76ers Snap Celtics 11-Game Winning Streak With Comeback Victory

Elton Brand put the naysayers' opinions on hold tonight, as the much maligned forward tipped in the game winning basket in the Sixers 98-97 win in Boston tonight.

The Celtic's 11-game win streak is over.

Coming off the bench, Brand led the team with 23 points on 7-12 from the floor and eight rebounds.

Marreese Speights was phenomenal as well, collecting a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.

The Sixers had a 96-95 lead within the final minute and the referees made a horrific foul call on Speights, putting Kevin Garnett at the line. The Celtics forward made both to put Boston up 97-96.

On the ensuing position, the Sixers set up a play for Speights to shoot a mid-range jumper, which he missed, and then Brand tipped it in.

With 11 seconds to go, the Celtics put the ball in Paul Pierce's hands against Andre Iguodala. Pierce missed his shot attempt but Ray Allen got the o-board with time to go. A shot thrown up by him at the buzzer was no good-Sixers win.

It's the Sixers first win against a team with a record over .500 this season and is a bright point after a heartbreaking loss to Cleveland the other night.

Allen Iverson did not play in this game. At the very, very, very "old" age of 34, he has arthritis. He is questionable for tomorrow night's home game against the Clippers.

Update: Just heard this on CSN's Sports Nite-Amy Fadool reported that if team doctors clear Iverson after examination, he will be listed as probable to play tomorrow night.

And The 76ers Lost Nine In A Row

A layup from Raymond Felton with the seconds winding gave the Charlotte Bobcats a 106-105 win. Seems like the 76ers are not only losing lately, they are doing so in the winding moments of the game.

How do we solve this? Let's just get The Answer on the court a.s.a.p.

The Iverson Signing Looks Even Better Now

According to Kate Fagan of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jrue Holiday injured his shoulder while blocking a dunk during yesterday's practice. He had an MRI taken on it today and is a game time decision tonight in Charlotte, who the Sixers ALWAYS struggle against.

Now if Holiday doesn't go tonight, it means that Willie Green will probably get the nod. As we all know, Allen Iverson isn't supposed to play until Monday when the 76ers host the Nuggets at the Wachovia Center.

By the way, is it ironic that if Iverson does play Monday, his last two games at the Wachovia Center would be between the 76ers and Denver, with him playing on a different end in the two games? I find it hilarious...

An Unforgettable Week Of Changes In Philly Sports

Wow...what a week in Philadelphia sports...well, not in terms of victories, because I don't think any of our times got a W...jeez. But, they sure made headlines. The 76ers brought back Allen Iverson and the Flyers canned John Stevens, something that was probably should have happened a while ago.

Iverson's return brings back excitement and enthusiasm to the 76ers, something that has been gone for a good four/five years.



The Flyers bringing in Peter Laviollette will hopefully change their struggling ways around. Hey, it was with Pittsburgh last year as they switched from Michel Therian to Dan Bylsma. Why can't it happen to the Orange and Black?

ALLEN IVERSON IS ONCE AGAIN A PHILADELPHIA 76ER

MORE ON THIS LATER...HOPEFULLY. I'm in class right now and have a lot to do today...but to sum things up...THE ANSWER IS BACK!

The Conclusion Of A Storied Career...

...if you look at it in a certain perspective...the non championship winning perspective. In the end, the man accumulated a total of 20,040 points, 1965 steals, 36,786 minutes and a career points per game average of 27.0. He did this in almost 14 years in the league. Without question, he is a future member of the Hall of Fame. This is Allen Iverson.

The Answer announced his retirement today from the NBA; this after being released from the Memphis Grizzlies after only playing three games and a failure to find an NBA team to play for that will let him "run the show." Although Iverson still feels he can play the game and this retirement announcement could turn around "Brett Favre style" in the snap of a finger, for now, we'll assume that Iverson has played his last NBA game.

