After 3 straight losses the Orange and Black were desperate for a win this afternoon against the rival New Jersey Devils. They did not play their best, with only 34 shots on goal and again 0 success on the power play but ultimately in the end they just enough to win. Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in goal with 23 saves out of 26 shots as was the Flyer's defense which held New Jersey to just 26 shots on goal. The Flyer penalty kill did have an uncharacteristically bad day though, allowing 2 goals on 3 penalty kills. Jeff Carter was the real Flyer hero of the afternoon with a goal and 2 big assists. Mike Richards also had a goal and an assist, and Matt Carle had 2 important assists early in the 3rd period.
Things started a bit sloppily for the Flyers as New Jersey took the early 1-0 lead with a power play tally just 3 minutes into the contest. Just 17 seconds later Mike Richards setup James Van Reimsdyk with the equalizer, but the tie was short lived as Travis Zajac with 8 minutes left in the period to put New Jersey back up 2-1. Just 58 seconds into the 2nd period Jeff Carter and Daroll Powe assisted as Claude Giroux jabbed home a rebound to tie it at 2. A little over 3 minutes into the 3rd period Carle assisted as Chris Pronger blasted one on net and Richards slapped in the rebound to give the Orange and Black their first lead at 3-2.
Just 5 minutes later Carle fed an open Carter who was stopped on the breakaway by Johan Hedberg, before a trailing Danny Briere knocked in the rebound for a 4-2 lead. After that the Orange and Black seemed to have things in control, before a late penalty on Scott Hartnell gave New Jersey new life. Patrick Elias took advantage of the ensuing power play to cut the lead to 4-3. New Jersey then pulled Hedberg in search of the equalizer, but instead Carter slapped one into the empty net to close out an important 5-3 victory. With the win the Flyers snap their mini losing streak and stay at least 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in Atlantic division.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The true mark of a team is not how they deal with a loss, but rather how they deal with the game after. No one would have blamed the Sixers tonight if they returned to Wells Fargo a little hung over from another near miss. Last season and at times early this season that's exactly what they would have done. Not anymore as the Charlotte Bobcats found out the hard way courtesy of Jodie Meeks. In his 2nd career start, Meeks had a record breaking night with 20 points in the first quarter, tying Allen Iverson's Wells Fargo center record for points in a quarter, and 7 three pointers, breaking Kyle Korver's Wells Fargo center mark for treys in a game by a Sixer. In all Meeks wound up game and career high 26, but he wasn't alone. Andre Iguodala had 15, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, Elton Brand had 15 and 10 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 15 and 7 assists, and Thad Young came off the bench for 20 big points.
Overall the Sixers had their best shooting night, at 51% from the field, 52% from beyond the arc, and 84% from the line. Aside from the glittering offense, the Sixers also put some sparkling defense on display, holding Charlotte to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond. Once again with essentially the smaller team they out rebounded Charlotte 38-37. Finally they forced the Bobcats into 13 costly turnovers that led 25 of the Sixers 27 fast break points. Basically the Sixers did everything tonight that this team was built to do, fastbreak off turnovers, score easy points in the paint and deny the opponent the same advantages. A few more efforts like this and who knows this team could go places this season but we'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to Meeks hot hand the Sixers were able to jump on Charlotte early, taking as much as a 21 point lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Charlotte did make a run through to cut the lead to 16 by the end of the quarter. The Sixers spent most of the 2nd quarter keeping the Bobcats at arm's length, and actually pushed their lead back up to 19 at one point, before Charlotte made another run at the end half to cut the lead to 9, before Andre Iguodala converted a key deuce with 23 seconds left in the half for an 11 point lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers picked it up again and pushed the lead to 22 at one point before another late Bobcat run cut it to 18 going into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter the two teams basically traded baskets as the Sixers cruised to an 18 point win, their 3rd in 4 games and hopefully a sign of the things to come.
Overall the Sixers had their best shooting night, at 51% from the field, 52% from beyond the arc, and 84% from the line. Aside from the glittering offense, the Sixers also put some sparkling defense on display, holding Charlotte to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond. Once again with essentially the smaller team they out rebounded Charlotte 38-37. Finally they forced the Bobcats into 13 costly turnovers that led 25 of the Sixers 27 fast break points. Basically the Sixers did everything tonight that this team was built to do, fastbreak off turnovers, score easy points in the paint and deny the opponent the same advantages. A few more efforts like this and who knows this team could go places this season but we'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to Meeks hot hand the Sixers were able to jump on Charlotte early, taking as much as a 21 point lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Charlotte did make a run through to cut the lead to 16 by the end of the quarter. The Sixers spent most of the 2nd quarter keeping the Bobcats at arm's length, and actually pushed their lead back up to 19 at one point, before Charlotte made another run at the end half to cut the lead to 9, before Andre Iguodala converted a key deuce with 23 seconds left in the half for an 11 point lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers picked it up again and pushed the lead to 22 at one point before another late Bobcat run cut it to 18 going into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter the two teams basically traded baskets as the Sixers cruised to an 18 point win, their 3rd in 4 games and hopefully a sign of the things to come.
