(- Image - Evan Turner slices through the Heat for a dazzling left handed layup in Game 4 - 2011 NBA Playoffs Quarterfinals - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 4.24.2011) -
Evan Turner: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist!
Playoffs - Where the Great Ones Shine - It is always fascinating to see how your favorite teams and players react in must win game situations. The
(special) teams who ultimately seize the moment and win in these high pressure situations create the longest lasting memories for fans, players & media.
Memorable moments such as John Havlicek's
famous steal to clinch the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals is still viewed as one of the greatest plays in NBA history because players from all eras are inevitably judged by their big stage performances against the best competition.
Buckeye John Havlicek can be described as the standard of excellence when it comes to former Ohio State guards in pro basketball. There have been other great OSU guards after Hondo who competed in the league such as Jim Cleamons, Dennis Hopson, Jim Jackson, & Michael Redd, but none of them were able to put together a rookie playoff game comparable to what Evan Turner did in the 2011 NBA playoffs.
Top Performances of April #1 - The Kid Grows up in the Playoffs! The 2010 Naismith Award winner, G
Evan Turner & his Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in one of those 'do-or-die' settings on April 24 when they hosted the Miami Heat in Game Four of the 2011 NBA Playoff Quarterfinals. For Turner, the playoffs presented an opportunity to showcase his improved comfort level after an up and down rookie regular season.
Those who were following closely knew that E.T was actually in the middle of his best month as a pro when the playoffs rolled around. Evan scored in double figures in three of the last six regular season games including a nice 21 point performance at Boston on April 5 and 18 points vs the Pistons on April 13. At mid-month, it was time for Turner to finally experience the unique atmosphere and intensity that is the NBA Playoffs.
Game 4 vs Miami - The task of defeating the number one seeded Heat was certainly daunting for the Sixers. Miami predictably took a commanding three games to zero lead in the series, but Philly entered game 4 with about as much confidence as a team could have in that predicament after competing well in 2 of the 3 losses only to fall short by single digits (fell by nine in game one & six in game three). It would have been easy to just accept the inevitable and lay down in game 4, but with their backs against the wall, Philadelphia responded with an all-around team effort to give fans one last great memory of the 2010/2011 season. This game had it all, huge momentum swings, high intensity confrontations, and spectacular plays in the clutch.
Fast Start - The Sixers set the tone early with a surprising 20-6 run in the first quarter that was sparked by Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, and Eltron Brand. But the question still remained, who else would step up for Philly after Miami Heat's obligatory response? The answer to that qustion would be the names Evan Turner & Lou Williams.
Turner Time - Evan Turner entered the game at the two minute mark of the first quarter. After about a minute of action, Turner nailed an in rhythm three pointer to put the Sixers up 28-13...and from watching that shot..you just knew that E.T would be a factor in this contest.
The Villain Strikes James Jones - This game featured a vintage Evan Turner..the same player who dominated at Ohio State..and the same player who was showing out in the month of April 2011. Evan was fearless, and we think some of that energy was fueled in part by a mild altercation with James Jones in the 2nd quarter.
With about 9:23 to go in the second period, Heat guard James Jones accidently stepped out of bounds while attemping a transition three. The play was over, yet James decided to shoot anyway only to have Evan 'The Villain' Turner attempt to block the shot in Kevin Garnett fashion. Jones took exeption to the move, he gave ET a little shove which elicted a response from Philly's Thad Young. The push by James Jones only fired Turner up more because #21 went on the attack right in the following sequence!
The Villain Strikes Lebron - We viewed Turner's altercation with James Jones as another test for the Sixers...either get punked or respond with fire. Well with emotions as high as ever, Turner came back on the very next play and got Lebron James with a sick hesistation move to a made fadeaway jumper! E.T was definitely in it at this point..he was going to do all he could to help Philly win this game. Evan ended up getting James again late in the 2nd quarter by using a quck cross & dribble drive for a layup.
E.T & Sixers close it out - The second half of this game featured some amazing back & fourth action. Remember that Philly competed well in other games of the series, but they failed to put together a sufficient fourth quarter to ultimately win. The difference in this game was determined by the contributions of Jrue Holiday & Lou Williams (17 points) who both hit clutch shots in the 4th, as well as the gutsy play from Evan Turner (17 points). Holiday & Williams made the game changing threes to pt Phily on top, and it was the former Buckeye Evan Turner who delivered the dagger free throws to seal the
86-82 win for the Sixers. Evan Turner's 17 points in a playoff game is the most by a rookie from Ohio State in the modern era. Let's get to video! lol
Video -
Evan Turner - Game 4 vs the Miami Heat! - The Plays -- - Evan Turner hits a three late in the 1st quarter
- - Jodie Meeks finds Turner on the inbounds for an easy layup
- - Altercation with James Jones!
- - Evan Turner hesistation plus fadeaway jumper on Lebron!
- - E.T crosses Lebron and slices through for the score!
- - Turner cuts the basket for an easy dunk, pass by Spencer Hawes
- - Unbelivable left handed layup in transition, vintage Turner!
- - Baseline jumper in the 4th
- - Jrue Holiday clutch three
- - Lou Williams clutch three
- - Evan Turner clinches the game with two free throws! Yeahhh!
(Some Elite Buckeyes - Mike Conley Jr. , Ron Lewis, Evan Turner - Good things happen when the ball is in their hands)
Well it took forever, but we finally completed our list of the top performances from April 2011. This month featured several top individual games from our Pro Buckeyes in some pretty big games. Here's the complete list with a link to the separate posts with game descriptions & videos.
#1 - 4.24.2011 - Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat (NBA Playoff Quarterfinals - Game 4 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
#2 - 4.17.2011 - Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (NBA Playoff Quarterfinals - Game One - San Antonio, Texas)
#4 - 4.5.2011 - AZS Koszalin vs Asseco Prokom (Polish League Playoff Quarterfinals Game 3 - Koszalin, Poland)
#5 - 4.10.2011 - Vanoli Cremona vs Air Avellino (Italian League Regular Season)
#6 - 4.28.2011 - Chevakata vs Spartak SP (Russian League Playoffs - 5th place game - Vologda, Russia)
#7 - 4.3.2011 - Dinamo Sassari at Virtus Bologna (Italian League Regular Season - Bologna, Italy)
#8 - 4.5.2011 - Philadelphia at Boston (NBA Regular Season - Boston, Massachusetts)
#9 - 4.11.2011 - Denver vs Golden State (NBA Regular Season - Denver, Colorado) 
#10 - 4.9.2011 - Dexia Mons at Liege (Belgian League Regular Season - Liege, Belgium)