Looking at his career objectively, he Iverson was not "The Answer" for winning. His style of play unfortunately does not suit a championship caliber system. However, that does not take away the ten exciting years of watching him play for our Philadelphia 76ers. The man is a legend in the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Charles Barkley in terms of 76ers greats. He provided us with the magical season of 2001. The gritty, scrappy and thrilling Eastern Conference Champions of that season is one of the favorite teams of my life. They're up there with the 2008/2009 Phils, the 2004 Eagles and even the 1993 Phillies (even though I was 5 then).

I remember when he was presented the MVP Trophy in 2001. I was in the building and that is maybe the loudest I have ever heard the Corestates/First Union/Wachovia Center. The place erupted as this controversial and troubled individual had such a positive moment in his life. He was such a small player for the NBA, but he was a warrior at the same time and he represented our blue collar city on the court to the fullest extent.

While I have no regrets of A.I. playing here and ALMOST winning a title, it always sticks in the back of my mind that if we would of taken Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft instead of Iverson, our fortunes might have been quite different. Yet, even though sometimes I feel that, Iverson is still my favorite basketball player of all time and one of my favorite Philadelphia athletes of all time. I can't wait until next year, the 10 year anniversary of the 2001 team, where Ed Snider and Ed Stefanski hopefully have a reunion and The Answer once again steps on the Wachovia Center floor. It will bring the house down, much more than this team is doing right now.

Thanks for the memories Allen.

The State Of Philly Sports...Holy S*** Are We Behind

OK, no more screwing around. This post will hopefully catch us up on the state of our teams.

Eagles:
-They had a very good draft, getting wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy in the first round. Even though he is not in the link, tight end Cornelius Ingram was a good pick too.
-During the draft, they traded for corner back Ellis Hobbs. This was pretty much to get Sheldon Brown, who was upset with his contract and overall state with the Eagles, to shutup. Even though Andy Reid wouldn't admit it, you knew that was the case.
-Apparently, the Eagles tried to trade Sheldon and a third-round draft pick for Anquan Boldin, but obviously it didn't work out.
-L.J. Smith is a Baltimore Raven—YES!
-Lito Sheppard is opening his trap again, talking bad about the Eagles and saying the Sheldon situation won't work out.
-And the worst news of them all, not just for football purposes, but MOST IMPORTANTLY for his sake as a human being, defensive coordinator Jim Jackson is taking a leave of absence from the team for more chemotherapy treatment on the tumor in his spine. It crushes me to know that this great man is suffering like he is. I only hope the best for him, not just as a coach, but as a human being most importantly because that is the most important thing.

Flyers:
-Captain Mike Richards had surgery on his shoulder and will need ten weeks after it to recover.
-Defensman Randy Jones had surgery regarding his hip. It was successful. Will he play better now?

76ers:
-Tony DiLeo decided the not be in the candidate list for 76ers head coach next year. He is returning to his previous position as assistant general manager. Now, Ed Stefanski has the difficult of finding a new head coach. I say they should get Avery Johnson. But, Stef met with Eddie Jordan this past Friday and I have a feeling he has a good chance of being the guy because Stef and him worked together in New Jersey when Jordan was an assistant there. Who knows though? There were orginally big talks about Doug Collins, but now those allegations are denied.
-The 76ers didn't renew color analyst Bob Salmi's contract for next season. Do people agree with me when I say bring back Steve Mix?

Phillies:
-Here is a list of the Phillies scores that weren't posted on this site
May 10: 4-2 Loss vs. Braves
May 12: 5-3 Win vs. Dodgers
May 13: 9-2 Loss vs. Dodgers
May 14: 5-3 Loss vs. Dodgers
May 15: 10-6 Win at Nationals
May 16 Game 1: 8-5 Win at Nationals
May 16 Game 2: 7-5 Win at Nationals
May 17: 8-6 Win at Nationals

Yeah, the Nationals stink and they couldn't have come at a better time on the Phillies schedule. Now, the team is 20-16 and a half game behind the first place Mets in the division.

And , one more point, before the game on Friday, the Phillies had their re-scheduled visit to the White House to meet President Barack Obama. The previous one was postponed due to the sad and unexpected passing of the great Harry Kalas one day prior to the originally planned visit.
OK...caught up. Hopefully, there is no more slacking.

