2011 NBA Playoffs: End of Season and Playoff Grades for the Philadelphia 76ers
Sixers fans have now had a day to recover after another heartbreaking loss by the Philadelphia 76ers finally put a fork in their dream season.
After a 27-win season a year ago, the Sixers ended up being one of the most surprising teams this season. Their 14-plus wins from last season is one of the best turnarounds in the entire NBA.
Elton Brand finally played a full and healthy season and finally lived up to his contract (somewhat). Andre Iguodala also had his best season as a pro.
Questions still remained heading into their postseason matchup with the Miami Heat, but a lot were quickly answered. The young team quickly grew up right before our eyes in five grueling games against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
After seeing the progression and development of the young Sixers, here are regular season and postseason grades for each of the Sixers in the everyday rotation.
Doug Collins
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Before I begin with the players, I want to congratulate coach Doug Collins for one of the best coaching jobs in recent memory.
These Sixers came into this season looking to maybe get to 30 wins this year. They ended up with 41 and a No. 7 seed in the playoffs. They slipped from the sixth seed down the stretch when the Knicks got hot.
Doug Collins has shown he is a true players' coach. He knows how to get the best out of every player and is a great fit for this young group of kids.
Regular Season: A-
Postseason: A+
C Tony Battie
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Tony Battie provided the veteran presence that this young group needed. He is not the best player in the world, considering his age, but he did his job.
He did the best that he could with his sporadic playing time. He mostly came in when the frontcourt got in foul trouble.
Regular Season: C-
Postseason: C
C Marreese Speights
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After improving from his rookie season last year, Marreese Speights was expected to take another leap forward in 2011.
He did not. If anything, he took a step back. Doug Collins did not play him as much as he had grown accustomed to and averaged three points less than a season ago.
Speights is more of a defensive-minded player that comes off the bench. The problem is that he does not strike any fear into anyone that comes through the lane.
Regular Season: D
Postseason: C-
C Spencer Hawes
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When the Sixers traded for Spencer Hawes in the offseason, he was expected to bring some stability to the Sixers' frontcourt.
Although Hawes did not play a lot of minutes each night, he did the job that the team wanted him to do.
Hawes has a bigger body and was a better post-defender than Samuel Dalembert was. Hawes also had a better, more well-rounded offensive game.
Regular Season: B
Postseason: C+
G Evan Turner
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Evan Turner is probably the Sixer that "grew up" most in the playoffs.
After a very disappointing regular season, Turner exploded in Games 2 and 4 for Philly. He showed his potential and why he was selected with the No. 2 pick last summer.
Before the playoffs, fans were very skeptical about Turner. Now, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.
Regular Season: C+
Postseason: A-
G Jodie Meeks
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When the season first started, Jodie Meeks did not have a clearly defined role on the club.
After the first month where he averaged only 17 minutes per game, Meeks was then thrust into the starting lineup and ended up averaging 28 minutes per game.
His role as a starter was to play good defense and to become a more consistent outside shooter. He improved both throughout the course of the season.
Regular Season: B
Postseason: C
F Thaddeus Young
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Thaddeus Young had some pretty bad games this season, but that never stopped the kid from always trying and putting forth his best effort.
His hustle and determination practically got him the 12 points he averaged over the regular season.
Young paced the Sixers in the first two games of the playoffs, dropping 20 and 18 points respectively.
He, along with Lou Williams, should be up for the Sixth Man Award.
Regular Season: B+
Postseason: B+
G Lou Williams
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Two things that are certain with 76er basketball: 1) The team never quits and 2) Lou Williams always comes off the bench and scores in bunches.
Williams has found his niche on this team. He seems to play better off the bench and comes in with a scorer's mentality.
Williams also deserves some "LUV" for getting the Sixers their first playoff win since April, 2009.
Regular Season: B+
Postseason: A
F Elton Brand
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Elton Brand finally had a season that Sixers fans were actually excited about. It did help that he stayed healthy for the entire year.
Brand led the team in scoring and rebounding by averaging 15 points and 8.3 boards per game.
Brand's veteran leadership paced Philly in their heated battle with Miami during the playoffs.
Regular Season: B
Postseason: B+
G Jrue Holiday
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After watching him this season, I am now confident that Jrue Holiday will become a star.
He was probably the Sixers' most improved player from last season.
Holiday averaged six more points and almost three more assists than his rookie campaign in 2010.
He showed the ability to score against one of the best defenses in the postseason. He scored 19 and 20 in Games 1 and 3 for Philly.
Regular Season: A
Postseason: A-
F Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala was coming off a summer where the media was attacking him with a lot of criticism, and rumors were swirling that the Sixers wanted to dump his big contract.
After that long summer, Iggy put up his best season as a Sixer. He did not put up big scoring numbers, but he did all the little things that made the Sixers a 41-win team. He was more of a playmaker this season, averaging 6.3 assists per game.
Iguodala had a poor postseason scoring-wise, but he made up for it by doing all the little things.
He is the unquestioned leader of this team.
Regular Season: B+
Postseason: B
