Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks 11/4/12 Afterthoughts

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The 76ers biggest move of the offseason is not helping two games into the season and it won’t be for at least a third either.

Star Center Andrew Bynum has not played a game yet for Philadelphia and Shooting Guard Jason Richardson left today’s game in the first quarter with a left-ankle sprain. X-Rays were negative, but he’ll be out for tomorrow’s game against New York.

All things considered, Philadelphia still put on a pretty horrid performance in all aspects of the game, losing to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden 100-84 in the first game of a home-and-home.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting and New York made 11 3-pointers a game after hitting 16. They kept Philadelphia at arm’s length the entire game before pulling away in the 4^th quarter.

Jrue Holiday seemed to be the Sixers lone source of offense, also scoring 27 points, but he turned the ball over six times; the four Sixers who scored in double digits turned the ball over a combined 15 times for Philly. Evan Turner may have finished with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds, but his play today was not worthy of that accomplishment. He shot 2-of-9 from the floor. Nick Young shot 2-of-10, posting a +/- of -29. Who was the next worse? Undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns, who was 0-of-5 from the field with a -13.

It was a sloppy game on all accounts and it was clear this team was missing Richardson. Spencer Hawes, who had the team’s best performance in the opener against Denver, only played 15 minutes as he got into foul trouble early. The team was not outmatched, but they were clearly outplayed today.  

It’s only the second game of the season and this Sixers team is still good without Bynum and Richardson, they just need to make better decisions passing and shooting the ball. They took too many ill-advised shots today, shooting contested jumpers early in the shot clock, and they got too aggressive passing the ball leading to careless turnovers. Their defense was nothing to write home about either, giving up too many open looks from the perimeter against a team that proved on Friday that their perimeter game is a strength.

Tomorrow is a new day and the Sixers head home to face New York again. It’s tough for any team to win both games of a home-and-home, and the Sixers hope to keep that trend going. They need a serviceable stopgap while Richardson is out the next week or so, and so far Nick Young hasn’t shown he can be that guy. He’s looked horrible these first two games, shooting the ball whenever he can get his hands on it, and Maalik Wayns is still unproven, although he did not look good today either. Holiday needs to cut down on the turnovers and the team as a whole needs to play smarter.

I’m not going to judge their entire season on this afternoon’s performance, but even without Bynum and Richardson, this isn’t the type of performance fans should expect. They’re better than this, but they have to prove it. If they come back with a vengeance tomorrow, it’ll be a positive sign. If not? Well, there’s still a lot of basketball to play.

Eagles at a crossroads after unnecessary QB "controversy"

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Don’t be fooled, Eagles fans.

Andy Reid and Michael Vick made the possibility of a quarterback change seem very possible after being dominated by the 7-0 Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. Nick Foles may be an unproven rookie with nothing but an impressive preseason on his NFL résumé, but after the way Vick’s played the first half of the season, it’s tough to do much worse.

Whether you felt excitement or disappointment in the announcement, it was tough to feel anything but led on yesterday when Coach Reid announced that Vick “was, is and will continue to be [the Eagles] quarterback.”

Granted, this team is still in position to make a playoff run, but the Eagles haven’t won in over a month. They’ve lost three straight games and looked anything but dominant in any of their three wins. Vick leads the league in turnovers with eight interceptions and nine fumbles.

Reid tried to shake things up, firing defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and replacing him with Todd Bowles, but that decision seemingly cost them the game against Atlanta, as the Falcons scored on six of their first seven possessions. He made Castillo the scapegoat when he was anything but the problem. Reid’s been head coach of the Eagles since 1999, and before last week, he was 13-0 coming off bye weeks.

This loss seemed to be a tipping point, but it’s more of the same from the Eagles we’ve come to know the past three years. Sure, people may call it foolish to replace Vick with a rookie during a primetime game against Drew Brees and the Saints, but why bring up the topic? Why now? Do fans want Foles to come in? Probably not. But the point is, this isn’t a topic you bring up right now unless you insist on making a change.

Even though he’s the longest tenured coach in the NFL, this is Andy Reid’ most crucial year; he’s been on the hot seat for years in the eyes of fans, but now he’s actually at risk of losing his job. His play-calling’s been mediocre at best, he’s stayed with his pass-first mentality even though he has a top-3 running back in the league in LeSean McCoy and he put the blame of the Eagles struggles on the one aspect of the game the team was having some success in: the defense.