Chuck Daly: More Than Just The Coach Of "The Bad Boys"

As most people probably know, legendary and Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Daly sadly passed away yesterday at the young age of 78 due to his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the coach of the two-time champion "bad boys," also known as the Detroit Pistons, as well as a coach with Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic. Adding onto that, he coached the 1992 USA Olympic Gold Medal "Dream Team" (which is argued as one of the best assembled basketball teams ever) and as a matter of fact, was an assistant for the 76ers under Billy Cunningham during the late-70s and the beginning part of the early-80s. He left Philadelphia to become the coach of Cleveland before the 1983 championship season. Oh yeah, there's more. He coached Penn for seven seasons as well as other colleges. He was the coach of Penn for one of there more successful eras, if not their most succesful and took them to the NCAA tournament numerous times. He is somewhat of a a local guy too since he was born in St. Mary's, PA.

Considered one of the best coaches of all time, Daly is more recognized for stuff other than basketball. He touched so many people in and outside of the game. Players connected with him and he could weal, deal and mix together a wide range of personalities and egos to create something special. Former Piston John Salley nicknamed him "Daddy Rich" for his custom tailored suits. He was a competitor and a wonderful human being. If you haven't noticed, announcers and coaches throughout the playoffs have been wearing "C.D." pins on their clothes to acknowledge Daly while he was in his battle with cancer. That's what he meant to everyone. It's sad to see him go, but his memory and spirit will live on forever as one of the greatest basketball minds, coaches and overall human beings on and off the court at all times. Rest in peace Chuck Daly and thank you for what you did and are doing to this great game.

Oh My Word Was That Game 6 For The 76ers UGLY

Yeah...I know it was over a week ago. But, the 114-89 non-spirited loss to the Magic in Game 6 at home WITHOUT facing Dwight Howard or Courtney Lee is definitely a overshadowing cloud on a pretty good series.

I'm not going to analyze this game. It was ugly. But, what I am going to talk about it what this team and general manager Ed Stefanski can do to make it better.

TALK to Doug Collins and see if this can work: I didn't say GET Dough Collins. I'm not going to knock Tony DiLeo. Even though Theo Ratliff thought he was too "soft," he did do a good job after Maurice Cheeks was fired. But, Stefanski has to talked to the experienced and former 76er Collins to see if it is going to work. If Collins looks promising, I think it would be a pretty good pick up for a coach. But, I like what DiLeo did and if he is the one who coaches the team next year, I feel good about what this team can do with him coaching for 82 games.

Andre Igoudala has to develop a jump shot: And the economy has to get better. Same story, different day. Blah blah blah blah blah. I'm tired of talking about Iguodala's shooting dificiency. If he wants to help this team out, rather than voicing his opinion with Stefanski and calling his teammates out towards the press, he should get in a gym and work on that shot.

The 76ers Need A 3-Point Shooter: Same thing...blah blah blah blah.

The 76ers Need A BIG Non-Awkward Post Man: Samuel Dalambert has to go. I know Larry Brown was and is a great coach, but that was his draft pick. Gettin Slamin On Sammy D has to take a hike. He has no offensive game, he is as thin as hay and as awkward moving as a man on stilts. The Sixers need a big, overpowering figure (like a Dwight Howard). I'm not saying there is anyone out there like Howard, but I will sure take "The Polish Hammer" a.k.a. Marcin Gortat than Samuel Dalembert. Oh yeah... a couple of defensive rebounds would be nice too.

The 76ers Need A Lockdown Defender: This is one you probably haven't heard before, but the 76ers are awful perimeter defenders. They give up so many threes. Having a guy out there who is a tremendous defender could help.

Well, those are my thoughts on the 76ers. They need to get these things done to get over that hump of Game 6 of the first round. Oh, one last thing. Did anyone notice that in terms of wins and losses, last year's series against the Pistons went the same exact way and almost the same way in terms of how the games were played. Is that disturbing or what.

