Friday, February 11, 2011
Posted: 9:25 p.m.
By Dei Lynam
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
The 2010-11 San Antonio Spurs are one of just seven teams to start a season with a record of 44-8 or better. The other six teams went on to win the NBA Championship including the two 76ers title teams. A fifth championship since 1999 may happen for the Spurs this spring but on this February night they had all they could handle facing the 24-28 Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers came into the game having won seven of their last 10 games while their two veteran leadersElton Brand and Andre Iguodalahave been at the top of their game with some big contributions from young star, Jrue Holiday.
That leadership was critical to the Sixers in their hard-fought, 77-71 upset over the NBA-leading Spurs.
What an incredible display by our guys tonight defensively, coach Doug Collins said after his team improved to 17-9 on their home floor. I have never been more proud. I mean this was a half-court, grind-it-out game.
NBA
Collins had pointed out before the contest that San Antonios record against sub-.500 teams was 24-1, a statistic he thought pointed to the Spurs being a team that never takes a night off.
The Sixers record says they are a sub-.500 team, too, but that hasnt been the way they have been playing.
We are having fun, Holiday said. We are playing the way basketball is supposed to be played. We play together. We are playing like we are supposed to be in the play-offs.
The Sixers are currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the No. 6 seed Knicks by 2 games.
Though the Spurs had the best record in the NBA, they had trouble with Brand, whose patented top-of-the-key jumper gave the Sixers a two-point lead with 2:21 to go in the game. In addition, Brand cleaned the glass for 17 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Iguodala played lock-down defense on Manu Ginobili in the closing minutes to preserve the lead. Ginobili, Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson were held to just 20 points in the game. Iguodala limited fellow Arizona alum Jefferson to just three points and when on Ginobili, kept him out of the paint.
Before the game, Collins stressed the importance of keeping Parker and Ginobili out of the paint. The Spurs backcourt had had their way with the Sixers back in November when they combined for 42 points, shooting 16-for-23 from the floor in a 23-point San Antonio win.
The Sixers werent necessarily looking to exact revenge from that November loss in San Antonio, but they do produce results that support the use of the phrase. Ginobili and Parker had eight points at halftime, attempting just six combined field goals as the teams went into the break tied at 46.
At games end Ginobili and Parker had 17 total points having made just five field goals.
This time the veterans Brand and Iguodala set the attitude, the youthful Holiday led all scorers with 27 points.
Our whole game plan was around three things, Collins said. First and foremost keep those guards out of the paint. Ginobili and Parker were 5-for-20 tonight. Number two was defending the three point linethey were 3-for-17. And we wanted to be able to push the ball in the open court, force some turnovers. We forced 16 turnovers and had 21 fast-break points.
Because the Spurs shot a season-low 33 percent and the Sixers were only slightly better at 35 percent, Holidays 9-for-14 shooting stood outbut then again, his entire game was extraordinary
Jrue was amazing, Brand complimented. His last three games didnt go his way but he really stepped up against the best in the league record-wise and to play like that shows how good he is and how much we need him.
Holidays scoring was necessary but it was spurred on by his acceptance of a tough defensive assignment which he handled holding Parker to nine points and four assists.
And then there were those two free throws he made with 20 seconds remaining, his team up two; a vote of confidence from Brand went a long way in Holiday delivering in the clutch.
EB said you have the hot hand you are going to get it (inbounds pass) and I got it, they fouled, I got up there and I felt really confident after EB said that, Holiday explained.
The third quarter was definitely not an offensive clinic as evidenced by the Sixers and Spurs combining to shoot 10-for-46 from the floor. That was quite a contrast to the Sixers first quarter when they shot 50 percent from the floor and got 13 of their 27 points from Holiday.
Holiday carried the scoring load and was just one of two Sixers in double figures (Spencer Hawes had 13) as the teams bench, which is the highest scoring in the NBA, scored 16 points.
The Sixers will play at Minnesota on Saturday night. It is the first of two meetings this season. The Timberwolves have won two straight going into their Friday night game at Indiana.
Notes
Tony Battie was on the inactive list because of a bilateral wrist sprain; he played 19 strong minutes two nights earlier against Orlando.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com