Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers Afterthoughts 2/17/12

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The Sixers had last night’s game in hand. Up 14 going into halftime, the team had a lot to feel good about. But complacency can be a team’s worst enemy, and it was apparent in the third quarter that, not only the Sixers got complacent, but the Mavericks got a heck of a halftime speech.

They outscored the Sixers 24-8 in the third quarter. Dirk Nowitzki, who only scored four points in the first half, scored 24 in the second, tying the Sixers’ second half total. Both he and Jason Kidd showed why the Mavs are defending champions, defeating the Sixers 82-75. Just when you thought the Sixers had the game in hand, it was another incredible showing by Dirk and another beautiful display by Kidd in the second half.

Rookies Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic came out on fire in the first half, combining for 20 points and 12 rebounds going into halftime. But they didn’t do much else the rest of the game; the Sixers as a team just went cold in the second half.

People that have watched the Sixers this year know that the third quarter is usually when they display their strongest showing, but tonight was the exact opposite. The Mavs shots went in. The Sixers shots didn’t.

Lou Williams hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the third to cut Philly’s deficit to two going into the fourth, but it was one of very few high points for the Sixers in the second half. The team just came out flat.

Its games like these that show what a superstar can do for a team. The Sixers have a lot of good players, but watching the show Dirk put on in the second half last night was something to behold. He took the team on his back to lead the Mavs to their sixth straight victory.

The loss is tough to swallow for the Sixers mainly because they looked so good in the first half. It would be different if the game was all Dallas, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t until the second half that Dallas really showed up and Philly really slowed down. A loss to the champs isn’t something to be upset about, but the way they lost is.

It was the Sixers’ first nationally-televised game of the year and they hung with the champs, for the most part. But these are the types of games that’ll make fans say “we need a superstar.”

Quick question… before this season even started, did anyone really expect anything more than a second round exit at most? If you did, you’re lying. This team is still exceeding expectations and a close, albeit winnable loss to a very good Mavericks team is nothing to be irate over. They’ll keep improving as the season goes on.

They’re 20-11. They’re still first place in the division by four games. They have the third best record in the East behind the two teams everyone knew would be at the top of the conference: Chicago and Miami. They’re in good shape. No one can bring up the easy schedule anymore; they’ve played tough games and won more than they’ve lost.

But if they regularly begin to go as cold as they did in last night’s second half, then there’s reason to be worried. Right now, even though it was a tough one, it’s just another loss.

Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers Afterthoughts 2/16/12

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So I couldn't watch most of the game, and what I could was on a horrible lag seeing as how I'm in the midst of a commute back home to Cherry Hill. But there was no way I could go without writing about this game. This 7-2 blowout. 

After going down 2-0, it seemed to be more of the same from the struggling Flyers, but enter project domination. Scoring four in the second period, the Flyers (32-18-7) told Jhonas Enroth to hit the showers, as Ryan Miller came in and didn't do much better. 

Honestly, I'm not sure if anyone could've done better against these guys tonight. Giroux had five assists; the most by any Flyer since Eric Lindros had six in 1997. 

Yeah, it's been fifteen years.

Wayne Simmonds and Max Talbot each had multi-goal games and Scott Hartnell also tagged on three assist with a goal of his own.

The Sabres went up 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the game, causing a bit of panic for Flyers fans. But Talbot scored early in the second to cut the lead in half, and two power play goals by Simmonds were all they needed.

But they didn’t stop there. Erik Gustafsson scored another in the second, and the team scored three in the third. In a game that seemed like it would be a blowout for Buffalo, it went the other way extremely quick. Losers of five of their last six games, it was a necessary spark for the Flyers and a necessary break for the struggling Ilya Bryzgalov, who got off to a shaky start once again.

No offense to the Sabres or anything, but it doesn’t seem like anything would have stopped the Flyers tonight. Seven goals on 35 shots and most of the top players stepping up… it was a show for the fans in Philly.

Everybody knows that this Flyers team is capable of this sort of offensive showing night in and night out (well maybe not 7 goals/game, but 4+), but their problem lies in goaltending and defense. When everything clicks, you see what happens, and not even everything clicked tonight. The Sabres were feeling really good early in the game. But the fact that they fought through that deficit and came back stronger than ever tells a lot about them; it shows grit, determination, will to win…. Traits the team as a whole hasn’t shown the past couple weeks.

These traits are needed to win in the NHL, especially against the top tier teams. The Sabres aren’t that good (24-27-6), but it doesn’t matter because scoring seven on any NHL team, especially one with a goalie as good as Ryan Miller—albeit his off year—is a feat in itself.

The Penguins will be a tough matchup on Saturday, but hopefully this is the game the Flyers needed. Hopefully this is the adversity Bryzgalov needed to fight through to get back to his old self. Hopefully they’ve come together and realized that what they were doing as a team wasn’t enough. They needed to do more. Tonight, they did. Even though Bryz gave up the two goals early, he didn’t let up any late. Even though the Flyers went down, they made sure not to let a two-goal lead faze them.

If they can do this Saturday against the Penguins, then maybe Flyers fans will legitimately get excited about this team, who’s Stanley Cup aspirations are still well alive.

Los Angeles Clippers at Philadelphia 76ers Afterthoughts 2/10/12

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Words can’t express how upset I am that the Sixers lost tonight. It was a game they should have won. Too many things didn’t go their way, but when it comes down to it, they lost the game themselves. They gave LA the chance to go up and Chris Paul capitalized, albeit while being defended extremely well by Andre Iguodala… but that’s Chris Paul for you.

The 78-77 loss was a heartbreaker for the Sixers, who had just regained hope after taking a 77-76 lead on two Lou Williams Free Throws off a Clippers turnover on the other end.

It seemed like that was the only time the Sixers were 2-of-2 on their foul shots, even though it wasn’t. They were 15-of-23 from the line, a key reason why they weren’t able to put LA away.

The final play that the Sixers ran was:

1. The worst final play I’ve seen them run all season and

2. A play that should’ve stopped a second in because it seemed like Lou Williams was heavily fouled. But I digress…

The worst part of this loss is that the Clippers shot 38.8% from the field. Abysmal. Yet they still pulled it off. Not because of the lack of defense on the part of Philadelphia, but because of the late-game heroics by Chris Paul, who is one of only a handful of players that could’ve made that final shot with the way Iggy was guarding him.

Iguodala, just recently named to his first All-Star Team, had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. But the team’s shooting as a whole was almost as bad as LA. Lou Williams went 3-of-11 and Jrue Holiday went 2-of-8; the team shot 40.8%.

The game was about Chris Paul, and he made sure not to let Philly slip away with the victory. The final sequence was more about Philadelphia getting a break. Holiday could’ve tied the game at 76 had he hit both his free throws, but he missed the final one which resulted in the one-point deficit. After the Clippers called timeout in the inbounds and subsequently turned the ball over, hope was there and Lou hitting those free throws made the loss that much tougher when Paul just wouldn’t be denied.

It’s the first time the Sixers have lost two in a row all year. Collins admitted after the game that the final play was on him. He took full responsibility, which takes courage. I still love him to death and still think he’s Coach of the Year to this point… and as hard as it is to take in this loss, at the end of the day, it’s just another loss. The ones where you know you could’ve win hurt the most, though, and that was the case tonight.

Blake Griffin was held in check for the most part, with 16 points and 11 rebounds, a double-double night, but not a Griffin double-double night, so to speak. Former Sixer Reggie Evans exploded off the bench with 10 boards in 19 minutes. Just a quick side note, he’s a player ANY TEAM would love to have for, if nothing else, his heart. He went out there tonight and was 0-of-1 from the field. But he made sure to bring down the boards when it mattered most. But like I said, it was Paul who led them to victory. Not even Iguodala’s all-star defense could stop him from getting that game winner.

But a loss is a loss. No matter how upsetting, it is what it is and the Sixers need to recover quickly, because they travel to Cleveland tomorrow to take on the up-and-coming Cavaliers. It’s their first losing streak of the year, and the Sixers surely don’t need to extend it any more than this. Hopefully a trip to Cleveland for the start of a three-game road trip will be the end of this string of losses.

Lou said himself earlier in the season; one loss is a losing streak. So two losses would be a bump in the road. Three would be a slump, and that’s not something this team wants or needs. But the Sixers won’t let it come to that.

Or will they?

Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers Afterthoughts 2/9/12

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Flyer Winger Scott Hartnell scored his 26^th goal to open tonight’s game against Toronto, and immediately followed up with the dropping of the gloves, getting into it with Dion Phaneuf. It was the fire the Flyers needed, and they used that adrenaline to make sure their losing streak would come to an end, beating the Leafs 4-3.

After trading goals to start the game, the Flyers put their foot on the gas with two straight goals by Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn. Hartnell added an assist, too, to end the game with two points, adding onto what is already a career year. Tyler Bozak ended the period with a goal for Toronto, but goalie Sergei Bobrovsky would not let anything get by the rest of the way, stopping 24 of 27 shots for the game.

It was important, too; Toronto ended the game on a power play and, with an empty net, it was 6-on-4 hockey for the final minute of play. But the defense stepped up for Philadelphia and, although they couldn’t put it away with an empty netter, they made sure the Maple Leafs wouldn’t send the game into overtime.

It was nice to see the Flyers actually come out firing. Obviously you can’t blame them for Tuesday’s loss against the Islanders because of a godly performance from goalie Evgeni Nabokov, but it was nice to see them get a shot in goal to start the game. The goal ended a 98:41 scoreless drought for the Flyers, their longest of the season, dating back to Sunday’s matinee against the Rangers at the Garden. It was nice to see them score, and score often.

Now the team welcomes the Rangers back to Philly, the team that’s had their number all season. Last time the teams met in Philly was in the Winter Classic, when New York came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the game 3-2. The Rangers have won all four meetings against the Flyers thus far this year, and hopefully that’ll change come Saturday. It’ll be a tough matchup for the Flyers, but they’re getting back most of their injured players; Jagr returned last week and Briere returned on Tuesday.

It’ll be tough to beat the East-leading Rangers, but no better time than the present. The date of JVR’s return is still unknown—he’s having his good and bad days—but it’s obvious that the team has the talent to beat New York. The only question mark is the defense and goalie. It’s always going to be a wild card throughout the season and Flyers fans will just have to accept that unless Bryz or Bob goes on a monster run. I don’t think anyone’s worried about the team making the playoffs, but winning in the playoffs will be tough if the goaltending stays as is.

At the end of the day, it’s just another regular season game for the Flyers, but if the Rangers win five in a row against them, it’ll be hard to argue who’s the better team.

Then again, it’s pretty hard to argue already. But facing the Rangers in the playoffs after not winning a game against them all season would be an intimidating task, which is why this win is necessary for the Flyers. They let one get away at Citizens Bank Park, and they’re back home to get revenge. It’s a measuring stick game for the Flyers. They’re really good, but they have serious weaknesses in the defensive end. Chris Pronger may never play again and Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky’s inconsistencies make Flyers fans want to pull their hair out. A win against the Rangers would be huge in the long run for the Flyers because it seems they have an idea in their head that they just can’t beat them. IF they go in the playoffs with that attitude, it’s bad news.

So let’s hope they win Saturday. Let’s hope Bryz returns to top form. Let’s hope Briere’s at 100 percent. Let’s hope the defense steps up.

Let’s hope.

Yeah... he's ELIte

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Ok, ok… I get it.

He’s ELIte.

It took a couple days for me to muster up the will… I didn’t even want to write this because I was so upset, not only that the Giants won, but that it now seems that, for Tom Brady, like former Red Sox star Pedro Martinez said about the Yankees in 2003, “the Giants are his daddy.”

The way the game mirrored 2007 was perplexing. Giants struck first, Patriots took the lead into halftime, Giants took the lead with less than two minutes left with an amazing catch during the drive—then by David Tyree, now by Mario Manningham—to give Brady one final shot and the Pats failed to capitalize in the end, losing this year’s Super Bowl 21-17.

A dropped pass behind Deion Branch during the Patriots final drive could have changed the game; it’s a catch that you have to make in the Super Bowl. A dropped pass by Wes Welker in the drive beforehand could have put the game away before that.

Just like an Asante Samuel pick could have put the game away for New England in Super Bowl 42.

Just like an Eli Manning sack that turned into a circus catch could’ve put the game away for New England in that same game.

Tom Brady, arguably the best Quarterback ever, showed weakness two weeks ago against Baltimore. He vowed to play better on this night. He did, but it wasn’t enough. He was outplayed by the younger brother of his long-time foe. In the stadium that his big brother calls home, Eli Manning seemed to revel in the aura of his big brother.

But in reality, it was just Eli Manning showing how much he’s grown as a player and how much he’s grown as a quarterback.

Would I take Eli over Brady? Never. And until this game, I never imagined I would ever call Eli a top-tier Quarterback. He’s Eli Manning. He’s inconsistent. He’s never been the guy that took a team on his back. He was lucky.

But in this game? In these playoffs? He did what I thought he could never do. He proved me wrong. And for me, Patriots fans and other New York Giant non-believers, well, they were proven wrong too. So confident that the Patriots would not let the Giants pull one over on them twice, these same people’s overconfidence cost them. With Manning leading the way on offense and Justin Tuck leading the way on defense with two sacks on Brady, it was hard to lose.

