Tuesday night’s National Basketball Association exhibition game between the “home team” Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets also featured the re-launch of coaching stints for two well-respected, long time head coaches. After eight years as television analyst on TNT games, Doug Collins was on the sidelines for a team he once played for, the Sixers – the franchise that had made him the overall first pick in the 1973 NBA draft.
Meanwhile Avery Johnson, fresh off a two year coaching hiatus during which he appeared on ESPN telecasts as a studio analyst, reemerged with the New Jersey Nets – a team that won just 12 games during the 2009-2010 season. Johnson, a long time point guard in the league, took the Dallas Mavericks to the 2006 NBA finals.
Collins, a 1972 Olympian on the squad that lost a controversial final to the Russians, coached previously with the Chicago Bulls (a trip to the 1989 Eastern Conference finals with Michael Jordan was a highlight), the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards, where he was paired up again with the legendary but aging Jordan. Philadelphia managed just 27 wins last season.
As for Tuesday’s game, a surprisingly strong crowd of 5800 showed up for the festivities, an exhibition won by the Nets 103-96. Center Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 24 points, while guard Terrence Williams chipped in with 20. Marreese Speights had 19 for the Sixers, which as the home team garnered the most support from the fans. Ex-Duke star Elton Brand chipped in with 15 for Philly. 76ers mascot Hip-Hop kept the crowd entertained during timeouts.
Philadelphia led after one quarter and the game was close throughout; some long range shooting by Nets guard Jordan Farmar (ex-Lakers) and Stephen Graham in the fourth quarter helped New Jersey pull away for a 103-96 victory.
“We did a much better job defensively [in the second half],” Johnson said afterwards. “The guys really got after it.” It was Johnson’s second preseason game back as a head coach. “We can use any good news we can get. Right now we’re trying to change the culture.”
Two seasons away from the sidelines was sufficient for Johnson. “It was great timing for me. Two years off was long enough. I really love practice and I love teaching.” Johnson has encouraged Lopez, a budding star, “to make strong moves and be aggressive inside. That’s what he tried to do tonight.”
Roanoke Civic Center general manager Chris Connolly was pleased with the turnout, which was helped by late ticket sales and strong walkup box office activity on Tuesday. That could help Roanoke land another NBA exhibition with the Sixers down the road. “Its always important to put on a good show,” said Connolly, who works for the same company – Global Spectrum Management – that owns the 76ers. “A real nice crowd,” said Connolly at half time, “I’m very happy.”
Collins said his first head coaching assignment in eight years, “felt like a long game. I kept [saying] to our coaches ‘are all the games this long?’ [But] I saw some good things tonight. We obviously have a lot of work to do.” New Jersey’s Lopez (7 rebounds also) “is a tough, tough player.”
The Sixer’s number one draft choice Evan Turner (12 points) also played “good, good defense,” according to his coach, who may be shaking off a bit of rust. “I really haven’t put in a lot of [plays yet].”
Collins enjoyed the game in Roanoke and the support given to Philly: “It was nice to be here. The fans I think enjoyed the game. It was competitive.”
By David Grimes [email protected]