Now, Vick says that he’s been holding back and he “needs to get [his] swag back.” It’s hard to be optimistic right now because of the way the team’s performed recently, but this means one of two things. It’s either a turning point of a season that is at a crossroads in Week 9, or even more of a reason to make a change, whether it be at Quarterback, Head Coach, or both.

Eagles fans came into this season excited for a potential Super Bowl run with a team filled with talent that didn’t have enough time to gel the season before, but as the months go by, it’s quickly becoming the same old disappointment. Justin Babin took to Twitter yesterday to voice his displeasure with Eagles fans who have given up. Most of us haven’t given up, but it’s hard to watch this team week in and week out stay stagnant.

If Vick really does show off his old self this week, it’ll be a saving grace for Andy, but there shouldn’t have been a controversy this week. Not when Foles is the potential replacement. Not when they’re about to face New Orleans in the Superdome on Primetime Television. Not when Vick’s coming off his best statistical game in the last month.

If they were going to replace Vick, it should’ve been earlier in the season to light a fire under him. But now it seems the fire’s been lit. In week 9. After starting 3-4. You’d think getting blown out by the Cardinals would do it, or being a liability to the offense the first six weeks.

But to be fair, the blame isn’t all on him. Most of it’s on the man in charge. Not for keeping Vick in, but for being stubborn about the way he runs the offense and making countless decisions this season that have cost them opportunities to win games. I started watching football the year Andy Reid became head coach. I defended a lot of his decisions throughout the years, but I can’t anymore.

I hope that this will be the start of a five or six game win streak, but with the way the team’s played combined with the off-field storylines building, it’s hard to be optimistic.

Denver Nuggets at Philadelphia 76ers Afterthoughts 10/31/12

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Andre Iguodala returned to Philadelphia and it quickly became obvious he wanted to show up his old team.

Painfully obvious.

After being introduced to a chorus of mostly boos from the crowd, Iguodala hit the opening basket of the game. But he didn’t do much after that, ending the game with 11 points and 4 turnovers as the 76ers outlasted the Nuggets 84-75 in their season opener.

The story of the game was Iggy, and seeing him brick three after three for the other team was a nice change of pace for Sixers fans, but by the end, the story became Spencer Hawes or, as Malik Rose likes to call him, “The Windex Man”. Hawes, the Sixers first man off the bench, finished the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. He hit two three-pointers after hitting three all of last season. Down the stretch, he was unstoppable.

“Spencer was our ace of spades,” said Coach Doug Collins

Jrue Holiday also had a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists, and newcomer Dorell Wright ended the game with 14 points and 7 boards, praising the team’s defense as it’s saving grace tonight.

“To get games like that on the defensive end [after shooting 35%] is very impressive,” he remarked.

Five Sixers scored in double figures in a game that many thought would be a tough win without Andrew Bynum.

Ty Lawson was Denver’s leading scorer with 16 points and 7 assists and he led a comeback charge in the middle of the fourth, getting the deficit as close as one point, but Philly never let them get the lead. They bent, but never broke.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field in a sloppy game, but when the Sixers needed to, they made their shots and didn’t let Denver grab the lead towards the end of the game.

This game will make any Sixer fan exponentially more excited about the prospect of adding Andrew Bynum into the lineup. There were times when the team didn’t look good, but both teams had their struggles throughout the game, and it’s game one of an 82-game season. The chemistry will only get better and having a bench like the Sixers do gives them so many different rotation combinations that it’s tough for opponents to prepare against.

One potential weakness seen tonight is that, at times, the team seemed careless with the basketball when running the floor, leading to bad turnovers. Once they get in tune with each other, that should stop being a problem but it was prevalent tonight.

Fans were and potentially still are afraid of how the Sixers will far without Bynum for multiple games, but tonight the team showed flashes of brilliance. Albeit there were stretches where they struggled, but they did something tonight that they were criticized for not doing all last season: they closed.

