Some thoughts and observations left over from the 76ers’ most recent game, a 116-108 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday at Verizon Center. To best access this content on a mobile device, select the “view in browser” option.
Third-Quarter Run Highlights Sixers Bounce-Back Second HalfThroughout the closing stages of Monday’s first half at Verizon Center, Washington steadily threatened to pull away from the Sixers. The Wizards’ lead was no smaller than nine points for the final five minutes, 30 seconds of the second quarter, and several high-energy contributions from bench sparkplug Bradley Beal kept the crowd’s energy up.
But, in just about every instance in which Washington pushed its margin to double-figures, the Sixers had an answer. Whether it was an Ish Smith drive, a Nik Stauskas baseline jumper, or Isaiah Canaan three, the Sixers delivered timely shots that prevented the Wizards from getting too comfortable.Although they were down 12 points at intermission, and quickly trailed by a game-high 14 points in the opening seconds of the second stanza, the Sixers never seemed to get rattled or discouraged. On the flip side, they remained focused on the defensive end, and strung together a few important stops, which ultimately set the table for a tide-turning blitz. Smith, scoring and assisting on the first two field goals of the Sixers’ surge, was instrumental in starting the 26-6 run. He credited Brett Brown for instilling in the team a crucial mindset, especially in the aftermath of Sunday’s 130-116 defeat at Orlando. “I think Coach got on us about playing with some heart, playing with some will,” said Smith while looking back on the intangible factors that set up the Sixers for their go-ahead push. “It is a privilege to play in this league, and so we have to bring it every night and if we do that, we are pretty fun to watch.”Maybe fun for some, like Sixers fans, but no so much for Randy Wittman, Washington’s head coach. [[{“fid”:”48707″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:”336″,”width”:”596″,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]That the Sixers were able to swing the scoreboard around by 22 points in the span of about five minutes left many of the 15,000-plus spectators inside Verizon Center stunned and restless. Wittman, however, was not surprised. “This is a team that is not going to quit,” Wittman said of the Sixers. “I give Brett [Brown] and that team a lot of credit. We talk about it every time we play them. They are going to play through, down 30 [points], up 30, they play hard.”While the Sixers left Washington, D.C. still in search of their first victory since the All-Star Game break, Brown himself seemed to think his club took a needed step forward by closing out its set of back-to-back road contests on a positive note. “I was proud of our guys for a lot in that game,” said Brown. “The third period, the camaraderie on the bench, the spirit on the floor. Sometimes youth isn’t a bad thing when you look at it. It’s like a collegiate-type atmosphere we have going. We just have to play longer. [Monday] we played hard, and I think we played smart for the most part, but we just couldn’t close it out.”Point Guards Stand Out in WashingtonThe final line from Brett Brown’s post-game remarks about John Wall succinctly and accurately summed up the impact that the Washington point guard had on Monday’s game.”He’s an All-Star for a reason.”Wall bookended a 37-point performance, his second-highest scoring outing of the season, with a 12-point first quarter, and 16-point fourth quarter. Eight of his points in the final frame occurred during the Wizards’ decisive 16-0 run. Ish Smith, Wall’s counterpart from the Sixers, didn’t have a shabby showing either. Like Wall, Smith turned in his second-most prolific offensive effort of the year, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. Smith’s 25 points (9-18 fg) was also the second-best total of his career. “It was an offensive battle both ways,” Smith said of the Sixers and Wizards fighting back and forth in the second half. “They were scoring, we were scoring. Game of runs. Overall, good game.”Wall was the number one selection in the NBA Draft in 2010, the same year that Smith went undrafted. Wall enjoyed having another chance to square off with Smith, who was a member of Washington’s pre-season roster. “It’s always fun,” said Wall, third in the league in assists, and fourth in steals. “[Smith] jokes a little bit out there, but he’s competitive. He’s family at the end of the day, but when he’s competing, he’s competing. He’s terrific. He’s a great guard, and he plays well against us. Think he has a little chip on his shoulder, but that’s just how Ish plays.”In the three contests between the Sixers and Wizards this season, Smith has averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game. Wall has manufactured 26.0 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.3 rebounds in 38.0 minutes per game. Holmes Continues to Warrant Playing TimeAs Richaun Holmes heads into the final six weeks of his first professional season, lessons are still being learned, both in terms of what he’s picking up from first-hand experience, and what the Sixers’ coaching staff continues to discover about him.On Sunday, Holmes was a central figure in the Sixers’ 21-7 third-quarter run that helped them gain ground on the Orlando Magic. He deposited 12 points (4-4 fg, 4-4 ft) that night, and snagged four rebounds. Throughout the year, the second-round selection from Bowling Green has shown Brett Brown enough promise to stay in the Sixers’ frontcourt rotation. “He just plays with a tremendous bounce,” said Brown. “You always can count on his effort. You can always count on the fact that he’s going to have a real bounce and a physical side to how he plays. I think like any first year player, there are times that you step back and sort of wonder what he might have been thinking on a defensive assignment, or even positions offensively what we’re running. It’s normal, it’s natural for a first year rookie. Physically, though, he does stand out. He’s somebody that you can count on to play with that spirit and that bounce.”On Monday at Verizon Center, Holmes, who’s averaging 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game, discussed aspects of his defense that he’s been focusing on as of late. “Just bringing effort, energy, and just talking,” Holmes said. “Communication is a big thing on defense, so I want to just try to talk loud, give my teammates a chance to get to their spots, because usually I can see everything in front of me. Just got to help them out and play together.”
During Monday’s pre-game warm-ups, Holmes was having a chat with Mike D’Antoni. The conversation’s subject matter dealt with Holmes’ potential on the other end of the floor. “Just things on offense,” said Holmes. “Different things to do. Just putting nuggets in my ear. Just things to think about while I’m out there.”In his youth, the 22-year old Holmes closely followed D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns teams.”Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire were two of my favorite players growing up,” Holmes revealed. “I used to love watching the pick-and-roll. His teams, offensively, were amazing.”
Calling on Holmes to serve as a roll man in pick-and-roll sets has been one strategy that Brown and his assistants have employed to take advantage of the first-year forward’s size, strength, and ability to finish at the rim. According to stats.nba.com, Holmes has been used as a roll man 23.5% of the time he’s been on the court, the highest such frequency of any player on the Sixers. He’s generating 1.04 points per possession in those situations. “I feel like there’s a lot of things people haven’t seen that I can do, and I look forward to showing it,” said Holmes.
