Nor should it be going forward, meaning the rest of the product on the floor – with or without Bynum – needs to be considerably better. “Spencer was brilliant,’’ gushed Collins, whose team spent most of the night bombing away beyond the arc, finishing just 7-for-25 after a 6-for-13 start. “But you saw Spencer start the season strong last year, then really struggle after he hurt his Achilles.
“For us to shoot 35 percent, miss 55 shots and find a way to win is big. Remember how difficult it was for us in the regular season last year closing out games.’’
That’s one of many reason the Sixers went for a complete overhaul in the offseason, bringing in no fewer than nine new players. Out went the old – not only Iguodala, but veterans Elton Brand, Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks. In came an array of shooters – Jason Richardson. Dorell Wright and Nick Young – all at least 6-6, along with one time child prodigy-turned-bust Kwame Brown. And, of course, Bynum.
But on this night, the five holdovers from last season’s 35-31 squad that surprised the Derrick Rose-less Bulls in the playoffs before taking the Celtics to seven games in the second round were the difference. Particularly Hawes, Thaddeus Young (13 and 5 rebounds) and point guard Jrue Holiday, who struggled like the rest of them with his shot – going 5-for-16 for 14 points – but handed out 11 assists.
With the game on the line – the Nuggets cutting a 68-54 deficit early in the fourth quarter to 71-70 with 4:41 left – the Sixers responded with the kind of knockout punch they usually lacked before. Holiday’s three-point play triggered a 9-1 Philadelphia run to seal the deal, as the defense shut down Iguodala & Co. when it mattered most. (Holiday signed a four-year, $41 million extension after the game).
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Afterward, the newest Nugget conceded he was glad to have his not-so-happy homecoming out of the way early, admitting his emotions got the best of him and made him try too hard.
“Your first thought (when he saw he’d be making his Denver debut in his old stomping grounds) is always you want to destroy them,’’ said Iguodala, who finished with 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, hearing the boos each time he touched the ball. “You try to play well and win the game, but inside it’s hard to block that part out.
“At times maybe if I hadn’t gotten a shot in a while and wasn’t having as much impact as I wanted, I started forcing things instead of letting it come to me.’’
Iguodala brought much of this wrath on himself, recently saying he felt unloved and unappreciated as a Sixer, where his max salary was constantly mentioned to denigrate him. He tried to clarify that a bit after the game, while at the same time expressing his gratitude to the organization for showing a brief in-game video tribute that brought much of the 19,101 on hand to their feet.
“I was really saying, I didn’t get to enjoy success,” explained Iguodala, whose night was summed up when he tried to drive past Wright to end the half, only to lose his footing and sprawl helplessly to the floor as the buzzer went off. “I made the All-Star team, played on the USA (Olympic) team, played on the 2010 (World Championship) team, and it seemed like every time I stepped back on the court, it wasn’t enough.
“Money always plays a role in how someone is perceived or looked at as far as production. I feel like I made a huge impact on my team night in and night out, whether it showed up on the stat sheet or not, and it was always brought up.’’
So then what advice would he give Bynum, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a bone bruise in his knee that has prevented him from practicing with his new team even once?