Last season, many criticized the team for winning blowouts but losing close games. Philadelphia let Denver sneak back into this one tonight, but they made sure to come away with the victory. They head to New York Sunday for the start of a home-and-home against the Amare-less Knicks. They’ll need to play better than they did tonight to beat them, but as long as they keep these games close until Bynum comes back, they should be fine. If they keep winning without Bynum, the East should watch out. 

Denver Nuggets at Philadelphia 76ers Preview 10/31/12

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76ers and Nuggets fans have awaited this day for over two months and it wasn't because it's Halloween night.

Ever since the four-team deal that changed the landscape of the NBA, sending Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the 76ers, many raved about how the Lakers got Dwight and the Magic got nothing in return, but these two teams were in the middle of that deal and quietly received the two best players behind Howard.

For the Sixers and their fans, it’s a bitter night because this was supposed to be the start of a new era and a passing of the torch, so to speak. Iguodala, who was with the team for eight seasons, returns to Philadelphia to play his first regular season game since being dealt. The same Iguodala who has been the target of criticism from Sixer fans and media personnel ever since he joined the team… also the same Iguodala who clinched the Sixers first 2^nd round playoff berth in nine years last season.

Iggy could never be the star the Sixers wanted him to be and fans were ready for Bynum to prove that he was the number one option that the team sorely lacked. But with Bynum out indefinitely, they have to rely on their depth to win this game.

This is a team whose core has lost a few pieces, but kept their young guns, a team that’s got by on team play and chemistry more than individual talent. With Bynum as one of nine new players on this Sixers roster, this season will be a bit different, but tonight, it’ll be more of the same.

Last season, the Nuggets and Sixers had one significant similarity: their depth. Both teams grew this offseason and, on paper, seem to be better than a year ago. On all accounts, both teams look to be pretty equal. But the Nuggets have one significant advantage, and that’s Iguodala.

We all know that players want to stick it to their former teams, and we saw it happen first hand last night when Ray Allen dropped 19 points against the Celtics. Sixers fans saw the original AI, Allen Iverson, drop 30+ on their team in his first game back. So it’s obvious Iggy will have that drive, and for the Sixers to win this game, they need to either contain him, or contain the rest of the team enough that his performance won’t matter, like they did with Iverson in 2008.

If Iguodala has his way and the rest of the team is close to top form, it’ll be hard to beat Denver. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are rising stars and it’s hard to beat this Nuggets team, even without Danilo Gallinari. His injury helps the Sixers, who are also shorthanded, but it will still be tough. 

The team is looking for growth this season and with Head Coach Doug Collins, one of the best teachers in the league, it’s not an impossible expectation. All eyes will be on Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, both of whom are expected to show significant improvement. Not having Bynum is a disadvantage, but if they play to their ability and the new-look “night shift”, as 76ers Color Commentator Malik Rose likes to call the Sixers bench, performs as well as last year, it’ll be a close game.

For the first time in years, all eyes in Philly are on the Sixers. This may not be the night they imagined two months ago after trading for Bynum, but the end result is all that matters. If they win, everything will be fine…

…but if Iguodala, Lawson and the Nuggets have their way, it could be a tough and underwhelming

opening night in Philadelphia for a team that fans hope will make them forget about a thus-far disappointing Eagles season, an already disappointing Phillies season, and a non-existent Flyers season.

2012-13 NBA Season Preview & Predictions

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Can LeBron James & the Heat repeat as NBA Champs?

On the eve of Halloween night and the day after an east coast super-storm, the 2012-13 NBA season is finally upon us.

After a lockout-shortened season last year, fans anxiously await the season’s opening tip at 7pm, when the Washington Wizards take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a battle of youth. Not to take anything away from those two teams, but the real show starts at 8, when the Boston Celtics face the Miami Heat in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Now ex-Celtic Ray Allen joins newly-throned King James and the Heat, who look to pick up right where they left off, while Boston’s Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett look to show doubters that age is nothing but a number.

The final game of the night brings even more anticipation, as Laker fans will see the team’s new-look lineup for the first time in regular season play. Signing Point Guard Steve Nash and trading for star Center Dwight Howard certainly makes Los Angeles the team to beat in the West, but the Dallas Mavericks, who are without their star Dirk Nowitzki for the first 3-6 weeks of the season, will do whatever they can to show that they’re no slouch.

