2-0, and it feels so good. The Sixers remain champions of the world, only now they have been legitimized by none other than the worldwide leader ESPN! Not following? Then let me explain, I hit the twitter after the Heat win to say:
If the #NBA worked like boxing or #WWE, the #Sixers would be the world Champions! #MCW221279
— Greg Kentz (@PSP_Greg) October 31, 2013
This sentiment was echoed on Thursday's NBA shootaround on Grantland (go for the Sixers write up, stay for the epic gif of Ben McLemore) who named the Sixers the, and I quote, "TRANSITIVE LOGIC WORLD CHAMPIONS OF ALL BASKETBALL". Now they have made it official and they will track who is the transitive champ all season! For now the Sixers have the belt, and I'm going to take credit for naming them the champs. No worries ESPN, I won't sue ya! And now, we get down to business.
1. That was a sobering 1st quarter
The game started with a ragtag looking first quarter, MCW looked completely over-matched, there were turnovers galore, and John Wall was the toughest man on the planet. The Wizard came out on fire running out to a 21-9 first quarter lead. It was awful to be sure, and I started to resign myself to the fact that this is how we are going to look a large part of the season. Turns out I may need to reassess my expectations of what this team is. It seems possible that now that they may end up winning 25-30 games.
2. Report Cards for the guys that matter
MCW- B After a disastrous 1st quarter (half really) MCW pulled his shit together and had a decent game, all told. MCW turned the ball over twice in the game's opening minutes, but held on to the ball for the rest of the night. For the year, my (very optimistic) hopes for MC DUB's stat line at season's end is 15 pts, 4 rebs, 7 assists, 1.5 steals, and a 2.8 turnover ratio.
ET- A- The Evan Turner All-Star bandwagon is picking up steam. In fact things are going so well I am starting construction of both the Evan Turner max extension bandwagon and the Evan Turner MVP bandwagon. What's that? I wrote on Thursday that I would be rational with my Evan love this year? Ok, then. Fine, there will be no additional bandwagons until December at the earliest. I promise. Since I'm being rational, I would like to point out that Evan turns the ball over too much, and has to do a better job of making good passes and decisions. HOW'S THAT FOR BALANCED COVERAGE?
Spencer Hawes- A+ The big man is two for two. Spencer has been great so far this season, but tomorrow night presents his first real challenge. It's one thing to bully teams with mediocre defensive centers like Miami and Washington, but if he can come up big against Noah and the Bulls tomorrow it would make me feel like this early season surge might be legitimate. My only critique on Hawes' play so far this season would be that he never seems to make contact on screens. For the love of god, just once I want Spencer to truck some little guard on a pick. Especially if that little guard is a posturing asshole who keeps chirping at your rookie. If it's not Spencer, then fine, but can't one of our guys be the enforcer and put a fucking elbow to Wall's chest as he comes around a screen.
3. I have sold all of my John Wall stock
Coming into the season my PG power rankings looked like this:
- Russell Westbrook (These are my rankings, and I LOVE Russ)
- Chris Paul
- Derrick Rose
- Kyrie Irving
- Tony Parker
- Stephen Curry
- Rajon Rondo
- Deron Williams
- John Wall
- Ty Lawson
- Mike Conley
- Jrue Holiday
- George Hill
- Damian Lillard
- Kemba Walker
After tonight Wall falls to the bottom of this list. Wall looked great in the first quarter hitting everything, talking trash, and really trying to intimidate MCW. But then what happens? The Sixers made a 2nd half push, and Wall was nowhere to be found. Wall is in his 4th season and he hasn't won anything. I think he may be a fraud, so I'll take the guys who have made the playoffs, and I'll take the youngsters with upside. Back spasms or no, if you get a max extension, you need to win games for your team, and I'm not sure Wall is that guy.
4. Report Card for the guys who don't matter
- Lavoy Allen- A. A very good 20 minutes tonight, plus I saw him dribble tonight which doesn't happen as often as you think.
- Daniel Orton- B. Blocked shots and rebounds, that's what we want, that's what he gave tonight. Btw, Orton now has 4 blocks this season and he is closing in fast on Kwame's total of 10 blocks from last season.
- Tony Wroten- B. There were too many turnovers tonight, but Wroten had another good game, and is definitely the most likely guy to graduate from this section to the section about the guys who matter.
5. Can we score 90 tomorrow?
As I said Thursday, I was not expecting many 100 point games from this year's Sixers, but I'll be darned if they aren't 2 for 2. They have had pretty good match-ups though, Miami on no sleep and a back-to-back, followed by the heartless Washington Wizards. Tomorrow they get tested by the league's best defense, and now the Sixers will be tired and the Bulls will have rested. I can't imagine them scoring 100, but if they can reach 90 then that will be pretty impressive.
6. Only one way to celebrate a win! We must sing our alma mater.
I'm not going to lie, I really thought I'd only get to post this video a dozen or so times this year, but here it is again, and it so crank those speakers and hit play.
I'll be down at the WFC tomorrow night, so come back Sunday around noontime for my post on the game vs. the Bulls. Thanks!
