(Larry Brown is proud of me)

Now that was a nice job. Dare I say a masterpiece of a tanking job.

Sixers (23-40, .349) lost 107-96 to a Pacers team that was missing Danny Granger (!).

They did that by keeping Iguodala and Brand on the bench for the whole fourth quarter. Reason?

[Eddie Jordan] wanted a unit that "brought a little bit more" than those two were bringing.

Hey, Sixers l-o-s-t even the fourth quarter (31-29 Pacers), but this is not important.

The biggest news is that one of the consequences of this USEFUL LOSS was pushing Jordan closer to his way out.

As you could easily guess, last night's game is just an incident of a bigger scheme of things.

THREE ANSWERS

1) No, I have no idea of what kind of "message" was Jordan trying to send with the latest of his idiotic decisions. The best case scenario is that our coach is in full tanking mode too. I mean, he was doing his best to make us lose games even before, but at least not intentionally.  

2) "Not safe". That was Kate Fagan's answer to a question about Stefanki's job I asked her in a live chat few days ago. Obviously. In case you forgot, Sixers have TWO coaches signed until June 2010.

One, Cheeks, was fired on December 2008 and is probaby in Florida sunbathing, the other "carried" us to another losing season, clashing with the two stars supposed-to-be leaders (that accidentally combine for 160 million $) and basically all other players, although in different moments of the year - in one of the most consistent "rotations" he has ever set.

Jordan is also owed $8 million until 2012... How would you feel if you were the GM that signed them?

3) Yes, the only explaination of the 15 minutes given to THIS Kapono is that our coach is playing some mind games with the GM and/or ownership. Jordan doesn't give a damn, basically, he knows he won't return next season, and he knows that is highly unlikely that he will land another NBA job. But he also knows he will get the money anyway so... who cares? (more after the jump)

I'm afraid there is a strong risk that this summer we will regret games like the 101-114 W in Toronto.

Nice game, to be honest with you, I had fun watching it.

But at 23-39 (.371), with twenty games left to play, the fact that we won't make the playoffs is just as sure as Raptors getting there.

So I hope that we won't win many "useless" games like this one, they simply mean less ping pong balls in the lottery. We have to be careful with these. really.

Sixers should already (?) take these nights as a way to give significant minutes to who had less chances in this season, namely Jason Smith, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney, even the newly acquired Meeks.

Even Eddie Jordan made the right calls against the Turkoglu-less, "sloppy" Raptors (words by their announcers). Too late, now even detrimental.

THREE ANSWERS

1) Yes, I enjoyed Thaddeus Young's career high 32 points. He showed the complete package: mid/long jumpers, treys, drives, low post moves, (steals +) fastbreak dunks, offensive rebounds. Great all around game.

2) Yes, I also liked Jrue Holiday's strong fourth quarter: seven points to push Sixers' from 98-91 to 107-94 and put the word end to Toronto's comeback. Loved how he made up for a costly turnover, converting a low post spin move, hitting a three and then finishing on a drive. "Rookie mistakes", uh? 21-7-6, + 2 blocks !!!!

3) No, don't focus on Brand's nearly double double, 12 + 9, but rather on the 4 points + 1 rebound in the second half, the zero free throws attempted, the five fouls. I counted three three point plays allowed, one of which was against Reggie Evans (!!) (more after the jump).

I got to the point that games like the 86-96 loss to the Celtics are the ones that I love the most.

Hard fought, tough, close losses.

Good for a 22-39 (.361) record, that gets Sixers closer to the lottery.

One more time, we got the evdidence that Sixers could have been a competitive team this tear, if properly coached, while Celtics are far from the team that won the title two years ago.

Still, a group of over-the-hill-but-talented veterans that "play the right way" is too much to handle for the 2010 Sixers, that can't put a 48 minute effort together.

THREE ANSWERS

1) Yes, I always want to win against the Celtics, seriously. I just can't stand them. It's a pity they got rid of the jerk named Eddie House, my fav hatred target, but still...

It will be great to watch Orlando or Cavs kick them out again this summer, knowing Boston has Garnett and Wallace signed for TWO more years. Sour grapes, I am aware of that, don't worry. 

2) No, I never thought that Jrue Holiday (or Lou Williams, for what matters) could shut Rajon Rondo Down. That's why his 14 point third quarter was barely a shocker. Phenomenal player.

3) Yes, the game got physical early. Elbows thrown out, some harsh words. Nice (more after the jump).

Sixers' season is definitely going South.

Not that it took last night's 112-93 loss in Atlanta to realize it, but the way they played and the news I'm reading around are even more demoralizing than the 22-38 (.367) record itself.

It's been a shity stretch at work and Sixers are perfectly following the trend, giving me more reasons to be mad for when I get back home, after the average 11 hrs in office...

Not much time to go into detals, but no need either, as Sixers were embarassed in Atlanta and showed no pride, effort, willingness to fight.

THREE ANSWERS

1) No, this time you can't even say "At least they played hard". We had six turnovers in the first quarter, we were trailing by ten at the end of the same period (32-22), we gave up 61 first half points.

