the victory was down to the 4 things you mentioned.

Sorry to be a dick about this - sometimes it's fun to have these arguments with you, but this is one of the times where it's really just boring - but if you're going to make super obvious prescriptions like that (get to the line! rebound more! play better defense!) and then brag about it it's pretty hard to not say something - especially when we didn't end up really doing any of them all that much better and really just beat a team because one of us had to win, and they were more mediocre than us.

[SMH!]

#teambholly

[sixer04fan]

#teambholly

Haha yup. This

[wannabGM]

random i just looked it up when ET scores 15 plus points the Sixers have a record of 7-2...i know thats a really small sample size but maybe ET needs to be involved maybe even more then he is now just throwing it out there

Yes, he does. Currently, too much of his scoring is dependent on off the ball spot up shooting. Also, him being involved more often early in the shot clock doesn't necessarily mean he will score more....just that we will have a better half court possession overall, because he could draw the defense and get someone else an open look.

His shot selection needs a little work. But the coaching staff needs to utilize his strengths more effectively as well. It's a shame he wasn't extended. We probably could have retained him at a relative bargain.