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Going small maybe not such a good idea against the Sixers
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| Categories: Analysis For the first time this series, Tony Battie didn't see the floor. And Marcin Gortat only played 4 minutes.
Instead, Stan Van Gundy tinkered with a lineup we haven't seen all season: he went small by putting Mickael Pietrus at the 3 and moving Hedo Turkoglu to the 4.
I'm assuming the tactic was an attempt to offset Philadelphia's fastbreak game, as Turkoglu became the team's slowest player on the floor. While it did help some in that regard, it killed the Magic on the glass. On one possession in the fourth quarter, the Sixers rebounded three of their own misses before Lou William finally hit a two-point jump shot.
Shortly after, Van Gundy put in a more conventional lineup. Overall, the Johnson-Lee-Pietrus-Turkoglu-Howard combination was outscored by five points. It's not that going small was a bad idea - but the Magic are basically going small with their normal lineup out there, because they have Rashard Lewis playing the 4.
Rather than catering to the Sixers' strength, I'd like to see the Magic attack the Sixers' weakness by toying with a lineup such as Alston-Lee-Lewis-Gortat-Howard. If Thad Young is playing power forward, what's he going to do to stop the Polish Hammer in the post? The Magic would have to make an effort to slow the game down, but the unlikely matchups it would create could surely be beneficial to Orlando.
In a seven-game series, both coaches are making moves and counter-moves throughout the series. Got any ideas for SVG?
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Please tell me:
When did Gortat develop post moves? When did Gortat’s develop hands with digits from once hardened rocks? When did Gortat develop a hook? Can Gortat dribble? Does you really want Gortat going to work in the post? I sure don’t.
And what I didn't mention is how much it could benefit the Magic on the defensive side. With the Sixers trying to do most of their damange by penetrating into the paint, Howard and Gortat would make that incredibly more difficult.
I'm not saying the Magic should trot this out as their starting lineup. I'm saying try this lineup for a 2-3 minute stretch just like they tried out the small lineup for a short stretch in game 4.
Turk did a better job of guarding Iggy in game 4, IMO. It helped that the Magic brought some double-teams, but 13 points for Iggy isn't that bad, evenif he did find the open man for a bunch of assists. It's better to have him passing than to have him scoring 30 points and getting to the line 10 times.
And you bring up a good point about Hedo, and I think Alston has a similar problem. WHen they run the pick-and-roll at the top, they NEVER hit Dwight on the roll, even when he's wide open. Instead, the scheme is drawn up for Hedo to swing it back to Alston or Lewis on the wing. It's frustrating when Dwight is streaking down the lane uncovered because his man is doubling on the pick and roll.
Rafer & AJ were on the court at the same time, which I believe was the first time all season that has happened, even going back to Jameer & AJ on the floor at the same time.
What needs to happen is Alston and Johnson need to play better transition D on Andre Miller and Lou Williams, first of all. Second of all, they need to hit Dwight quicker and more often (and with better passes). Lastly, the Sixers just need to stop hitting uncharacteristic shots. That's putting a lot of additional pressure on our D, seeing as how an entire season's worth of scouting has been null and void with Thaddeus Young and Willie Green nailing 3's as if they were a healthy Rashard.
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