76ers Drop Game 5, But Gain Something At The Same

I didn't get to watch. I was so mad. I had to do a group project and the game was on NBA TV in out of market towns. So I was not able to go to a sports restaurant as I did for Game 2.

But, I did follow the score through written play-by-play on the Internet and the Sixers lost 91-78 and are on the brink of elimination. Once again, the 76ers shot just as well as the Magic as they have been doing most of this series. Yet, the thing that hurt this team was the lack of defensive rebounding and ability to score. When you hold a team to 91 points, you should win. Also, there is no reason why a team should get 15 offensive rebounds and one of their players gets 10 of them. That would be Dwight Howard. He had 24 total on the game.

While the 76ers did lose this game, they are still a live and have some extra incentives to get hyped up for Game 6. Both Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee will not be playing.  Howard elbowed Samuel Dalembert in Game 5, received a technical foul and thus the league decided to suspend him one game. The elbow game after Dalembert was basically holding him down while he was trying to go for a rebound. But the refs didn't see that. They saw Howard's elbow shot and penalized him for it. Oddly enough, Howard accidently elbowed his teammate Lee in the game as well. Lee fractured his sinus because he got hit in the face. He is expected to be out longer than one game.

If the Sixers lose tonight, it will be a very embarrassing loss. With Howard out, the 76ers should be able to get to the basket better and that is 20 something points the Magic will have to make up with either Marcin Gortat or Tony Battie. These two guys are no "Superman." 

76ers Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine Sunday Night

Unfortunately.

That's right. Hedo Turkoglu hit a three pointer with 1.1 seconds left to propel the Magic to an 84-81 Game 4 victory.

First off, what a tremendous series this has been so far. Oh my goodness. Three out of the four games have come down to a last shot. As far as Sunday night's game goes, the 76ers played good defense because they only gave up 84 points. But they shot terrible and that has been a big problem for them. If they want to win this series, they have to shoot better. They have to play their game and run a little more. They seemed hesitant in Game 4 and then when they did shoot, they weren't good shots some of the time.

Lastly, on Turkoglu's game winner, Thaddeus Young has to make him drive on that play. Turkoglu is a three point shooter and he wants to shoot threes. That was too easy of a shot for him. I would rather him drive and take a contested two or a layup. But not a three. Also, if he makes a two, than the 76ers can take an easier shot to try to tie it with minimal seconds remaining.

The 76ers need to win tonight. They need to stomp on the Magic's momentum. This will be great test for this young team.

So You Thought The 76ers Were A Fluke?

Think again. This team may have finished .500 in the regular season. They may have only won like one game out of their final eight. But, they come to play no matter what and they are a scrappy bunch of players.

Last night in Game 3 at home, they defeated the Orlando Magic 96-94 to take a 2-1 series lead in the best of seven series. At one point, they had an 18 point lead, but unfortunately gave it up. It was pretty disturbing and pissed me off immensely.

Yet, with the game tied at 94 and seconds the final seconds winding down, Thaddeus Young made an impressive layup over Dwight Howard to go up two. Rashard Lewis missed a last second heave from half court and the 76ers came out with the W.

Andre Iguodala continues to play well in these playoffs, especially compared to last year's postseason. But now the key is to win tomorrow night in Game 4. The 76ers HAVE to win Game 4. Even though they are up 2-1, Game 4 IS A MUST WIN. The reason for that is, we do not want to go back to Orlando for a fifth game with the series tied and the Magic having momentum. We need to kick the Magic while they're down. The 76ers cannot become complacement. Remember last year? After the Game 3 win and the decent first half of Game 4, the 76ers fell apart for the rest of the series until getting eliminated in the sixth game. Hopefully the 76ers improve this time around.

Gotta Box Out!

That's why the 76ers lost Game 2 96-87. I can think of at least five times or so the Sixers didn't box out and let the Magic get second chance points. Orlando got 14 offensive rebounds in that game. And as hard as Theo Ratliff played and as much as I am a fan of him, I counted like two or three times where he left Dwight Howard to dry and block a layup and then Howard got a put back dunk. I know Theo knows better than that. He has been in the league for a long time.

