NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Elton Brand dunking

Philadelphia was down 38 - 13.

Past 76er teams would have quit. We are going to lose, so let’s go home.

But they did not quit and came back to win the game 94 - 92 over the Indiana Pacers. Elton Brand had 15 rebounds and Thaddeus Young had 25 points.

“It was a great comeback by Philadelphia,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said. “Sometimes you get too big a lead early in the game — and the NBA is a game of momentum shifts.”
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There is no quit with Mo Cheeks as coach. You noticed last year in the playoffs as this Philly team eventually lost to the Detroit Pistons that they just keep coming at you. There is no quit in these 76ers.

Now the Philadelphia team added prize 20 -10 guy, Elton Brand. Now the 76ers have some power on the blocks and who knows how far this team can go.
Photo source Newscom

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Elton Brand will give the 76ers a player down on the blocks

Last year the Philadelphia 76ers went to the playoffs to take on the Detroit Pistons. A tall order for a team that had not been to the playoffs in quite a while and for a team that was not loaded with established stars.

The Pistons had a simple strategy for victory. There was no inside game for the 76ers. No dominant player on the box to force a double team. The strategy was to stop Andre Iguodala and make someone else beat them.

Andre Miller tried and at times succeeded, but eventually there were too many Pistons and too few 76ers.

The 76ers decided to find that person down low first and did they ever. Elton Brand, a sure double double guy, signed with the 76ers in the off season. It was a blockbuster deal for a team that was already a young improving playoff team.

Everyone was excited.

Coach Mo Cheeks wanted more. What good was drawing a double team down low if there were no outside shooters to take advantage of that?

Andre Miller liked to drive. Andre Iquodala is more of a slasher. Mo wanted some shooters.

Hello, Kareem Rush. Hello, Donyell Marshall. We haven’t seen them unload through the first three preseason games, but the intimation is that we eventually will. Marshall, who grew up in Reading, has said he came, in large part, to play for his hometown team. Rush said he came because the Sixers needed what he could bring.

Rush drained a career-high 102 threes with the Indiana Pacers last season, profiting from coach Jim O’Brien’s green-light offense. Despite that, he saw a brighter opportunity with the Sixers.

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Now if Philly faces a strong team in the playoffs they will have the full assortment of weapons to throw at them.

Photo source Newscom

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Andre Iguodala is surrounded by Rasheed Wallace and Jason Maxiell

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Andre Iquodala has talent just oozing out of him. If you watched the first round playoff matchup of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons, it was easy to see who was carrying the 76ers.

Andre was the man.

Unfortunately the Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They blanketed Andre with Tayshaun Prince as the lead defender and help coming from any direction Andre went. Bad grammar, but true story.

Andre still needs to develop his outside game to be a force, but with his strength and athleticism, he is a daunting hoop player.

He is also a restricted free agent.

Andre must be singing with joy, but he isn’t. You see, to sign him you need a lot of money. What team has a lot of money left over?

With last week’s trade of Marcus Camby and his large contract from the Denver Nuggets to the Los Angeles Clippers, the thrifty Grizzlies remain the only club with significant salary-cap space. And they have said they won’t take on expensive contracts. That leaves free agents with few options and even less leverage.

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Time to talk NBA common sense. The 76ers need to sign this guy. They just picked up Elton Brand. They are young and eager. You take a first round playoff team like the 76ers and add Elton Brand to the mix, with Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller at the point, and jumping jack Samuel Dalembert, who knows what can happen?

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Elton Brand will bring his brand of basketball to Philadelphia

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In a blockbuster deal, the Philadelphia 76er’s signed Elton Brand to a 5 year 82 million dollar contract.

Wow!

The 76er’s were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs last year and had no inside presence what so ever. They wanted a big man desperately, but big men are hard to come by.

Philadelphia went all out.

Philadelphia wanted to land a big man this summer and had Hawks restricted free agent forward Josh Smith in town last week for a visit, but he left without being presented with an offer sheet. Smith will look elsewhere, or possibly stay in Atlanta.

The 76ers entered the summer $11 million under the salary cap, but even that wasn’t enough to land a franchise-shifting free agent like Brand. Philadelphia was able to swing a deal with Minnesota that sent forward Rodney Carney and a future No. 1 pick to the Timberwolves as part of a trade that cleared an additional $2 million in salary cap space.

The trade allowed the Sixers to offer a starting salary in the $14-million range. Brand had $16.4 million left on deal he signed in 2003.

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It will make a difference. Check out this lineup…

Brand joins a Sixers team that is no longer the lottery-bound loser it was a year ago. Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert and the blossoming Thaddeus Young turned the 76ers into a surprise playoff team, even stretching Detroit to six games in a first-round series. Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks had his team playing hard every game and he earned an extension from Stefanski.

The Sixers got only 5.2 points out of last season’s power forward, Reggie Evans.

“I feel even stronger and tougher once I’ve got Elton Brand behind me,” Stefanski said. “I’d have to say, yes, we have closed the gap.”

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Mo Cheeks is on 6′ 1″ tall, in spite of what Sir Charles thinks of his ears

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Charles is a classic. Somehow he can say anything and get away with it.

First he gets all over the poor shooting of the Philadelphia 76ers against the Detroit Pistons.

Wade on the poor shooting of the Sixers: “I agree with what Charles said, (the Sixers) can’t make any shots tonight and if you can’t make any shots you’re in for a long night.”

Barkley: “I didn’t say they weren’t making shots, I say they can’t shoot.”

Wade: “I didn’t want to say that.”
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Later, he discussed how Andre Iguodala needs to shoot 500 to 1,000 jumpers this summer each day to improve his jump shot, then in a truly Barkley classic he comments on Mo Cheeks, the 76ers coach.

Barkley: “How tall is Maurice Cheeks?”

Smith: “6-foot-1, I think.”

Barkley: “He has the ears of a seven footer.”

The Pistons, led by a red hot shooting Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, destroyed Philadelphia in game 6 to take the series.

NBA Basketball special comment The Orlando Magic will be the next opponent for the Detroit Pistons and will prove to be a much tougher team to beat with Dwight Howard.

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