1,2,3,4,5... SIXERS!! 11-6 vs. Washington

Now we're cooking! The Sixers played a nearly perfect game Wednesday night, it had everything:

They lost? CHECK
They kept it close enough to make it interesting? CHECK
MC DUB looked good? CHECK
Evan and Spencer had sexy stat lines to boost their value? CHECK
James Anderson did something/anything positive? CHECK
Free Big Macs? CHECK
Thad Young got back on track? NOT SO MUCH, oh well, we were close.

1. Evan was great at the rim last night

I mean really good. Turner was again very efficient, scoring 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting, with 6 FTAs mixed in. Before the season started I felt that last year's Evan could make the All-Star team this season, in a fool's gold kind of way, without any significant improvement in his game. Well, it looks like there has been significant improvement in Evan's game. Let's take a look at the two main areas where Evan has improved his game.

FTAs. Evan is averaging 5.6 FTAs per game, up from last year's 2.5 attempts. 5.6 attempts would have been good for 11th in the league last season, so this is huge. Evan has done a nice job of drawing contact, and if this keeps up this will be best season of his young career.

Shots at the rim. Turner is shooting a ridiculous 71 % at the rim so far this year. Now look at last year's shot chart, how in the world do you go from below average to elite? It seems fluky to be at 70%, but if he can continue at 50-55% or so this year when at the basket, then fans will be super happy with Evan's performance at the season's end. If not, it will be ugly since Evan is only shooting 40% from everywhere else on the floor.

These two improvements have made Turner an elite player in terms of scoring efficiency. If Evan maintains this level of play, he is an All Star. Turner is currently averaging 1.42 points per shot attempt, which screams UNSUSTAINABLE, a number that put Turner in elite company among Eastern Conference SFs. Check it:

Turner: 1.42 this season (very good), 1.04 career (not so much)
LeBron: 1.45 (last 3 years)
Melo: 1.29 (3 years)
Pierce: 1.37 (3 years)

To be fair i'm not seriously comparing 5 games vs. 3 seasons, but I just don't think people realize how good Evan has been offensively this season, and I feel that this little stat does a nice job of doing that.

2. Still out on John Wall

I went to last night's game with my brother, who didn't understand my dislike of John Wall. So we went back and forth before agreeing to disagree. I maintain Wall is not a winner, and when he can lead a team to 30(!) wins, let alone the playoffs, then maybe I'll reconsider. And i get why people like Wall, he's has all the skills to be a difference maker in the league. I just think he isn't a winner. It comes down to this: The game is basketball, not a decathlon, being an elite athlete will not make you winner, playing basketball on both ends will. (although if you can be an elite athlete too, that would be nice.)

3. Report Card for the guys that matter

MC DUB- D. Questionable shot selection from MC DUB tonight, and also cracks of frustration showed after Spencer threw a pass that got Vicked (returned for a score). Still MC DUB played much better late in the game, when Washington's defense wasn't as energized (through effort, not anything the Sixers did). Still its nice to say a guy had a poor game, yet he still ends up with a 20/7/5 line for the night. This dude is going to be good.
Spencer Hawes- C+. Hawes got back to business tonight, scoring and rebounding as he did the first 3 games of the season. My complaint (and MC DUB's at one point) is the turnovers, 6 to be exact. That can't happen from a guy who is supposed to be a skilled passer like Hawes.
Evan Turner-B+. As previously discussed, plus only one turnover last night. The defense need to improve. I assume his assignment is to show a double then get back, but he never gets back. Either Evan has to move faster, or the rotations are just messed up right now (which would make some sense with a roster this new). Ultimately this needs to be improved, regardless of who is to blame.

4. Friday November 8th, Duracell Energy Night!

The first 10,000 fans will receive 2 free C size batteries! What a great promotion! Can't see any complications there.

Andrew Bynum's return is going to get the exact opposite of Allen Iverson's return(s). I can't wait to hear how loud the building gets. I feel like he has to get worse from the fans than anyone I can remember. JD Drew-level of boos.

5. Report Card for guys who were supposed to matter

Thad Young F. Where is the Thad Young i know and love, because he hasn't been seen so far this year. 7 points and 6 rebounds, another bad game from the Sixers' 'best player'.

SIXERS!!!

Here is a bit of comfort for Sixers fans. Better days are ahead: