After knocking off the Canadiens and the Penguins, the Flyers faced another hot team today in the New York Rangers. Once again the Orange and Black were not fazed. They simply outclassed the Rangers from beginning to end, with 39 shots on goal to the Rangers 25, and 30 faceoffs won to the Rangers 29. They also went 1 for 4 on the power play while New York went 0 for 4. Brian Boucher was a big part of that 0 for 4 saving 24 of the 25 shots he faced while Nikolay Zherdev the Flyers lone power play goal on a dazzling 2 goal day for him.
About halfway through the 2nd period Zherdev struck with his first goal of the day for a 1-0 lead. Just 3 minutes into the 3rd period Claude Giroux setup Andreas Nodl to make it 2-0 Orange and Black. About 5 minutes after that New York cut it to 2-1, but just a minute later Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen setup Ville Leino to make it 3-1. 6 minutes later, with about 5 minutes left to play , Zherdev struck on the power play with help from Andrej Mezsaros and Jeff Carter, for a 4-1 lead. Brian Boucher took care of business from there and the Orange and Black had their 5th straight win, 4-1.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers got an early Christmas gift when the Orlando Magic executed two trades that left them shorthanded, with just 8 players in uniform for their match up with the Sixers in Orlando. Despite their best efforts to slow things down and feed Dwight Howard as much as possible, the Magic couldn't quite stay with the Sixers who did a good job swarming Howard time and time again. Offensively, Andre Iguodala put up 21 and 7 assists, Elton Brand had 20 and 13 rebounds, and Lou Williams was huge off the bench with 24, mostly from the free throw line, and 6 rebounds. Defensively, the Sixers were close to outstanding once again, holding Orlando to just 41% shooting from the field and 20% shooting from beyond, while racking up 6 blocks and 11 steals.
The first half was tight as Howard dominated underneath and Orlando went up by 1 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd the quarter the Sixers rebounded and found their scoring touch enough to take a 1 point halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the lack of players finally seemed to catch up to Orlando as the Sixers pulled out to a 7 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Sixers then began to dominate for a while in the 4th, pulling out to a 15 point lead at one point before a couple late threes by the Magic briefly cut the lead to 6. The Sixers made their free throws down the stretch and eventually won fairly easily by 8, 97-89.
The first half was tight as Howard dominated underneath and Orlando went up by 1 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd the quarter the Sixers rebounded and found their scoring touch enough to take a 1 point halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the lack of players finally seemed to catch up to Orlando as the Sixers pulled out to a 7 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Sixers then began to dominate for a while in the 4th, pulling out to a 15 point lead at one point before a couple late threes by the Magic briefly cut the lead to 6. The Sixers made their free throws down the stretch and eventually won fairly easily by 8, 97-89.
Friday, December 17, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers went for the L.A sweep tonight as Kobe Bryant and the Lakers visited the Wells Fargo center. Unfortunately the Lakers overwhelming size and stength proved to be too much for the Sixers to handle, particularly Lamar Odom who had a game high 28. Really neither team played that great and the Sixers actually had a late lead at one point, but they just couldn't matchup with the Lakers down the stretch. They also had a particularly poor shooting night, at just 37% from the field and 14% from beyond arc, and that obviously didn't help much. Still, there were some positives for the Sixers. Spencer Hawes continued his great play with 18 and 13 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala put up another stellar performance with 18, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. The Sixers defense also played pretty well for the most part. They actually out rebounded L.A 48-47 and held them to just 41% shooting from the field and 20% from beyond, while racking up another 6 blocks and 9 steals and forcing 14 turnovers. Finally and most notably they held Bryant to just 9 points, but with Odom and Pau Gasol picking up slack it made little difference.
Neither team really played all that well from onset and the Sixers actually took a 3 point lead through 1 quarter of play. L.A turned things around just enough in the 2nd quarter to go up by 5 at the half. The Sixers then had another huge 3rd quarter outscoring the Lakers 23-14, to take a 4 point lead into the quarter. Unfortunately, that's where things got away from them. The Lakers finally started knocking down some baskets while the Sixers continued to misfire and by the time smoke had cleared L.A had scraped through with a 93-81 win. Better luck next time boys.