Fans are excited for their first dose of November basketball in two years and this offseason has certainly been filled with splash after splash, the most recent being last Saturday when Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden was dealt to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and three draft picks. In turn, it’s also altered the 2012-13 outlook for many teams; many teams can be called winners this offseason and it will make for an extremely entertaining year. That being said, here are Parth’s Playbook’s OFFICIAL Season Predictions:

Eastern Conference

1.     Miami Heat 63-19
After winning his first championship last season, LeBron James isn’t satisfied yet.  James, Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh look to repeat this year and with newly added veteran Ray Allen only bolstering their depth, it doesn’t seem like anyone or anything can stop them from doing so. Mario Chalmers has another year of experience under his belt, Shane Battier is a valuable asset to any team and Rashard Lewis & Udonis Haslem are solid role-players. That, along with the fact that they have two of the league’s top 10, arguably top 5 players will be extremely tough to compete with for any team.

2.     Indiana Pacers 50-32
The Pacers didn’t do much this offseason, but they were a team on the rise last season. This season, they’ll show that they’re for real, finishing #2 in the East. Sure, it helps that Bulls Point Guard Derrick Rose is out until at least March, but after almost pushing Miami to the brink last year, the Pacers will only improve. Center Roy Hibbert’s quickly becoming one of the top players at his position while Danny Granger and Paul George are both rising stars. This Pacers team is overlooked by many, but they’ll prove this year that they’re a force to be reckoned with.

3.     Philadelphia 76ers 48-34
When the Dwight Howard blockbuster trade was made in July, many looked at how the Lakers won and the Magic lost, but not many looked at the team who upgraded most in the trade: the 76ers. While the Lakers acquired the best Center in the league they upgraded from second best to best. The Sixers upgraded from Spencer Hawes to Andrew Bynum, easily the best Center in the East. He may be hurt now, but when he comes back that acquisition, along with the signings of Nick Young and Dorrell Wright this offseason will put the 76ers in the middle of the Atlantic Division race. Although they lost their longest tenured player in Andre Iguodala to get Bynum, the upgrade was significant and now the team’s young players get their chance to shine. It’s Evan Turner’s third season, and he showed significant improvement last year. Jrue Holiday’s ready to truly break out this season and Thaddeus Young will continue to be a solid contributor. This team pushed Boston to the brink last year, but this year they’ll go as far as Bynum takes them.

4.     Boston Celtics 47-35
Boston was one win away from an NBA Finals berth last year, but as the years go by, the Celtics chance to win the big one again lowers. With Ray Allen gone and Avery Bradley hurt, it’s up to Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to carry the load again. Last postseason, KG laughed at the people who said he was getting old and showed nothing but intensity during the Celtics’ final games, but the fact is that it’s true. He’s 36, Pierce is 35. Jason Terry will be a solid replacement for Allen, but he’s 35 too. Experience can’t be taught, and this team will make the playoffs. They’ll make a run at the Atlantic, but they’ll need a miracle run to have a shot at winning it all again.

5.     Brooklyn Nets 44-38
This team looks to be at their best since the days of Jason Kidd ten years ago. With Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and a healthy Brook Lopez, this team has the potential to go far. The main thing to worry about with this team is the chemistry, as Johnson has just joined the team, Lopez was out most of last year and Wallace joined the team near the end of last season. There could be some struggles at the start, which is why they don’t look like the Atlantic Division favorite right now, but depending on how quickly they get it together, they have a shot at turning more than a few heads this season.

6.     Chicago Bulls 43-39
Obviously the loss of Derrick Rose is huge. Last season, the Bulls were the best in the East. This year, they won’t come close, but they’re still a good team without Rose. Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng will have to lead the charge as Chicago hopes to play well enough to make the playoffs. With Rose due back in March at the earliest, this team could be a sleeper in the playoffs.

7.     New York Knicks 42-40
Losing Amare Stoudemire for the first six weeks is a huge blow for this Knicks team and that, along with the loss of Jeremy Lin to free agency will prove to be significant. It’ll be tough for this team to get started. If they play well without Stoudemire, they could be further up in the standings, but it doesn’t look too good for this Knicks team right now.

