• April 20, 2024

Sixers Make It Close At The End But Fall To Portland 107-103

Turnovers are one of the major reasons the Eagles will be sitting at home just like the rest of us when the playoffs start.  It’s also the main reason the Sixers lost the first game of their season to the Portland Trailblazers.

Last night Philadelphia started out their regular season with a 107-103 loss to the Trailblazers.

They committed 20 turnovers which led to 28 Trailblazer points.  Point guard Jrue Holiday, who had looked so good in the preseason games didn’t play as well last night.  He turned the ball over six times by himself and backup forward Thaddeus Young was second on the team in turnovers with four.

“It was turnovers, that was the difference,” Collins said afterward in the Sixers locker room. “Before the game I told you that the key to this game was going to be turnovers and offensive rebounding.”

The Sixers trailed for nearly the entire game and seemed to be out of it early in the fourth quarter, but they battled back to make a game of it.  Lou Williams who was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points, scored 10 in a row during a 4th quarter comeback.

Portland utilized a smaller lineup to get themselves their big lead going into the last quarter of the game and they held on for the victory.

The Sixers got an outstanding game from center Spencer Hawes was one assist shy of a triple double with ten points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.   Small forward Andre Iguodala started out the season with a solid performance finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

GCOBB

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paulman
paulman
December 27, 2011 9:52 am

20 Turnovers Killed them and a not so good performance by PG Holliday who
had 6 TO’s and only 2 Assists which is not how you want your PG to start the Season.. but a good close game so go get them next game..

BirdoBeamen
BirdoBeamen
December 27, 2011 1:04 pm

Good ol’ Sixers are back baby!

Iggy thinking he’s a superstar taking the last shot when Lou Williams was clearly the hotter hand was classic!

Evan Turner continuing to show he’ll never be anything more than a “good” player.

*smh*

I have hope in Thaddeus and Jrue…and maybe even LouWill…..but the rest of them can kiss my a$$ with their tongue out.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 1:09 pm

Birdo – Yeah, it did seam to be the same ol’ same ol’ – as dependable as Paulman rushing to be the first poster, only to add nothing but direct paraphrasing of the article above! HA

But I’m not closing any books on Turner. He’s had 1 rookie season, an offseason crash course with a shooting guru, and 1 game so far. They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but it’s still silly to judge a book by 1 chapter and the first paragraph of the second chapter…

BirdoBeamen
BirdoBeamen
December 27, 2011 1:19 pm

I judge it by his inability to make the Rookie/Sophomore game last year. If he doesn’t make it again THIS year, I’m done with him.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 1:28 pm

Birdo – wow. Ok, so if he turns into an excellent player in year three and even better beyond, you’ll still write him off?

BirdoBeamen
BirdoBeamen
December 27, 2011 1:34 pm

Schiller, we’ve had this conversation before. There is NOTHING in Evan Turners game that tells me he’s going to be a superstar. He does everything well but NOTHING great. Average speed. Average ball-handling. Slightly above average leaping ability and an average shot.

I play basketball almost everyday. I coached it at a high-school level. I watch it almost everyday of my life. I evaluate the game. I’m not telling you these things to make my opinion mean more than yours, I’m just telling you these things so that you don’t think I’m just talking trash for the sake of hating on Turner.

With the #2 pick in the draft, the Sixers needed someone that was going to be able to carry their team…..it just so happens that they got the #2 pick in the draft in one of the worst draft classes ever — classic philly style.

Evan is a good kid who is a good basketball player, but he plays too fast at times and too scared at other times. He has had good games here and there but nothing to lead me to believe that “Hey, we need to build a team around this guy” like we did with Iverson.

I look at him and he just doesn’t have that “fire” in his eyes. That “determination”. He looks like a lost little boy who wants to be better but simply can’t be.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 2:06 pm

Yeah birdo, I got you. And I know you’re not just a hater. I just have a strong aversion to writing guys off early in their careers.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 2:07 pm

I also (in any sport) don’t like the idea of holding a player accountable for the expectations that was his draft spot.

BirdoBeamen
BirdoBeamen
December 27, 2011 2:14 pm

I normally wouldn’t either…..but when Jodie F’n Meeks, a second round draft choice, is getting the start over you and you were the #2 overall choice……that speaks volumes.

DCar
DCar
December 27, 2011 2:17 pm

There is no one on this team, that is, or will be a superstar. Jrue might be the only one that has a chance, with his raw talent & skill. New year, same crap. Igoudala needs to go. WTF, is he taking another ill-advised shot in a big situation. Especially when Lou-Will was so hot banging down shots. He drives me nucking futs! He is a horrible shooter, & even a more horrid 3-pt shooter. He is barely over 30%. Not to mention he’s taking minutes from Thadd & Turner, killing chemistry for future growth.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 2:18 pm

I guess you can say that, but Collins marches to a different beat. I feel like most coaches wouldn’t have Thad and Turner coming off the bench. I feel like on most teams, regarless of the other talent, Meeks would be a 6//7th man.

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 2:21 pm

Dcar – yeah, that Iggy last shot thing is pretty disgusting. I’d love to get a candid reaction on that from Collins himself. I wish (in the meantime because we all know Iggy ain’t going nowhere soon) that Collins would BAN Iggy from taking that shot. I’m more comfortable with Holdiay or Hawes taking the last second heave than Iggy…

DCar
DCar
December 27, 2011 2:38 pm

Schill, I just don’t understand Collins stubbornness & infatuation with Igoudala. He is a good coach, he should know better. Maybe, he’s trying to build him up for a trade, IDK!

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 2:40 pm

Dcar – wouldn’t that make a lot of people happy. I hear you – maybe it’s pressure from the powers above (in the Wells Fargo center, not god)?

paulman
paulman
December 27, 2011 8:12 pm

Sixwers only played 8 Players last evening, I thought the strength in this team is the numbers of quality players they have.. why not play Speights,Nocioni,Brackins for a few minutes for some energy off the bench.. With 66 Games in 125 Days or so, the Sixers one advantage is playing 10 players and getting contributions from the entire roster since they have no real legitiamte Superstar to carry the Team..

schiller
schiller
December 27, 2011 9:08 pm

Paul, I think the idea is that he’s tinkering with packages of guys, and he’s focusing on the top half of his roster – in groupings and packages – so really he’s still experimenting. Its one game and maybe if a shooter actually took the shot instead of Andre MEguodala, they’dve tied it up and then won it. Just one game

paulman
paulman
December 27, 2011 9:20 pm

Yes Schiller, I just was thinking with a compressed svchedule and expecially the first 10-15 games are so, it to utilize the roster, get everyone involved and run some of these other teams down… It’s imperative to get off to a decent start even if it’s about .500 but with few games, fewer off-says, let’s seem them utilize thier youth,speed and athleticism a little more to the Sixers advantage..
The Starters in last nights game all played like 32 minutes plus.. (outside of G Meeks) .. and for the 1st game out only playing 8 players is not what I had in mind…