Following his big team-high 23-point scoring outburst and all-around solid performance -- four assists! -- off the bench in the Sixers come-from-behind victory over the Raptors on Tuesday night, Nick "Swaggy P." Young was wearing a sweatshirt that read "Swaggy P." on it. And he was talking about himself in the Swaggy third person.
One might question Madonna wearing a Madonna t-shirt after her own concert. Or LeBron James wearing a t-shirt with his own face on it at a concert after an NBA Finals win. So one also might be inclined to question Swaggy P. I would do no such thing.
"Y'all are here for Swaggy P.?" Young exclaimed, welcoming the throng of reporters surrounding him in the locker room post game.
"Make sure you all go buy one of these," Swaggy said referring to his sweatshirt bearing his name.
The funny thing was he doesn't even know where you can get one because a fan sent it to him. He wasn't even planning on wearing it, he said, but after the Sixers had such a wild successful fourth quarter, he obviously had a change of swag.
Swaggy P. is just going with the flow, shooting the ball when he gets it, high-fiving fans in the middle of a game, and having fun all along the way.
[Related From Last Night: Video: Watch Swaggy P. Make the Same Circus Shot We All Ridiculed Him for Taking Earlier This Month]
You can hate the term "swag" all you want -- hell, I don't really even know what it means exactly. But it works for Nick Young, a guy with plenty of charisma, an unwavering desire to shoot the rock, flashy sneakers and impressively curly/fro-y hair to go along with his big smile. His shot selection at times will most assuredly drive you Lou Williams-esque insane, but when he's on like he was Tuesday night, he's damn fun to root for.
The only assurance I need that "Swaggy P." is the right name to use for Nick Young is the fact that Doug Collins openly refers to "Swaggy" in his post game pressers. Case closed.
"Swaggy quietly has passed the ball very well," Coach Collins said. "I've been very pleased with him."
Perhaps the best part about the Swaggy P. love fest was that it wasn't a one-man show in the explosive fourth quarter. The Sixers got real solid efforts out of a handful of guys, most notably Jrue Holiday, Thad Young, and fellow newcomers Jason Richardson and Dorrell Wright.
During their huge comeback run, the Sixers got clutch shots from Young (,Nick), Wright, and Richardson, with Jrue doing the drive and setup to perfection. Speaking after the game, Holiday talked about how that's when playing is the most fun, when you're surrounded by guys who can drill big threes which can keep you in almost any game. It's quite the difference from a year ago when the only real long ball option was a #M33KS and a prayer.
This team has plenty of scoring options when they can get things going. And Jrue Holiday is learning to orchestrate with the best of them. He made great decisions on Tuesday night.
And as for the custom-made Nick Young gear that made its debut? It may be a hot item this holiday shopping season.
Even Evan Turner wants in on the action, "Swag, give me a t-shirt so I can swag-out too!"
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