8.     Atlanta Hawks 40-42
The key for the Hawks is a healthy Al Horford, who missed most of last season with a torn pectoral muscle. If he and Josh Smith are healthy all year, this team could be over .500. The addition of Lou Williams and Devin Harris helps to soften the blow of losing their star in Joe Johnson, but the drop in talent is obvious, which is why the Hawks will sneak into the playoffs this year.

Western Conference

1.     Los Angeles Lakers 57-25
The offseason winner this year is definitely the LA Lakers. They signed Steve Nash and traded for Dwight Howard, which gives them a starting lineup of Nash-Kobe-“World Peace”-Pau-Dwight. This lineup rivals that of Miami’s as the best in the NBA, and right now it’s hard to tell which one is better. The only certainty is that the Lakers are insanely good, and with the Thunder trading away James Harden, them having the best record in the West is a foregone conclusion barring a severe injury.

2.     Oklahoma City Thunder 53-29
Like I said, if the Thunder still had Harden, they would be in contention with the Lakers for the top spot in the West. After making the Finals last season only to be humbled by Miami, this was potentially going to be the year they got over the hump. After trading Harden, however, that no longer seems to be the case. The Thunder are still very good, and their future still looks extremely bright, but this year? It looks like saw the talent the Lakers had and sacrificed for the future.

3.     San Antonio Spurs 52-30
It seems that the Spurs have been in the Western Conference race for the last 15 years. They’ve been the most consistently good team in the league since their 1999 NBA Championship. Now that Tim Duncan is getting old, it seems like they should be deteriorating, but they aren’t. Tony Parker and Manu Ginoboli can still play at an extremely high level when healthy and Duncan is still an extremely viable option at power forward. They’re still a top team, but it’s going to be tough for them to compete against the Lakers or Thunder as the season goes on.

4.     Los Angeles Clippers 50-32
Another year together for Blake Griffin and Chris Paul can only mean better things for the Clippers. They’re still on the rise, but the teams above them still remain. Another second round berth looks likely for this Clipper team, but any Western Conference team who comes in contact with the Lakers this year is likely to get eliminated.

5.     Denver Nuggets 48-34
It seems that if the Nuggets are the forgotten team in the Dwight Howard trade, even though they acquired Andre Iguodala, the third best player in the deal.  He is reunited with point guard Andre Miller and joins another team with great depth. If JaVale McGee gets his head on straight, this team could contend and beat the Clippers, and they could potentially hang with any team in the West… except the Lakers. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried both look good and Danillo Gallinari will be good for 15 PPG & 5 RPG.                

6.     Dallas Mavericks 45-37
The Mavs hoped to get Deron Williams this offseason but failed. They still have their best player in Dirk Nowitzki, but he’s opening the season injured and this team has been going downhill since winning the championship two seasons ago. They’re still a good enough team to make the playoffs, but it’ll be tough for them to do much more than that.

7.      Houston Rockets 42-40
The acquisitions of Jeremy Lin and James Harden this offseason made this team from below-average to slightly above-average.  They’re still nothing to write home about, but they’ll make the playoffs, and potentially take the Thunder to five, maybe six games with Harden wanting to prove himself against his former team.

8.      Sacramento Kings 41-41
The Kings were a pretty bad team last year, but they were also extremely young. Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins are ready to lead this team to a playoff berth this year, and they will be the surprise team of the NBA. The Lakers will dismantle them, but I expect this season to be the start of something big for Sacramento in the coming years.

NBA Playoffs

EC Quarters

1 Miami vs. 8 Atlanta in 4

2 Indiana vs. 7 New York in 6

3 Philadelphia vs. 6 Chicago in 6

4 Boston vs. 5 Brooklyn in 7

EC Semis

1 Miami vs. 5 Brooklyn in 5

2 Indiana vs. 3 Philadelphia in 7

EC Finals

1 Miami vs. 3 Philadelphia in 6

WC Quarters

1 Los Angeles vs. 8 Sacramento in 4

2 Oklahoma City vs. 7 Houston in 5

3 San Antonio vs. 6 Dallas in 5

4 Los Angeles vs. 5 Denver in 7

WC Semis

1 Los Angeles vs. 4 Los Angeles in 6

2 Oklahoma City vs. 3 San Antonio in 7

WC Finals

1 Los Angeles vs. 2 Oklahoma City in 6

NBA Finals

1 Miami vs. 1 Los Angeles in 6