You know, the 76ers shot better from the floor than the Magic. The key really was second chance points and not stopping rookie Courtney Lee. Our boys did a decent job on Howard, a good job on the three point shooters of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, but a poor job on the rookie Lee. There is no reason why this guy should have dropped 24 points in only his second playoff game.

As far as the 76ers offensive production goes, Andre Miller scored too many points (believe it or not). Thirty points is way too much for him because he needs to take less shots and distribute the ball more. Andre Iguodala played well, but just in the second half. He only had one of his 21 points in the first half. Lastly, Samuel Dalambert has to calm down and stop acting the way he is. He only played nine minutes last night and that's because he was acting up.

Well, all in all, the series is tied at one game a piece now with two games at home on the slate. And if there is one bright point in this series so far, it's that last year the 76ers won Game 1, but got annihilated in Game 2. The second game was close this year. Don't count the 76ers out yet. If they keep defending the way they do, with improving on covering Lee and doing better on preventing second chances, there is no reason why they can't compete or beat this team (Knock On Wood).

Andre Iguodala's Shot Through The Voice Of Marc Zumoff

I found this video on the700level.com and of course on YouTube. 

Keep it up boys!

Yesterday Was Amazing

I hate using that word—amazing because it makes something out to be more incredible than anything else or it makes someone out to be more outstanding than anybody else.

Well, yesterday was amazing and the700level.com sums April 19, 2009 up in the perfect video highlight. 

Now it's on all three of these teams to keep it up. Yesterday was great, but it will be looked down upon if positive things don't result from it.

More Re-Cap Of "The Tri-fecta Of April 19, 2009"

Holy Adam Eaton's Arm (a.k.a. S***), what a day. What a day! What a day! What a day!

Whether or not you were as fortunate as I was to witness all three games  or if you had the opportunity to at least see one, you would understand that Sunday was absolutely phenomenal. 

Mike said it best in a text message he sent to me earlier: "Best day in philadelphia sports since october 29 2008" Even though he did not include the Phillies Parade in that text, he couldn't be more right.

First, the Phillies after being down 4-0 again because Chan Ho Suck stunk up the place, they came back like THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO DO and won 5-4 on a Raul Ibanez walk-0ff two run home run in the bottom of the ninth. Now, since I'm in Ithaca, I watch the Phillies games on my computer on MLB.TV. So, I had the Phillies game on the same time as the Flyers game on my television.

As far as the Orange and Black go...OH MY GOODNESS! That is by far the best game I have seen them play all season. They came out with intensity. They came out with a chip on their shoulder. They took no prisoners. Not to mention, the fans were top notch. Even though at this point we should stop bringing it up, I think the importance of getting home ice advantage before the playoffs started was pretty important. None the less, the Orange and Black need to take each game, minute and possession one at a time to tie this series up and go back to Pittsburgh with a lot of momentum.

So, after Ibanez hit that homer (which I went so nuts for that one of my neighbors had to tell me to be quiet), the Flyers dominated their way to a Game 3 victory. Very exciting.

Then came the 76ers—the team that it seems like I'm the only one who believes in them. They stuck with the favored Magic in the first half, but fell way behind in the third quarter. They were down by as many as 13 points. Now, this team may not be the most talented 76ers team of all-time. They may be extremely streaky shooters. But, they have heart and in a town that prides itself on scrappiness and determination, the Philadelphia 76ers surely have that and they proved it in a Game 1 upset victory. Quite frankly though, they stole that game. They have to play much better and consistent to win Game 2.

Still, how about Andre Iguodala at the end of the game. I got sooooo mad when he missed those free throws that I texted a friend of mind who was watching the game and said: "Did i mention i hate iguo-f*** up?"

