Game News and Notes: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks

Okay guys, sorry it has been so long since I have blogged but school work has taken up most of my time and I haven't really just been able to sit down at my computer and share my thoughts. Well, now I've got a bit of time and after watching tonight's Sixers game, I thought of a new idea to use in this blog and one I'll try to implement as much as possible throughout the season.

I call it game news and notes and it will just be a little recap of the game as seen through the stat sheets. Now, I know what you are probably thinking, stats are boring and not fully telling of the story of the game. While I do agree with you I think there is a lot to be learned in looking at the stat sheet and then giving a bit of analysis based on what I saw by watching the game. So time to relaunch this blog with the inaugural installment of News and Notes.

Note #1 - Big Contributions from the Starters
For the 13th time in 15 games, the Sixers had at least five guys scoring in double digits. Let's look at the scoring line of the starting five:

              Jrue Holiday (6 REB, 11 AST, 16 PT, 3 ST) 

             Andre Iguodala (6 REB, 6 AST, 11 PT, 2 ST)

             Elton Brand (16 REB, 3 BL, 10 PT)

             Nikola Vucevic (7 REB, 8 PT)

             Jodie Meeks (3 REB, 12 PT, 4-8 3FG)

With all of the starters scoring in double digits with the exception of Vucevic, tonight was one of the rare nights where the bench players actually didn't contribute to a lot of the scoring. Off the bench, Thaddeus Young (3 REB, 20 PT), was the only player to score in double digits but as I said at the beginning of this post, the game on the court is more than just the numbers that appear in the stat sheet. Despite only scoring 5 PT with 5 REB, Evan Turner was a big part of a lot of the fastbreaks in tonight's game. Turner has greatly improved since last year in more than just his shooting. His knowledge of how to play the game has gotten much better and he has become a better passer and better shot creator, which is something important to have coming off of the bench.

Point of note: With tonight's game, seven Sixers - Iguodala, Brand, Holiday, Turner, Young, Spencer Hawes and Lou Williams - are all averaging double digits in scoring averages, a mark that is best in the NBA for players in the double digits.

Note #2 - Refocusing for the Second Half
In the first half of the game the Sixers shoot absolutely poorly at a season low 34%. Their defense was still solid but with eight first half turnovers, the only thing that kept the Sixers close was that they attempted and made a lot of free throws (16-19 for the game). Most of the 19 FTA occurred in the first half and served to keep the Sixers down by only eight at the half. Coming out of the half, the Sixers were like a new team. They shot around 50% in the second half and only committed four turnovers to match their NBA best average of twelve a game.

Note #3 - The NBA's Best Defense Strikes Again
Although a bit of a sluggish start, the Sixers defense also improved greatly during the second half. They managed to cause the Hawks to commit twelve second half turnovers and to lower their 50% shooting to 34% for the second half. The turnovers often led to fastbreak points and of course the crowd-loving dunks. All of this contributed to a solid fourteen point win, holding the Southeast Division leading Hawks to only 76 points, keeping the Sixer opponents below their NBA best, 85 points a game.

Note #4 - Milestone for Andre Iguodala
Andre entered the game two steals away from 1,000 on his career and ended the night having reached that mark.With the two steals, Iggy reached the 1,000 mark putting him fifth on the Sixers list now only seven behind Charles Barkley and having him sit sixth out of active NBA players. Iggy also leads the Sixers in SPG averaging about two.

Note #5 - By the Numbers
Elton Brand had 16 rebounds in the game including nine off the offensive glass. These rebounds came at key times and helped the Sixers in scoring second chance points.

Jodie Meeks shot 4-8 from three point range including a pair of key threes to cap a Sixers 14-0 to give them their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter.

10 points - that was the amount scored by the Hawks in the third quarter including a buzzer beating three by Willie Green.

Note #6 - Previewing the Next Match-up
After beating the first really good team this season, the Sixers are starting to establish themselves as a contender in the Atlantic Division. Currently sitting at 11-4, (7-1 at home) and first place in the division, the Sixers wins have come mostly against sub .500 teams and their four losses have come against the NBA's better teams. Winning this game was important for their confidence and the belief that they can beat the good teams. It couldn't have come at a better time as the Sixers face the Miami Heat tomorrow and winning this game will show the league that the Sixers best NBA bench and defense really are as good as their record indicates.