Neither team really played all that well from onset and the Sixers actually took a 3 point lead through 1 quarter of play. L.A turned things around just enough in the 2nd quarter to go up by 5 at the half. The Sixers then had another huge 3rd quarter outscoring the Lakers 23-14, to take a 4 point lead into the quarter. Unfortunately, that's where things got away from them. The Lakers finally started knocking down some baskets while the Sixers continued to misfire and by the time smoke had cleared L.A had scraped through with a 93-81 win. Better luck next time boys.
FLYERS NEWS
At some point in the 3rd period of the Flyer's win over the Canadiens, Chris Pronger broke a bone in his right foot. He had surgery on it today and will be out 4 to 6 weeks. Oscars Bartulis will be added to the Flyer's roster to replace him.
PHILLIES NEWS
Apparently the Phils did not reach a deal with lefty reliever Dennys Reyes after all. Two Phils had a reached a deal in principle for Reyes to come Philly, but they and his agent were not able to finalize the details today. So Reyes will likely not be in a Phillies uniform next season after all, which leaves the Phils still in search of a reliever to replace J.C Romero.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Asante Samuel and Desean Jackson are both expected to play for the Eagles on Sunday as they faceoff with the New York Giants for NFC East surpremacy.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Just one night after a hard fought victory over the Penguins the Flyers traveled up to Montreal for a key matchup with the Canadiens. Fighting through exhaustion the latter half of the night, the Orange and Black put forth one of their top efforts on the season thus far. Jeff Carter had a goal and 2 assists, James Van Reimsdyk had 2 goals, and Nikolay Zherdev had a goal and an assist to spark the Flyers on offense. Meanwhile, the tired Flyers D allowed Montreal to get off 41 shots, but Sergei Bobrovsky bailed them out time and time again, saving 38 and stopping 2 of 3 Montreal power plays. So in the end it wasn't great defense but it was enough on this night.
With 18 seconds left in the first period Jeff Carter slapped in the rebound off a Matt Carle blast for a quick 1-0 lead. Just a couple minutes into the 2nd period Carter setup JVR for a 2-0 lead. After late power play goal by the Habs cut it to 2-1, Nikolay Zherdev lit lamp to make it 3-1 about 5 minutes into the 3rd period. The Flyers seemed to hit a wall physically and mentally after that as Montreal battled back to tie it up at 3. Then with just over 6 minutes to play, Carter and Zherdev started on a breakaway, closely followed by JVR, finally deposited the puck into the net for a 4-3 lead. About a minute later Mike Richards setup Claude Giroux for a 5-3 lead and that was finally enough to hold off the Habs for the Flyers 4th straight win, for an NHL best 47 points on the season thus far.
With 18 seconds left in the first period Jeff Carter slapped in the rebound off a Matt Carle blast for a quick 1-0 lead. Just a couple minutes into the 2nd period Carter setup JVR for a 2-0 lead. After late power play goal by the Habs cut it to 2-1, Nikolay Zherdev lit lamp to make it 3-1 about 5 minutes into the 3rd period. The Flyers seemed to hit a wall physically and mentally after that as Montreal battled back to tie it up at 3. Then with just over 6 minutes to play, Carter and Zherdev started on a breakaway, closely followed by JVR, finally deposited the puck into the net for a 4-3 lead. About a minute later Mike Richards setup Claude Giroux for a 5-3 lead and that was finally enough to hold off the Habs for the Flyers 4th straight win, for an NHL best 47 points on the season thus far.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers kept their winning ways at home going tonight with a fairly easy effort against the L.A Clippers. The Clippers came in winless on the road and figured to be easy pickings. In fact the Sixers really didn't play their best in this one and yet their performance was still more than enough, whereas against a better team it might not have been. Offensively they shot a decent 44% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc, while once again cleaning up at the line where they shot 82%. In all 5 Sixers scored in double figures. Andre Iguodala had 20 and 5 assists, Elton Brand had 15 and 6 rebounds, Spencer Hawes had 16 and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had a game high 24, 5 assists and 6 rebounds, and Thad Young chipped in with 12 and 5 rebounds off the bench. Defensively, the Sixers were outstanding holding L.A to just 39% shooting from the field and 25% from beyond, while racking 7 blocks and 9 steals, and forcing 14 turnovers.
