| Statement Game: Webber Silences Critics With Dominant Performance Authored by Jim Serratore - March 5, 2005 - 2:35 pm
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Chris Webber sent a message to the world Friday night, en route to his first dominant performance as a member of the Sixers. His line, 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists was exactly the kind of compliment to Allen Iverson (31 points, 9 assists) that everyone had expected and hoped for. In fact, thanks to Webber, and perhaps for the first time in recorded human history, Iverson did not lead the Sixers in shots.
You just knew Webber was going to break out one of these days. It took him until the fourth game of his Sixers career, which tested the patience of more than a few Sixers fans, to say the least. Each of Webber’s first three games was more of a disappointment than the previous one. His first game ended in a two point loss to his former team, the Sacramento Kings, just days after the big trade was announced. His performance was solid, but unspectacular. And to make matters worse, he had a chance to send the game into overtime, but missed the shot.
Round Two turned into a convincing road win for the Sixers, but Webber had little to do with the outcome. Iverson stole the show, scored 48 points, and Webber was stuck in foul trouble for most of the night, logging only 25 minutes against a bad Milwaukee Bucks team. Things got worse for Webber before they got better. His third game was a home loss to the division rival New Jersey Nets in a game that saw him shoot only 4-18 from the field for just 10 points.
If ever there was a time for Webber to step up and have his finest performance, it was Friday night against Cleveland. Not only are the Cavs a potential playoff opponent, but the fact that Webber failed to dominate in any of his first three games was enough reason for the glass-half-empty crowd to start complaining. It was time for Webber to silence his critics, and he delivered.
Offensively, the Sixers will take time to gel. In Iverson and Webber, they have two go-to guys who are going to make a living off the pick-and-roll, plus one of the best three-point snipers in the league. A clear case of “pick your poison.” Nobody knows how high this team’s ceiling really is, but every game they get a little bit more comfortable and familiar with each other. And every game you see flashes of brilliance that lead you to believe this team could one day be something special.
Defensively, the Sixers still have plenty of work to do. Unless they can develop consistency on the defensive end, they cannot expect to rise to the top of the East. Jim O’Brien’s system is very strict and relies heavily on teamwork. When playoff time rolls around, it’s usually the team with the superior defense that advances to the next round. The Sixers have a lot of work to do before they can be considered a defensive force, but they have a lot of the pieces already in place to do just that.
One of the main reasons why the Sixers are such an intriguing group is because of their impressive balance. They seemingly do not have any holes. That means as long as everybody plays up to their potential, they should win much more often than not. GM Billy King has surrounded Iverson and Webber with a good mix of offensive and defensive role players, instead of building a one-dimensional team that relies too heavily on one area or the other. They also have a good mix of crafty veterans and talented youngsters, for whatever that’s worth. As soon as this team stops thinking and starts playing instinctually, the sky’s the limit.
Just for fun, let’s take a look at the top five teams in the Eastern Conference. As always, this is completely debatable:
1 – Detroit Pistons. They’re the defending world champs for a reason- they’re the best. They have the best team in the East for the second straight year, not to mention the most dominant defense in the NBA. As long as they can stay healthy, look for them to be appearing in their second straight Conference Finals.
2 – Miami Heat. Shaq and Dwyane Wade are reminding a lot of people of Shaq and Kobe, minus the soap opera sideshow. Shaq’s presence alone makes any team a legitimate contender, and Wade is like icing on the cake. The rest of the supporting cast is highly questionable, but Shaq and Wade are good enough to make that irrelevant. Although, until they knock off the champs in a seven-game series, they’re only second best in my book.
3 – Sixers. In a playoff series, the only teams who should be favored to beat them are the Pistons and the Heat. No other team has what it takes to knock off Iverson and Webber, assuming the best from this duo is yet to come.
4 – Boston Celtics. For all intents and purposes, the duo of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker is a poor man’s version of Iverson and Webber. The Celtics arguably have more fire power than the Sixers, but lack the kind of defensive presence that could come back to haunt them in the playoffs.
5 – Cleveland Cavs. Something is missing from this team, and I think his name is Carlos Boozer. LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have formed a quality one-two punch, but it’s not enough to knock off the true contenders in the suddenly competitive East. The Cavs are closer than anyone could have predicted in only the second year of LeBron’s career, but they’re still one player away.
The best of the rest, in no particular order, are Orlando, Indiana, New Jersey, Washington, Chicago and New York. For various reasons, all six of these teams are good, but not nearly good enough.
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