Watching the Sixers make just two of their first nine shots Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena and fall behind 20-4 with 6:20 to play in the first quarter, it appeared the night was going to be long and painful. How wrong that thought was.
“[When it was] 20-4 we said, ‘Let’s go,’” Elton Brand recalled. “They were hitting tough shots and we were missing shots that we can hit. The coaches, they let us know that this team is the No. 1 first quarter team in the league scoring points, so that gave us a little confidence to build that six -point lead going into the fourth.”
“The look on the guys’ faces when we got down was one of composure – we didn’t panic or anything,” Andre Iguodala said after contributing 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “We just thought we could weather their storm. I think we did a good job getting back in the game and taking the lead. It definitely shows that when we are down we can fight back. We just have to keep our game at a high level and not let it fall to the competition.”
Yes, the Sixers lost 97-91, but for the first time against the upper echelon of the league, they showed grit.
Eddie Jordan has been challenging his team to show toughness and if one can’t be physically stronger than the opponent, at least be relentless. The Sixers showed those characteristics against LeBron James’ squad, outscoring the Cavaliers 47-34 after that dismal start to trail by just three at intermission.
“I had no problem with our effort tonight. We rose to the challenge in a great environment for them, a tough environment for any opponent,” Jordan said. “I liked the way we executed. I liked the way we talked. We were a different team then what we saw last night. We just didn’t win the game.”
Like most teams, the Sixers couldn’t stop King James. He had 20 first-half points; on pace to equal his 40-point performance Friday night in Indiana. He was 8-for-11 from the floor including 2-of-4 from long range. He made a couple of free throws, grabbed six rebounds and handed out six assists. Not a bad first half effort, playing 20 minutes.
James is shooting 52 percent from the field thus far this season 36 from 3-point range and 79 from the foul line – all career highs. James leaves nothing to chance. He works at his craft and is reaping the rewards.
“It’s confidence and repetition. I put a lot of hard work into it. I watch a lot of film and I critique myself a lot,” James said prior to Saturday’s game. “I know what I need to get better at to be a better basketball player this season. I also work on everything inside the elbows, inside the 3-point line and I think I am increasing my range.
“I think it’s just my shots are more consistent. I’m not going one game making shots and the next game feeling like I shouldn’t even be taking them. I am at a point in my career right now that I feel every shot on the court I can make.”
We have come to expect greatness from James and often we don’t know what to expect from the Sixers. Thaddeus Young, one day after scoring just five points and grabbing just three rebounds, scored 21 on 9-for-15 shooting. Brand for a third-straight game produced numbers, scoring 18 points and leading his team in rebounding with 13. And Lou Williams followed up his career-high 31 points against Memphis with 22 points and five assists.
“We know this is a process. This team has had playoff experience. We miss a lot of veteran leadership from last year and it is a process in the making as far as learning a new system at both ends and learning how to find the leaders within the team,” Jordan acknowledged. “It is going to be up and down. It’s not going to happen over night but I like our young core, we have a young core of players. I like how they responded tonight.”
One night after getting hammered on the glass by the Grizzlies, who won the rebounding battle on Friday the 48-28, the Sixers limited the Cavaliers to just four second-chance points through three quarters. The Sixers led 81-75 heading into the fourth quarter. Cleveland, who last year won 39 of their 41 home games, appeared vulnerable having already lost two games at the “Q” this season.
Cleveland was gingerly guarding a two-point lead with 5:50 to go in the game. James had scored just six second-half points, but it was his ninth assist that turned the tide when he fed Jamario Moon for a dunk in the half court. Two plays later, James penetrated the paint to score a lay-up and give his team a six-point lead. He finished the night leading all scorers with 32 points to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds.
“He is a very strong guy. You see 270 [pounds] coming at you, it’s crazy,” Young said of James’ physique. “The guy is very quick. He is great off the dribble. He can do a lot of different things. He’s a great passer; I think he had nine assists. We just tried to guard the other guys and try and stop him from making plays.”
Cleveland’s fourth quarter defense was stifling. The Sixers, who at that point were just 3-for-17 in the quarter, desperately needed a basket which they got on a Brand put-back with 3:15 to play, making the score 93-89.
The Sixers wouldn’t score another field goal on the night. Iguodala suffered through a 6-of-22 shooting night, that comes on the heels of his 5-for-17 performance last night. Still, neither Iguodala or Jordan seemed overly concerned.
“He’s looking for his teammates. He is looking to push the ball on the break,” Jordan said. “If he can make it be more efficient. He’s very talented and sometimes he relies on his talent to do a little too much – in a good way. If he can just take the easy play I think he will be a more efficient player.” The Sixers fall to 5-8. They will next play Jordan’s former team, the Wizards, in Washington on Tuesday.