After watching the game, I thought back to an old WWE clip from three years ago by Edge(yeah, I like WWE, sue me.), where you can basically replace Edge for Eli and the crowd with everyone in New England. And you can bet Eli just wanted to gloat about his victory, just because of all the doubters that he did, in fact, prove wrong.

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Manning was doubted since the start. Since he got drafted by San Diego and demanded a trade then and there. Since he never really got off to the start people hoped from the number one overall pick in 2004. Since he played miserably in his first career playoff game. Since he never got out of his big brother’s shadow.

Well, now he has one more ring than his brother. Does that mean he’s better? No, not by any means. But this ring means more than 2007. A lot of things went the Giants way in that Super Bowl. In this one? The defense played exceptionally well, but Eli played like a veteran. He played like a star. He played like a leader. He joked about the ups and downs of the season during the Parade, and he walked and talked like a Champion.

I went against the Giants the whole way. I thought the Falcons would beat them in the Wild Card round. I thought the Packers would give them the reality check they needed. The opposite happened. I thought the 49ers would beat them in their first NFC Title game in over a decade. I thought there was no way the Patriots would lose to the same team twice in a row in the same season. No way they would let the Giants win not one, but TWO Super Bowls against them. I thought the old Eli would show up. The one we Philly fans know and love.

I was wrong, and, as much as it pains me to say it, I have nothing but respect for Eli, Tuck and this Giants team today. They deserved it.

Sixers Rookies Make Noise (PhilaPhans)

When the 76ers drafted Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen with the 16th and 50th picks in this year’s NBA Draft, it was seemingly just more of the norm for a team that’s spent the last six seasons staying stagnantly mediocre. They were decent picks, but nothing that made anyone jump in excitement. But after this lockout-shortened season, it became extremely apparent that these two rookies were and will continue to be an integral part of the Sixers success this season and maybe beyond.

Vucevic, the big-man from USC, was not expected to do much this year, but after Starting Center Spencer Hawes got injured, he got his shot and took advantage, showcasing his rebounding prowess. When he got hurt in the middle of the third quarter during the January 21 game at Miami, he was a rebound away from his first career double double in just his third career start. Not too shabby for the mid-first rounder who probably didn’t expect that much playing time to begin with. When he got hurt, fans instantly became worried because the team’s big men were nothing to write home about.

Read more here!

Super Bowl XLVI: The Rematch

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Brady vs. Manning has been the rivalry of the decade in the NFL. Since the Pats loss to the Colts in the 2007 AFC Championship Game, it seems that the rivalry transferred to the younger brother. It was Brady vs. Manning in the Super Bowl again the next season, and Eli outdueled one of the greatest quarterbacks of our generation to win Super Bowl 42. The Patriots chance at perfection ended when Manning hit Plaxico Burress in the endzone with less than a minute to play. To this day, Tom Brady has never watched a highlight or replay from that heartbreaking loss.

The Patriots aren't used to being treated like underdogs in the big game. The last time they were, it was in 2002 when they faced The Greatest Show on Turf in Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams. Now, they aren't the underdog per se--they're 2.5 point favorites--but the way people are talking about this game you would think the Giants are the best team in the NFL...

Well, if they win this game, they might be, but that's not the point.

This game has been compared to the 2008 Super Bowl mainly because of the same matchup, but this game will end up being much different than that one. The Patriots secondary was phenomenal during their 16-0 season... this year, not so much. Devin McCourty and Lee Bodden are not Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs. Patrick Chung and Sergio Brown are not names that make their opponents cringe with fear.

This is the Giants' biggest advantage and if they hope to win, they'll have to do it throwing the football... especially because the Giants' receiving core is much better than in 2008. With Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, along with Mario Manningham in the slot, it could be the most dangerous in the NFL. The Patriots need to contain them somehow and hope that their defensive line puts a lot of pressure on Eli Manning.

Tom Brady's statline in the AFC Championship Game is one he probably blocked out of his mind coming into tonight. He said it himself: "[He] sucked pretty bad". Eli, on the other hand, played pretty well at San Francisco, but he will definitely have to play better to beat the Patriots.

The one intangible people need to realize is that Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick do not take losses lightly. Ever. They lost to the Giants earlier this year 24-20. When's the last time they lost two in the row to the same team in the same year? You'd have to go back a long time. It hasn't happened in the past five years. That's because, once they lose, they try 100x harder to make sure they won't make the same mistakes again.

