Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers

Game Breakdown

*Special Situations*

• I am watching this game IMMEDIATELY after catching up on watching the Friday night game so will be interesting to compare the games watching them back to back like this

• Defensive energy and offensive flow are just not there to start this game

  • Interesting that JB essentially gave them an excuse for the performance with the bad travel and getting in at 4:30am

  • I will say, and I know A LOT of fans don’t want to hear it (and I understand why), but a friend of mine watched the Netflix show that followed a few different NBA players and he has mentioned MULTIPLE times about his appreciate for what they go through during a season after watching that

    • He was a college player, HS state championship coach and usually not one to give excuses for professional athletes

    • I haven’t personally watched the show but find it very interesting that he always brings up how taxing the travel/schedule is EVEN WITH the amenities they travel with

• Doesn’t really matter but late 1st quarter when they realized the shot clock wasn’t running….the game block hadn’t run for about 20 seconds either (they did not fix this)

• DUREN AND HOLLAND getting outworked by Council IV on a FT checkout is about all you need to see to know the focus and energy to start this game

  • Not to mention the Fontecchio-Ivey TO at the end the 1st quarter

• As slow as a start as they have had….they are down 7 late in the 1st half

  • Down to 4!! After the Stew OREB and Beasley deep 3PM

  • Council IV with a huge C&S 3PM (24% on the season)

  • Harris mid post isolation vs Maxey (this is a good matchup you want to attack) and he misses

  • Stew bucket off Beasley assist and it’s back to 5

    • Beasley has had a heck of a 1st half

  • I mean, wasn’t a pretty half but you have yourself in position to win a game if you start the half off right

• Start of 2nd half

  • TO, OREB > 3PM, TO, Transition layup and immediately down 10

  • THJ misses WIDE OPEN 3PA, get a stop, Harris and one BUT Maxey 3PM

  • TO, ANOTHER MAXEY BUCKET

  • Harris front rim miss (GET YOUR SHOOTING FORM UP!!!), followed by Martin Jr. OREB dunk and it’s a 14 point deficit

  • And it just gets worse as the middle portion of this 3rd quarter is UGLY, UGLY

Pistons

• Ivey, Beasley, THJ, Harris, Duren

  • For the most part, this team has responded after a rough outing….

    • Do we see the same thing on Tuesday in what is quite honestly the biggest game this team has played in the past 4 or 5 seasons???

    • On top of having 2 days rest

  • Turnovers a major issue to start the game, very careless with the passes

  • Do we think JB went 11 deep and to the all bench unit because of the slow start? OR do we think this was the plan due to the back to back and 3 games in 4 days?

    • Initially, I thought the the former but after the post game quotes I think it may have been the latter

  • Playing a lineup of Ivey-Beasley-THJ-Holland-Ausar

    • I am not sure what I think about it but I am kind of intrigued by it

• DUREN has really improved his disruption but man, the ball screen defense has to get so much better

  • Just no reason for him not to elevate and contest the lob to Drummond early in the game

  • 6:36 3rd quarter is an interesting one

    • I initially thought he just did a really bad job of recovering to the roll man BUT he immediately looks at Beasley for the help AND Jarrett Jack on the bench looks like he points towards Beasley like he didn’t rotate like he should (or at least tagged to slow the roll man down)

  • No rebounds and 4 turnovers in 12 minutes isn’t a great outing BUT he has a GREAT opportunity to bounce back against Lopez and the Bucks who gave him fits in the last matchup

• IVEY has been very indecisive to start the game

  • Seems like he is settling for 3PAs right now BUT he has made a couple

  • There he gets downhill and to the FT line

  • Feel like the consistency of his defense can really come and go as well

• SASSER gets an EARLY rotation, seems early even with Cade out

  • Perhaps JB looking for a jolt of energy

  • Seems like a game where you REALLY need him to go get a bunch of buckets and bring energy that way

  • Feel like I personally only want to see 2 things from him

    • Pressure and disruption defensively AND C&S 3PM offensively

• AUSAR with an awesome weakside rotation block on the Maxey drive

  • You add him to the mix and this team has some real potential to be a top 5 blocks team

    • THIS ALSO MEANS IT IS VITAL TO GET WEAKSIDE ROTATION REBOUNDS

    • Insane recovery block on Bona and then runs in transition to putback the Ivey miss

  • Knocks down another corner C&S 3P

    • These are the only ones he really has to make, just get really good in that corner

    • Airballs his next attempt off a DHO, I think he should have attacked middle off the catch here

  • Immediately forces two offensive fouls with his on ball point of attack defense vs George

  • I have liked some of the things he has done off the bounce tonight

    • You can see the idea for the offensive role and impact

  • Multiple minutes at the 5 tonight

    • Probably somewhat to do with the fact the Sixers were VERY short handed at the center position BUT still interesting nonetheless

• MOORE JR. ALSO getting early minutes

  • First game I can really remember where I didn’t feel like he took advantage of his opportunity

• STEW HAS TO STOP with these ridiculous fouls every game, it’s just free points to the other team

• FONTECCHIO keeping things simple and I feel like that 3P% is slowly creeping up

  • Of course, he misses his next 2 after I type this…make it next 4 (including an airball)

  • He did have a great night on the boards

• REED is going to get himself involved in the action one way or another

  • Positive so far with some defensive plays and a PnR finish

• BEASLEY continues to shoot the ball extremely well

  • Most 3PM in a month in Pistons history by a wide margin

Sixers

• Maxey, Oubre, George, Yabusele, Drummond

• GEORGE having everything run through him to start the game including one missed mid range and two assists

  • Has done a great job creating early in the game

  • He is getting wherever he wants and getting whatever he wants in the 1st half

• OUBRE banging shots to start the game, something he seems to always do vs the Pistons

  • Has not shot well from 3P line so far this year

• YABUSELE has been so good for them this year

• MCCAIN offense has been awesome all year but his defense has been questioned a lot so far and I will say that he has had some nice possessions vs Ivey at the point of attack

  • He has thrown some SICK weakside passes

• COUNCIL IV has brought great energy on the OREBs and in transition

  • Hits a really big 3P late 1st half when Detroit was really trying to make a run and perhaps even take the lead before halftime

• MAXEY is soooo fast and can really shoot it but he has struggled in the lane so far tonight

  • His % from 0-3 feet is over 10% worse so far this year AND fwiw, the 3P% isn’t very good right now either

  • Man, when he gets it going he can score in BUNCHES

• MARTIN JR. putting together quite the game right now

  • Has shown some versatility even

  • And rim protection with the big time vertical pop

• BONA is so athletic and plays with so much energy