Friday, December 03, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Atlanta tonight looking for their 3rd straight win and first against a team with a winning record. Unfortunately things have not gone well for the Sixers on the road this season, as they also came in having lost 8 straight road games. It looked like tonight might be different though as Elton Brand collected 16 and 14 rebounds, Andre Iguodala posted 10, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, and Lou Williams and Evan Turner each had double figures off the bench with 12 and 11 respectively. The Sixer defense was pretty impressive as well holding Josh Smith to just 9 points, and the Hawks to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond the arc. Also despite being the smaller team on the court, they out rebounded Atlanta 48-45. So there were was plenty to like about the Sixers tonight.
In fact, it was all Sixers early on as they raced out an 8 point lead after quarter. With just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter they had the lead as high 18, but that's when thing turned as Altanta cut it back down to 8 by the half. The Sixers had it back up to 17 by the 5:54 mark of the 3rd quarter, but again they cooled off and by the end of the 3rd quarter the lead was just 5. Finally the 4th quarter belonged to Altanta as they outscored the Sixers 24-14. Once again the Sixers couldn't make the shots and couldn't get it done when they really needed to. Ultimately they went from leading by 5 at start of the 4th, to losing by 5, 93-88, just another typical result thus far this season. Still they once again showed they can play with an elite team, now if they only they could actually beat one. In more sobering Sixers new, Phils Jasner, the team's long time beat writer for the Daily News, and a frequent visitor on Comcast Sportsnet's Daily News Live, lost his long battle with Cancer. He was 68 and will be missed. RIP.
In fact, it was all Sixers early on as they raced out an 8 point lead after quarter. With just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter they had the lead as high 18, but that's when thing turned as Altanta cut it back down to 8 by the half. The Sixers had it back up to 17 by the 5:54 mark of the 3rd quarter, but again they cooled off and by the end of the 3rd quarter the lead was just 5. Finally the 4th quarter belonged to Altanta as they outscored the Sixers 24-14. Once again the Sixers couldn't make the shots and couldn't get it done when they really needed to. Ultimately they went from leading by 5 at start of the 4th, to losing by 5, 93-88, just another typical result thus far this season. Still they once again showed they can play with an elite team, now if they only they could actually beat one. In more sobering Sixers new, Phils Jasner, the team's long time beat writer for the Daily News, and a frequent visitor on Comcast Sportsnet's Daily News Live, lost his long battle with Cancer. He was 68 and will be missed. RIP.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
One had to wonder how the Birds would come out tonight, just 4 days after a tough loss to the Chicago Bears, and with top corner Asante Samuel still sidelined. Ultimately it wasn't their best performance, with 11 penalties for 85 yards, but in the end it was enough to get the job done. Mike Vick threw for another 302 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed for another 48 yards a TD, but also tossed up another costly interception. Lesean McCoy continued to rack up Westbrook like yardage with 130 all purpose yards and 2 TDs. Desean Jackson also had 3 catches for 84 yards and Jeremy Maclin had 5 catches for 68 yards. So it was another banner night for the Eagle's offense. Not so for the Eagles' defense which was carved up for 431 yards, as Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson all had big nights. Still, they forced Matt Schaub into 2 turnovers and stopped Houston on downs when it mattered most in the 4th quarter.
Things got off to a quick start for the Birds, as Jorrick Calvin returned the opening kickoff for a TD. Unfortunately, it was called back thanks to a holding penalty. Still, the Eagles followed that up with 2 long drives, as McCoy scored twice in the first 7 minutes for a 14-3 lead. After another long drive, David Akers booted a 36 yard field goal for a 17-3 lead and the route was on right? wrong. Houston fought back to cut it to 17-10 and then had the ball with a chance to tie it up , before Schaub was intercepted on a screen pass snuffed out by Trevor Laws. That setup another Aker's field goal to preserve a 20-10 Eagle's lead at the half. It didn't last though as Houston ate up the clock in the 3rd quarter with two long drives capped off by Foster scores to take a 24-20 lead. The Eagles fought back to start the 4th quarter with a 60 play drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard plunge to retake the lead at 27-24. After they finally held on defense, Vick marched the Birds 67 yards in 7 plays, before firing a 5 yard TD pass to Owen Schmitt for a 34-24 lead. After a Schaub fumble the Birds had the ball at midfield with a chance to put things a way but they couldn't convert on 3rd and short. Again on their next drive they were not able to run out the clock but the defense held again and the Birds eventually hung on for an important 34-24 win that keeps them in 1st place in the NFC East.
