So close.
On National Television, the Sixers hung with the Celtics for four quarters, only to be undone by a blown defensive assignment that Kevin Garnett gladly cashed in on for the win. Andre Iguodala played a great game on Paul Pierce, making a nifty move to break his ankles and put the Sixers momentarily on top. Ray Allen hit more big shots, Rajon Rondo kept his historical assist output up and dished 14 tonight.
Jodie Meeks is still amazing, he and Lou Williams combined to shoot 8-9 from beyond the arc. Elton Brand was great on the offensive glass, definitely helped by the absence of Shaq. Rod Thorn has to be questioning some of Doug Collins’ defensive rotations at the end, keeping Thad and Lou in for defense. This is what good teams do though. Collins had his guys right there, but Doc Rivers and his veteran crew came out on top. The Sixers are now 1-11 in games decided by 10 points or less.
They fall to 7-15 on the season, but with only a few minor bounces they could be 12-10. It’s a young team, and losses like this have to make the team proud, but it doesn’t make it any easier for it to stomach.