2) Yes, Lou Williams' offensive game was amazing, he went 10/10 before missing a half court shot right at the third quarter buzzer. Too bad nobody else followed (and his defense was terrible, but this is no news).

3) No, I don't know why Iguodala played 36 minutes, including the last, meaningless eight. Maybe it was a form of punishment for his lack of aggresiveness and focus: zero free throws attempted, six turnovers.

THREE QUESTIONS

1) How "silent" can 18 points be? I barely noticed while I was wacthing the game (too busy taking notes on the Sixers..), but Joe Johnson had just another day in the office, adding even five dimes in just 33 minutes. Nothing flashy, just the right things at the right moment, he realized that his team didn't need any extra effort by him, not tonight. Talking about a true leader (more after the jump).

...in a day when Sixers fans learned that Iverson won't return this season and that Brand is injured again. As reported by Kate Fagan:

p.s. Elton Brand, who did not play tonight with right Achilles tendinitis, will also not travel to Atlanta for Wednesday's game against the Hawks. Brand ruptured his left Achilles while he was with the Los Angeles Clippers.

This current injury was initially being called a right calf strain, but at some point tonight it was changed to Achilles tendinitis.

You understand how the 105-126 loss to the Magic is Sixers' (22-37, .393) smallest problem today.

So let's make the recap quick, just as the way Orlando demolished us. You know how they say "They live and die by the threes". Well, I never recalled the Magic "dying" against us: make it ten losses in the last eleven games. This one was no exception.

When the count was 12 threes made on 17 attempts, the score said 81-102 in the third, a period in which Orlando shot 5/6 from behind the arc. Hence, the fourth was pure garbage time, with Iguodala and Howard sitting out for the entire period. Enough said.

But let's make few thoughts about the two biggest news of the day.

THREE ANSWERS

1) Yes, I feel sorry for Allen Iverson. I really do. I am a big fan of Bubba Chuck and, once again, he deserved better. It wasn't difficult to predict that the move wouldn't have worked, especially in the long term. We all did, I did.

Of course, that had nothing to do with his personal issues, nobody could have imagined this situation then, my opinion was strictly basketball related. So I feel sorry twice.

First of all, he has to solve problems that he hasn't any control on, something bigger than hoops. Second, from a basketball standpoint, by signing with this sad Sixers team, he missed the chance to sign with another franchise and, perhaps, make a last run at a championship.

2) No, I really hope this is not true:

Sources say the Sixers pushed for the split between the two, something Yahoo! Sports reported on Feb. 22 was in motion when Iverson first left the team prior to a West Coast trip.

If this story by Yahoo is accurate, you have to ask yourself more questions (below).

Nice, tough, close game.

Too bad it ended with another loss, 99-90. Sixers (22-36, .379) gave the Lakers a good fight but couldn't finish the job. Sounds familiar? It is.

I really, really hoped for the second straight W at the Staples center but our guys came up short in the final minutes, and Lakers pulled away for the final, decisive run.

Despite what some recaps wrote about their defense, I must say it was more Sixers missing "easy" shots than Lakers making them tough.

It was the small things that prevented us a win: a couple of open jumpers bricked down the stretch, some 2-vs-1 and 3-vs-2 fastbreaks not completed, key offensive rebounds allowed, a reversed call.

So at the end of the day, you surely tip your hat to all players, because they really played hard, never gave up etc etc, BUT... they didn't take a big game they could have taken.

THREE ANSWERS

1) Yes, as widely expected, Bynum and Gasol were a powerful force in the low post: 43 points (19/33, 63%) + 24 rebounds. Lakers scored thirty of their fifty first half points in the paint.

2) No, I didn't expect Dalembert (in the pic) to have such a big game, with a career high tied. Pretty impressive, he doubled his season average in the first half alone (14 points on 7/10), taking advantage of many dishes by Iguodala, Williams, but also creating his own shots (!) 

Sam wasn't as intimidating as he usually is defensively, but was our only big man to play effectively on both ends. Well done.

 3) Yes, you would say that Iguodala had a great game, one rebound shy of a triple double. And he was very good indeed. But, one more time, Andre misfired on some big shots. He a-i-r-b-a-l-l-e-d an open three and on the following possession Bynum completed a three point play, to give Lakers a 90-85 lead, with 3.58 left. Those plays that make exactly the difference between a very good player and a real superstar (more after the jump).

Make no mistake, the 106-95 loss in Phoenix was simply a typical butt whipping, despite the "close" final score.

Sixers (22-35, .386) were soundly outplayed by the son of Steve Nash and his crew, that started hitting outside shots early (3/3 from behind the arc to begin the game, 5/8 at the end of the first quarter) and never stopped.

Nash knocked down his first eight shots, and by then the score was 87-67.

In a classic Sixers 2009/2010 moment, Eddie Jordan tried to spark a comeback in the final quarter by putting six players on the court (!!) but all he got was an obvious technical foul. That was awesome.

Our coach also forgot (?) to put some starters back into the game down the stretch, and Suns cruised to a comfortable win, with Frye closing it in style, draining a wide open three: 102-88, less then three minutes to play.

Just another one of those (many) nights.

THREE ANSWERS

1) No, he can't. "Brand simply cannot get it done. "His body is not supporting him". Music & (harsh) words by Eddie Johnson, Suns commentators - and one of Ricky favorite players in the 80's and 90's. Difficult to argue here as he looked terribly slow and unathletic, especially when paired with Stoudamire and Suns' agile bigs. One defensive rebound in 25 minutes ???

2) Yes, also Speights struggled agains Lopez and even Amundson. Another game in which he showed he has to improve a lot in rebounding and finding the right spots on the floor. He was too often out of position and couldn't keep his opponents away from the basket.

3) Yes, he can. Nash can still play. Especially if you play no defense on him. 16 points on 6/6 + 8 assists in the first half... no wonder Suns scored 58 points in 24 minutes (more after the jump).

Pretty predictably, the final 102-110 W in Golden State came after a night of many runs, blown leads, crazy plays.

To be 100% honest with you, I don't like much these kind of games, that's not my ideal type of basketball.

It can be fun in stretches, yes, but old asses schoolers like myself at the end of the day can't be entertained by all the extra small lineups, transition threes, long jumpers with 20 seconds on the shot clock etc etc.

Good for Sixers (22-34, .393) that they held off the Warriors and avoided another memorable collapse.

They saw a 24-point lead (64-88, 2.58 left in the 3rd) cut to three (92-95, 5.10 in the 4th, then 102-105 with 40 seconds to play), but Williams closed the game with a long three as the shot clock was expiring (in the pic, his reaction after the shot) after a nice possession in which Brand from the low post dished out to Holiday in the corner, and Jrue made the extra pass for Lou.

The hot shooting by Williams in the final quarter (11 points) was a key for the win, together with some clutch plays by Iguodala on both ends of the floor down the stretch.

THREE ANSWERS

1) Yes, "it was only the Warriors", exactly, and they were missing six players (!!) including former Sixer Raja Bell, Wright, Maggette, fellow serbian Radmanovic, Randolph. So the lesson to learn here is "Let's not get carried away"...

2) Yes, Brand played an awful fourth quarter: his stat line was 0/4, to go with zero rebounds and one turnover. Add to this that he didn't grab a single rebound in the second half (while had 8 points + 5 boards in the first).Another disappointing night after a promising start, with a quick 3/3 in the first quarter.

3) No, I couldn't believe my eyes when Williams hit one from behind the arc at the start of the third quarter, extending our lead to 48-69: it was Sixers' seventh three, on ten attempts !!! Things turned normal soon, as we missed the following five... (more after the jump)

Not much to say about the 122-90 loss in Chicago, really.

Sixers (21-34, 382) had their butts kicked for fourty-eight minutes by a red hot Bulls team, that had his sixth win in its last seven games.

The Gibson-Miller-Warrick tro completely outplayed all of our our big men, dominating the paint, always finding easy baskets or second chance opportunities. 

Their guards' 8/15 from three point land did the rest.

Bulls had seven players in double figure, enough said.

THREE ANSWERS

1) No, Brand can't finish around the rim: the amount of missed putbacks, fumbled balls etc is becoming pretty embarassing even for me, that had his back (?) a lot of times this year. No lift, no explosion. And not everybody is falling for his shot fakes, also.

2) Yes, Kapono is completely out of shape and looks lost. His last field goal made was on Dec 31st (!!!) vs the Clippers: he's 0/11 in the seven games he played in January and February (56 minutes...).

3) Yes, Iguodala did his part also in Chicago, too bad he didn't get much help from his team mates, with the exception of Young, maybe (more after the jump)

I told you (via Twitter4guidos) that Sixers-Spurs games are usually very entertaining.

Friday night's 106-94 W was no exception, as Sixers improved to 21-33 (.382).

You know how these kind of games go: bad teams beating good teams, but still remaining bad...

Anyway, I was extremely pleased with the effort, the comeback, the intensity.

Really a fun game to watch, with a sweet end: Sixers made Spurs look old and slow, kinda of played out, so to say, with their key players - minus Ginobili - limited to marginal roles.

THREE ANSWERS

1) No, I can barely believe that Sixers closed the game with a 40-20 run, going from 66-74 on an unbelievable "catch-and-shoot" long three by Ginobili as the shot clock was expiring (1.32 left in the third), to the final 106-94.

That streak included a 15-0 fourth quarter break, with Lou Williams playing a phenomenal period adding steals, assists and even some defense to his 14 points. Another proof he's Sixers' best player when there's a need to change a game offensively and spark a run.

2) Yes, Sam's ejection (6.01 to play in the third) clearly lighted a fire, and all guys stepped up, starting from Elton Brand, who scored ten points in the third quarter.

3) Yes, Iverson is still struggling: 1/8 with a lot of easy, makeable shots missed, especially mid range jumpers. Allen has yet to find a rythm after his long absence. But eight boards (!!) and four dimes in 24 minutes were a good contribution, we appreciate... (more after the jump).