My Twitter timeline exploded into mayhem towards the end of the game. A missed free throw, and a missed layup turned out to be the difference between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks game Wednesday night. All of those misses came from one man—Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala stretches before Mar. 21 match-up against the Knicks PHiladelphia 76ers
The final score was 82-79.
The Sixers missed their first 14 shots of the game, (including a Spencer Hawes airball), and gave up five turnovers in the first quarter. There seemed to be no recovering from that. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 points before they made a push in the third. Thaddeus Young's dunk pulled them within two and Iguodala buried a 3-pointer from the corner to take the 49-48 lead.
Despite that, the Knicks kept battling, and they regained the lead shortly after. All-and-all, the entire game was frustrating, and it ended so much more frustrating, it was enough to give me my first major gripe of the year: why is Evan Turner's leash so short, still?
Last year he looked confused. We understood why his time was cut back then. This year he looked better, and flourished since being put on the starting lineup. Now that he's there, he's being benched early, and sat longer.
I don't get it. I'm missing something, here.
I know most want to blame Iguodala for the last second shots he has taken—and I can understand the frustration, he shouldn't be taking those shots—but, to me, being angry at him is like being angry at your filet Mignon because it's medium rare when you asked the waitress for well done.
Why blame the steak? Why not the cook?
Iguodala has been in a position he has been in since Allen Iverson had left the team. But clearly it's not his most comfortable, or best, spot. So, why doesn't coach Doug Collins do something about it? As long as Iguodala is in the position he's in, he's going to take the shot. That's a fact.
It's coach's job to make sure someone else is in that position. To me, it's coach's fault Iguodala keeps taking that shot. Collins needs to change something.
Collins, who was a shooter his whole playing career believes in shooting the ball no matter what. His take is typically "I don't care if you shoot the ball. If you have the shot, take it."
Even if they're in a slump, Collins tells the guys repeatedly, "I don't care if you shoot. I won't be mad at you for shooting." Last night he said amidst a 0-14 opening drought from the feild, "If you miss 25, take 26 if you have it. It's not a problem, I won't get mad."
That's his mentality.
When it comes down to the last shot, the ball somehow always ends up in Iguodala's hands. And what does he do with it? He shoots.
There are a couple scenarios that may contribute to that reoccurring theme. Perhaps the 'gunslinger' attitude of, 'whomever has the shot, take it' is the route the Sixers take down the stretch, or maybe Collins is drawing up plays for different individuals. Those two options only leave a few possibilities in the results we've seen so far:
Either Collins is drawing up these plays for Iguodala, or Iguodala keeps taking shots because he feels he has them, or the team is not executing what Collins has drawn up, and Iguodala takes the responsibility on his shoulder.
Either way, the ball keeps falling into the wrong hands, and the Sixers are ending sloppily.
For six years, Iguodala has had to be that guy. The go to man. Because if not, who else was there? A 19-year-old Louis Williams? Willie Green? He has stepped up in that role and by this time, he knows he's the leader.
To me, what the coaching staff has to do is find a way to put everyone in the position they need, and let who does what they do the best. Iguodala is very much needed on the floor in the final seconds because his defense is superb, and he acts as a decoy for the opposing defenders. He single-handedly held Carmelo Anthony to 10 points last night. That's not an easy task.
During the game, Iguodala is able to hit shots, some of them crucial. As a matter of fact, he's having his best year from behind the arch of his career. But, when it comes to the final shot—nothing. To have him out there, however, the defense has to keep an eye on him.
So, now what do we do?
The only other person who has the body and possibly the ability to create his own last second shot is Evan Turner. Where was he during the game? Well, he was on the bench. Why? I don't know. That's my question.
Why isn't the coach calling a play to give the youngster a chance to take the shot? What is his deal with Turner? Whatever it is, he needs to get over it, because Iguodala can not hit that shot.
The Sixers have plenty of scoring players. Jrue Holiday can hit three pointers, Lou Williams can, Jodie Meeks is supposed to be our best, and Turner—well, he's on the bench.
With a combination of the few of the above mentioned, you mean there isn't a play good enough—or better than—getting Iguodala the ball? One of those four players can't benefit from a well drawn up play to get a good look at a three? Just wondering. Or is it execution? Are the players not able to perform what the coaches have drawn up?
There are too many questions.
One thing we know is, we keep failing down the stretch and there are too many possibilities to be able to just blame the coach or Iguodala. It could be anything.
What we can agree on is that the Sixers need to fix that as soon as possible. The playoffs will be filled with a plethora of these situations.
Vincent Heck is a life-long resident of the Philadelphia area, and a featured 'Fan View' blogger on Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @HeckPhilly.
Email Vincent at: vheckphilly@yahoo.com.
Follow Yahoo! Local's Yahoo! Philly on Twitter: @YahooPhilly.
Recent popular stories from Fan View writer, Vincent E. Heck:
My conversation with Wilt Chamberlain's family
View Vincent Heck's full article archive.
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
0 意見:
Post a Comment