Things got off to a quick start for the Birds, as Jorrick Calvin returned the opening kickoff for a TD. Unfortunately, it was called back thanks to a holding penalty. Still, the Eagles followed that up with 2 long drives, as McCoy scored twice in the first 7 minutes for a 14-3 lead. After another long drive, David Akers booted a 36 yard field goal for a 17-3 lead and the route was on right? wrong. Houston fought back to cut it to 17-10 and then had the ball with a chance to tie it up , before Schaub was intercepted on a screen pass snuffed out by Trevor Laws. That setup another Aker's field goal to preserve a 20-10 Eagle's lead at the half. It didn't last though as Houston ate up the clock in the 3rd quarter with two long drives capped off by Foster scores to take a 24-20 lead. The Eagles fought back to start the 4th quarter with a 60 play drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard plunge to retake the lead at 27-24. After they finally held on defense, Vick marched the Birds 67 yards in 7 plays, before firing a 5 yard TD pass to Owen Schmitt for a 34-24 lead. After a Schaub fumble the Birds had the ball at midfield with a chance to put things a way but they couldn't convert on 3rd and short. Again on their next drive they were not able to run out the clock but the defense held again and the Birds eventually hung on for an important 34-24 win that keeps them in 1st place in the NFC East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phillies announced today that they will tender contracts to their only 2 arbitration eligible players, Ben Francisco and Kyle Kendrick. Technically Jayson Werth was also arbitration eligible, but he turned it down in favor of becoming a free agent. With Werth's possible departure in mind, re-signing Francisco, the only other Phils outfielder who bats right handed and can hit for some power is a no brainer. Re-signing Kendrick is an interesting move, considering his struggles at times last season, and the fact that there's been some speculation that the Phils might pursue Cliff Lee this offseason. Still, given the low odds of the Phils obtaining Lee's services, and their lack of starting pitch depth and experience after the H2O and Joe Blanton (remember Jamie Moyer will not be back with the Phils next season, and their only other candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation, Vance Worley, had never started a major league game until this past September), retaining Kendrick is probably a smart move.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After back to back shootout losses the last the thing the Orange and Black wanted to see was the best goalie in the NHL, but that's exactly what they got as Tim Thomas with his league leading 1.44 GAA and .956 save percentage, and the Bruins rolled into town. The Flyers did what you have to do against a top goalie, peppering him with 41 shots, but not enough of them represented decent scoring opportunities and Thomas stopped them all. Moreover, the Orange and Black continued to struggle on the power play, going 0 for 4, and chances are you're not going to beat a top goalie with a poor power play. For his part Sergei Bobrovsky was pretty good too, with 29 saves out of the 31 shots he faced, but it wasn't good enough, not tonight and not against Thomas.
The Orange and Black got off to a bad start allowing Patrice Bergeron to score a Bruin power play goal for a 1-0 just under 6 minutes into the contest. 10 minutes later they allowed Tyler Sequin a free breakaway at Bobrovsky and he beat Bob with a wrister to make it 2-0. From there became a war between the Flyers and Thomas with Thomas winning all the battles. He just kept racking up one great save after another and Bruin's defense did just enough to keep the Flyers from getting totally set on offense. The Orange and Black also didn't necessarily try that hard to get set either and that didn't help matters. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Milan Lucic scored an empty netter to put the proverbial nail in the Flyer's coffin. Thomas took care of the rest as the Flyers lost their 3rd in a row, 3-0.
The Orange and Black got off to a bad start allowing Patrice Bergeron to score a Bruin power play goal for a 1-0 just under 6 minutes into the contest. 10 minutes later they allowed Tyler Sequin a free breakaway at Bobrovsky and he beat Bob with a wrister to make it 2-0. From there became a war between the Flyers and Thomas with Thomas winning all the battles. He just kept racking up one great save after another and Bruin's defense did just enough to keep the Flyers from getting totally set on offense. The Orange and Black also didn't necessarily try that hard to get set either and that didn't help matters. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Milan Lucic scored an empty netter to put the proverbial nail in the Flyer's coffin. Thomas took care of the rest as the Flyers lost their 3rd in a row, 3-0.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have had multiple opportunities this season to string together back to back wins for the first time. Tonight they finally took advantage of one, which is no small feat considering their opponent was the Portland Blazers, one of the most dangerous teams in the Western conference. Portland was struggling coming in, having lost 3 in a row, but struggle or not, they're still better than any team the Sixers had been able to handle before so you can hav stease like the Sixer's changes going in. In their 3 previuos wins this season, the key for the Sixers was defense an that was certainly the case again in this one. In fact the Sixer's defense was tremendous on this night holding the Blazers to just 37% from the field, and 27% from beyond, while collecting 9 steals. Even Bradon Roy couldn't get untracked in, as he settled for just 10 points. The Sixe,er's offense was not quite as impressive, but they did enough with Elton scoring 18, Spencer Hawes with 10, Jrue Hollidsy with 11 and Andres Nocioni with 3 treys for 11.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Mike Vick continued his great play, throwing through the Bears cover 2 D for 333 yards and 2 TDs and rushing 9 times for 44 yards, but his first interception of the season, a back breaking one in the end zone in the final 2 minutes of the 1st half, loomed large. The Eagles defense also struggled mightily without Asante Samuel jumping routes and confusing Jay Cutler. In Samuel's absence, rookie Trevard Lindley, and Joselio Hanson combined to get beat several times as the Eagles allowed a plethora of 30+ yard plays. In fact Cutler had arguably his best game as a bear, throwing for 247 yards and 4 TDs and most importantly no Ints. In addition, Matt Forte rushed 14 times for 117 yards, which makes him the first 100 yard rusher the Eagles have allowed all season. So bottom line it was not a good afternoon for the Eagles defense and it cost them.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
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