This is a sentence I never thought I’d write: the 76ers’ offense stalls without Spencer Hawes. I’m going to have to re-read that a dozen times to make sure I really do believe it.
OK, yes, I do.
The Sixers walked off the Madison Square Garden court last night with their first loss in seven games. They dropped to 7-3, but their next two games appear to be gift-wrapped victories (back-to-back against the Washington Wizards) so in a few days, if all goes according to plan, the Sixers will boast that record to 9-3.
Still, on Wednesday the Sixers scored only 79 points, and didn’t look nearly as potent as their No. 1 efficiency rating would suggest.
Time to panic? Was the win streak filled with hollow victories over easy opponents? There is some truth to the “hollow victories” theory. No, I don’t believe the Sixers are a 7-2 kind of team (that would put them on pace to finish like 51-15 … or something very close to that). The Sixers just happened to be 7-2 going into the Knicks game because of a very friendly stretch of games.
The Sixers are very good, and they’re only going to get better once they hit a stretch of challenging games against challenging opponents. As fun as it is to watch 25-point victories, it does very little to test a team that desperately needs testing in crucial situations.
Here’s a quick-hit synopsis of what happened against the Knicks, what the coaching staff will take away from the loss.
*Spencer Hawes’ passing is crucial to the offense’s flow. The first thing Doug Collins and his coaching staff said on the ride home from New York? We need Hawes on the floor; we need his passing to open up the rest of the options. For a more detailed breakdown of why Hawes is so important, there’s this post: Plenty of Good Wrapped in a Loss.
Basically, when you take a distributor off of the floor, especially when he’s in such a unique position as center (meaning he truly does occupy the middle of the floor, as opposed to the point guard, who mostly distributes from the top of the floor), you force the rest of your players to attack too much via dribble. Hawes’ passing doesn’t just create assists for himself; it creates assists for everybody. When Hawes drops a pass to a cutting Holiday, sometimes Holiday takes the shot, and sometimes Holiday catches on the run and dishes underneath to Elton Brand.
It’s really the same principle you see everywhere: a good pass leads to more good passing, good energy usually leads to more good energy. Take away the good passer, and other players want to make up for it by creating off the dribble.
Which leads us to the next point ….
*Way too much dribbling. Just because the Sixers have players that are great off of the pick-and-roll (and they do have that), doesn’t mean they should be dribbling and dribbling and dribbling. When they’re at their best, they score off of a pick-and-roll with less than two dribbles (Thaddeus Young slips the screen and dives to the rim; Lou Williams splits the defenders and drops a floater). No team is going to be good when they’re dribbling around the arc, no matter how great they might be with the ball.
*Lou’s inefficiency (1 for 6 from floor, -16 for the game) doomed the Sixers. Without Hawes, and with an offense handicapped by removing a crucial chemistry piece, the Sixers needed to win this game with exceptional play off-the-bench, specifically from Williams. That’s his job.
*The Sixers closed quarters poorly. In a 6-point loss, failure at the end of quarters is a big deal. If you don’t execute in these final two to three possessions, you could be looking at a 10-plus point swing over the course of the game. Also, when the Sixers are busy blowing out an inferior team, they really need to treat the possessions at the end of quarters as tests. Because these select possessions will eventually become the difference between a 33-win season and a 41-win season.
*The Sixers can’t keep starting slowly. For a more in-depth look at that, there’s this blog post: Starting Strong.
There are two very good things coming away from that Knicks game: 1. Elton Brand’s efficiency is increasing. According to @tmoorepburbs, Brand is shooting 55.6 percent in the previous four games, after shooting only 40.7 percent in the first six. 2. Iguodala’s leadership in the locker room after the game was on point: positive, encouraging. No matter how much Philly fans want to disparage his leadership, it’s crucial (both when it’s positive and when it’s negative) to the success of this team.
–Kate
Good synopsis Kate. The offense just stalled without the ball movement from Hawes. We also missed his size against Amare and Chandler. I also wonder if Lou’s conditioning comes into question as he of all the players really seemed lethargic. Really enjoyed Malik Rose’s commentary last night. He kept saying it helps the Sixers when Melo is on the floor and Zumoff was baffled by it. Rose knows his hoops and he was spot on. When Melo was out there he dominates the ball and takes ill advised shots. He kept the Sxers in the game. After one offensive rebound he fired a quick 3, instead of running the clock. Very proud of the overall effort of the team. I won’t hate on Iguodala for his leadership and I will give him a lot of credit for battling with Melo. I would like to see a little more of that type of toughness out of Jrue in the future. EB is starting to find his spots and playing much better. This team can’t have a letdown against the Wizards with tow tough games next week against Atlanta and Denver.
Kate,
Sounds like you wished you still wrote for the Daily News…we miss you!
I would say that it wasn’t just missing Hawes, it was having no legs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much front rim in an NBA game. The coaches have to be as happy with a loss as one can be, though.
They were dragging out there- lack of energy played a role for sure. NBA is going to be like that often this year.
One thing I took away from the game is how unimpressed I was with the Knicks. I don’t like the way they play (not much ball movement, bad attitudes) and despite having fresh legs, home field, and some calls going their way, they didn’t show me much in the fourth quarter. If they were on the third game of a triple in Philly and we were fresh, I have no doubts we would of put them away and sent them back to MSG by more than six.
I am seeing a lot of Eagles in the Knicks. There’s pouting and brooding going on- to think they preferred to trade Gallinari instead of Fields is interesting.They have talent but that whole thing could come unglued.
I thought going to ESPN meant that Philly lost their best sports writer. Very glad to accidently discover that you are still here writing about the Sixers. Your analytical approach to basketball is so refreshing. You think like a coach and a player, then convey those thoughts into beautiful prose.
I’m so happy you’re still regularly covering the Sixers in this space; I hope you continue to have enough time to do so. Just came across your blog and I’m happy I did! I’m curious to see whether the fans will still be all hyped up if they lose this month against Miami and Orlando yet go 8-1 the rest of the month.
Still enjoy reading your breakdowns of games. Thanks for your interest in the Sixers and the NBA. I saw your article at your new gig, and that is also a very good read. You have a gift for writing.
Can you answer a question about Hawes? What changed between the last few years and this year? Is it a result of more effort? Or is he doing something different? Or did the Sixers change the game-plan? Maturity? A contract year? Or did he just “get-it?”