Monday, March 28, 2011
Posted: 2:34 pm.
By Dei Lynam
CSNPhilly.com
CHICAGOThere are times when perception overrides reality. Attending a concert can be the equivalent of watching a late night movie at home; it is entertainment.
But when 12 hours later you lose an overtime game in which the bench shoots 4-for-26, the team is outrebounded by 22, and mental mistakes down the stretch prove costlyscrutiny follows.
Yes, Lou Williams attended the Lil Wayne concert at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night and said as much after going 1-for-12 from the floor in the Sixers 114-11 loss to Sacramento, which dropped their record to 37-36 with Chicago on the horizon the following night.
It was the eighth time this season Williams, who has the leagues second highest scoring average coming off the bench, was limited to just one field goal, and it was just the third time he has missed 11 attempts in a gamewhich is not a season high; he missed 12 shots at Detroit on Jan. 8.
The point is Williams has had games where shots havent fallen. He has had other nights like Friday in Miami, where he was brilliant, hitting nine of 12 field goal attempts.
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Players have off nights. Just ask Thaddeus Young, who was 2-for-11 against the Kings. How Young spent his Saturday night is unknown, but attending the Lil Wayne concert has been ruled out.
Spencer Hawes had a season high 15 rebounds and 16 points against his former team for his seventh double-double of the season. Clearly attending the Lil Wayne concert struck a positive chord with him. The same could be said for Jrue Holiday, who scored 28 points grabbed nine rebounds and had seven assists.
Evan Turner was the fourth player who took in the concert. He played 20 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing just one rebound.
With nine games remaining, a tough schedule ahead and only a two game cushion on New York for the sixth seed in the East, Doug Collins message at Mondays shootaround was simple.
Its the perception more then anything else, Collins said of his four players decision to take in the concert. Just use good judgmentthats all. I think the fact that it was a Noon start really magnified it, and when you have a guy that doesnt play well it magnifies it more.
We talk about the continuing growth of our team. It is not only how you play but everything you do to give yourself the best chance to win. I told the guys to address it amongst themselves. Get together and discuss what you think is important coming down the stretch, how we need to do things and I am here for you. I am going to be that guy that always looks for a way to give us that edge.
Of the guys in Collins regular rotation, Elton Brand is the elder statesman. He, like Collins, didnt think there should be an overreaction to what amounted to an untimely home loss.
I talked to the guys about being responsible, but one of the things with our guystheyre good guys, Brand said. They werent out partying or doing anything that really affected them physically during a 12 oclock game. But just being focused is the thing I really talked to them about.
At a recent road game Collins was asked, as he often is, how his team went from 3-13 to a probable playoff team. He always starts that answer by saying he has an incredible group of guys in his locker room whom he has enjoyed coaching as much as any team he has ever coached.
Sunday afternoon did not change those sentiments.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com.
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