Well, Iguodala came through in the end with a nice jumper. Even though Iguodala hit the game winning shot with 2.2 seconds left in the game, I think the story was my man Donyell Marshall. The guy may be as old as Jamie Moyer (well...no professional athlete is as old as Jamie Moyer), but dog gonnit he can shoot. DOWNTOWN DONNY is what we should start calling this guy. Give him the ball so he can load up, fire and drain those threes.

Oh man April 19, 2009 was a great day in Philadelphia sports. I think we can all agree this past week has been extremely painful. Watching and listening to Phillies game are not the same. And even though the pain will stick forever, Sunday's success numbed it down a little bit. I'm sure HK was smiling from above, making one heck of a call for Ibanez and giddy about the fact the Flyers and 76ers won too, making Philly fans extremely happy.

Sunday was the one year anniversary of the sad and unexpected passing of John "Johnny Marz" Marzano. As Johnny Marz always said, he was a BIG Philadelphia sports fan. You know he had a big grin on his face Sunday.

So, mark it down in your journals, calendars, notebooks or whatever. And the reason is, Sunday, April 19, 2009 will always go down as a TRI-FECTA for out beloved teams that sport the first name of PHILADELPHIA.

SIXERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

More on this later.

76ers Ease/Back/Who Knows There Way Into The Sixth Seed

I say back/lucked into that spot. Either way, after an 111-104 loss to the Raptors on Sunday, an 100-98 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday and an 111-110 overtime win against Cleveland yesterday, the 76ers have clinched the sixth seed in the East and will play the third seeded Orlando Magic.

Avery Johnson of ESPN thinks the 76ers have the best chance of any underdog to upset a team in the first round of the East or West. While I'm surprised that he thinks the Sixers have the best chance to do that (especially after being 40-35 and finishing 41-41), I do think they can win this series.

The Magic are banged up a little right now. Rashard Lewis has been dealing with injury, Jameer Nelson has been out since the middle of the season, Hedo Turkoglu just got hurt a little, as well as J.J. Reddick. This series is not 100 percent losable. The key of course is, as in any series where you don't have home court/field/ice advantage, to take at least one of the first two games on the road. The series starts Sunday evening. Let's see if the 76ers take care of business.

Being The 6th Seed In The East Might Not Be That Bad

I know I've been stressing that it is crucial to finish at least fifth in the Eastern Conference seedings for the 76ers. However, with the Orlando Magic definitely being third, that might not be that bad of a match-up for the Sixers. 

How come?

Right now Rashard Lewis is dealing with an injury, along with Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Reddick. The Magic are banged up for sure. Yet, the 76ers have lost four straight and the Bulls are crawling behind them for that sixth spot. They HAVE to beat the Raptors today. THEY HAVE TO. The reason is while it's OK to finish sixth, it's NOT OK to finish seventh. Then, they will have to play Boston and we do not want that in the first round.

Reiterating my opinion—ideally, we want the 76ers to finish fifth so they can avoid Boston or Orlando in the first round. But, finishing sixth is not extremely bad. It's manageable. Finishing seventh is a tough one and they cannot let that happen. If they finish seventh, it will most likely also mean they finished the season weak (even though they're finishing weak right now). But when I say that it means they would finish the season weak, I mean losing all of the final three

games. 

76ers Fell To Cleveland Last Night

Big shocker...yeah right!

A 102-92 loss to Cleveland at home is not a surprise. However, it's a shame this team can't compete with the best. That is why it is crucial to get the fifth seed. But, this losing streak is not helping their chances and being down game to Miami with only three to go (one against Boston and another against Cleveland) makes this scenario of getting No. 5 even slimmer.

In reality, they really need Thaddeus Young back, badly. He is a key scorer on this team. Also, what is with the 76ers and going in a rut after clinching a playoff spot the past two seasons? They did the same thing last year after clinching and they're doing it again. What are they doing? Saving everything for the playoffs? Have fun playing Orlando or Boston. Seriously though, don't they want to finish above .500 for once? Don't they want to have a winning record? At 40-39 right now and with their schedule, don't be surprised if they finish .500 or below. Gosh the bottom of the Eastern Conference is sad.