I have said before that a big halftime lead can be a dangerous thing. But that was in reference to the overconfidence and complacency that can come with HAVING a big lead. Last night, Philly had the big lead and we were never able to overcome it.
It was nice to see Carols and Joakim driving the lane. When the outside shots are not sinking, you have to go for higher-percentage shots. The officials were pretty lax and let the 76ers be as aggressive as they wanted. We did not respond in kind until halfway through the 2nd quarter. Our defense got beeter, but did not stay consistent. And our ball handling was sloppy. Derrick Rose, arguably the best point guard in the league (if he's the most valuable player, how can he not be the most valuable guard?) turned the ball over 10 times! Thankfully that is very uncharacteristic of him and should not become a habit. But seriously, 10 turnovers?
They had 14 points off of those turnovers, and that alone would have changed the game. And we missed 12 free throws; shooting only 60%. Again, that would have changed the game. I complain that we didn't get to the line as much as was indicated, but we were not making them pay when the fouls were called anyway.
It had to happen sometime. Our home winning streak ends at 14 games. Fortunately, Boston lost as well, so we are still 2 games in front. It looks like Boston is going to continue to drop and Miami is going to continue to surge, so we need to start worrying about keeping in front of them. Miami plays Cleveland tonight, so they're probably going to win that.
Wednesday we face Minnesota. We can't take anything for granted now down the stretch. Boys, watch some tape and see how they are going to play you. Be prepared. I'll be watching you.
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