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| Image courtesy of AP |
The Sixers had last night’s game in hand. Up 14 going
into halftime, the team had a lot to feel good about. But complacency can be a
team’s worst enemy, and it was apparent in the third quarter that, not only the
Sixers got complacent, but the Mavericks got a heck of a halftime speech.
They outscored the Sixers 24-8 in the third quarter. Dirk
Nowitzki, who only scored four points in the first half, scored 24 in the
second, tying the Sixers’ second half total. Both he and Jason Kidd showed why
the Mavs are defending champions, defeating the Sixers 82-75. Just when you
thought the Sixers had the game in hand, it was another incredible showing by
Dirk and another beautiful display by Kidd in the second half.
Rookies Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic came out on fire
in the first half, combining for 20 points and 12 rebounds going into halftime.
But they didn’t do much else the rest of the game; the Sixers as a team just
went cold in the second half.
People that have watched the Sixers this year know that
the third quarter is usually when they display their strongest showing, but
tonight was the exact opposite. The Mavs shots went in. The Sixers shots didn’t.
Lou Williams hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the third
to cut Philly’s deficit to two going into the fourth, but it was one of very
few high points for the Sixers in the second half. The team just came out flat.
Its games like these that show what a superstar can do
for a team. The Sixers have a lot of good players, but watching the show Dirk
put on in the second half last night was something to behold. He took the team
on his back to lead the Mavs to their sixth straight victory.
The loss is tough to swallow for the Sixers mainly
because they looked so good in the first half. It would be different if the
game was all Dallas, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t until the second half that Dallas
really showed up and Philly really slowed down. A loss to the champs isn’t
something to be upset about, but the way they lost is.
It was the Sixers’ first nationally-televised game of the
year and they hung with the champs, for the most part. But these are the types
of games that’ll make fans say “we need a superstar.”
Quick question… before this season even started, did
anyone really expect anything more than a second round exit at most? If you
did, you’re lying. This team is still exceeding expectations and a close,
albeit winnable loss to a very good Mavericks team is nothing to be irate over.
They’ll keep improving as the season goes on.
They’re 20-11. They’re still first place in the division
by four games. They have the third best record in the East behind the two teams
everyone knew would be at the top of the conference: Chicago and Miami. They’re
in good shape. No one can bring up the easy schedule anymore; they’ve played tough
games and won more than they’ve lost.
But if they regularly begin to go as cold as they did in
last night’s second half, then there’s reason to be worried. Right now, even
though it was a tough one, it’s just another loss.
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