How does the saying go? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Brady and Belichick will not let their team be beaten twice in the row by the Giants. Especially after the heartbreaker in 2008 that is surely in the back of their minds coming into this game.

The biggest question mark coming into this game is Tom Brady's favorite target, Tight End Rob Gronkowski, who has a high ankle sprain. He's been vigorously rehabbing to get ready for tonight's game, the biggest of his young life. Even if he plays, the Giants know he won't be at 100 percent, which should help them to deal with the young tight end. Even so, Brady's got more targets than just Gronk. Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Deion Branch and more. Hey, even Chad Ochocinco could get involved tonight in the first Super Bowl of his career.

Eli is going for his second ring, which would put him ahead of his big brother, one of the best quarterbacks ever... and a win could cement him as an "ELIte" Quarterback, something many Giants fans already believe. Brady is going for his fourth. He's already a hall-of-famer, but this win would cement him as a true legend. It's going down in Indianapolis, home of both Eli's biggest rival throughout his life and Brady's throughout his career. Tonight, they add a new chapter in the rivalry of their own. Whoever wins, it should be a close, hard-fought game. But every playoff matchup this postseason that's been a rematch of a regular season matchup went the other way this time around, so you can bet Belichick won't let his Pats lose to the Giants on the big stage once more.

New York Giants 23

New England Patriots 24 

Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers Afterthoughts 2/1/12

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Both the Sixers and Bulls were shorthanded tonight--the Sixers without center Spencer Hawes and the Bulls without Rip Hamilton and Luol Deng--but that didn't faze either team in the first half. After all, Chicago still had reigning MVP Derrick Rose in their lineup and the Sixers just beat a team with the best Center in the league in the Magic whilst shorthanded. A five point deficit at halftime was nothing the Bulls couldn't overcome...

But this battle between two of the top teams in the East became a massacre in the second half, as the Sixers, who led by as much as 20, won the game 98-82.

Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young led all scorers with 19 points. Iggy also added 9 rebounds and 4 assists and Thad grabbed 8 boards as well. The Sixers had five players score in double figures, while the Bulls had just two.

Derrick Rose sat out much of the fourth quarter after the Bulls went down 20 points. So for those who want to bring up the fact that he was out for the last 12 minutes, let me reiterate that they were already down by 20.

Rookie Lavoy Allen was a pleasant surprise tonight. He scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, the best game of his young career. He grabbed six rebounds and had three assists as well. Credit to Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) for the following: "I don't care for the +/- stat but at one pt in the 4th quarter of the Sixers-Bulls game: Derrick Rose -17, Kyle Korver -21, Lavoy Allen +17." I agree with his thoughts about the stat itself, but tonight, that stat made it pretty apparent that the Sixers just outplayed the Bulls moreso than it did that Allen outplayed Rose. But now that I said it, Rose did have four turnovers tonight with six assists and 18 points, both under his season average. Maybe that Sixers defense really is as good as they've been playing.

The absence of Deng and Hamilton proved to be significant for the Bulls in the end, but they have no excuses for coming up short against Philadelphia; they were just outplayed. The Sixers defense forced 17 turnovers and if it weren't for C.J. Watson's sniping from beyond the arc, they would have won by much more than they have.

I was a bit upset at the Sixers fans booing during the final 18 seconds when they got the final possession of the game, two points away from 100. For those who don't know, every time the Sixers score 100 points at home, the fans get a free Big Mac from McDonalds. They were up 98-82, and it seems like Jrue Holiday was being egged on by the crowd at Wells Fargo Center to jack up a final shot. He almost did, but he hesitated and decided against it. It was a good move for the youngster... it would have been a disrespectful move if anything and that's not something you want the Bulls to have over your head, seeing as how it's a team they very well may meet in the playoffs.

All in all, this victory was huge for the Sixers. It seems like the fans are starting to pack the seats too. They had a crowd of 18,325 on hand tonight. This stretch has started well for the team, but it won't get easier any time soon. They have the Heat on Friday night. I've said this before, but I think tonight's the best time to put it out there. It's about time for the doubters to stop making excuses about this team and start realizing we're seeing a legitimately good basketball team in the Sixers. Coach Doug Collins realized it from day one of this season. He said he wants to end his coaching career in Philadelphia and end it with a championship. Now that's something many people doubt, and I won't try to argue that they're a championship caliber team just yet. But if anyone can prove the doubters wrong, it's him. He's been doing it all season... why stop there?