Early on the Sixers played a little sloppily and their shooting was a little off. L.A was actually able to capitalize on that sloppiness to lead by 1 after a quarter of play and 3 at the half. It was all Sixers in the 3rd quarter though, as they finally woke up and outscored L.A 38-14, to a 13 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, they simply put it on cruise control and traded baskets with the Clips until they had put them away by 14, 105-91. With the win the Sixers move to 10-15 overall and 9th in the East, just .5 games out of 8th.
Early on the Sixers played a little sloppily and their shooting was a little off. L.A was actually able to capitalize on that sloppiness to lead by 1 after a quarter of play and 3 at the half. It was all Sixers in the 3rd quarter though, as they finally woke up and outscored L.A 38-14, to a 13 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, they simply put it on cruise control and traded baskets with the Clips until they had put them away by 14, 105-91. With the win the Sixers move to 10-15 overall and 9th in the East, just .5 games out of 8th.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Penguins came into tonight's matchup as not just the top two teams in the Atlantic division or the Eastern conference but the top two teams in the NHL as well. Thanks to a 12 game winning streak, the Pens had unseeded the Flyers as the NHL's number 1, but this one was an opportunity for the Orange and Black to quickly return the favor and they took full advantage. Considering the offensive skills on both sides you'd think this would have been a high scoring back and forth affair. Instead it was a hard waged defensive battle, with the Flyer's emerging on top. They alloted Pittsburgh just 23 shots on goal , 21 of them stopped by Brian Boucher. They also did a decent job on the Penalty kill, wiping out 2 of the Pen's 4 man advantages.
A litte over halfway through the 1st period, Claude Giroux struck the night's first blow as Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell set him up to give the Orange and Black a 1-0 lead. Just before the halfway point of the 2nd period, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby teamed up to knot things up at 1. 4 minutes later James Van Reimsdyk fed Nikolay Zherdev for a 2-1 lead. A few minutes into the 3rd period Malkin and Crosby again hooked up to tie things up again at 2. Finally, just before the halfway point of the 3rd, Chris Pronger blasted a shot on net and watched as Scott Hartnell skillfully deflected it in off his stick for a 3-2 lead. Boucher and the Flyer's defense was poised to seal the deal from there but Darroll Powe took a foolish goaltender interference penalty which gave Pittsburgh a last gap with 6 men on the ice for the final 1 minute or so of play. Eventually, Boucher and the penalty kill somehow survived the final minute Pittsburgh onslaught and pulled out the huge 3-2 win.
A litte over halfway through the 1st period, Claude Giroux struck the night's first blow as Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell set him up to give the Orange and Black a 1-0 lead. Just before the halfway point of the 2nd period, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby teamed up to knot things up at 1. 4 minutes later James Van Reimsdyk fed Nikolay Zherdev for a 2-1 lead. A few minutes into the 3rd period Malkin and Crosby again hooked up to tie things up again at 2. Finally, just before the halfway point of the 3rd, Chris Pronger blasted a shot on net and watched as Scott Hartnell skillfully deflected it in off his stick for a 3-2 lead. Boucher and the Flyer's defense was poised to seal the deal from there but Darroll Powe took a foolish goaltender interference penalty which gave Pittsburgh a last gap with 6 men on the ice for the final 1 minute or so of play. Eventually, Boucher and the penalty kill somehow survived the final minute Pittsburgh onslaught and pulled out the huge 3-2 win.
SIXERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Sixers were just 1-10 on the road for the season. Only the 0-10 L.A Clippers had fared worse. That said, the struggling and banged up New Jersey Nets were just what the doctor ordered to help the Sixers solve their road woes. No they didn't play their best but they did enough to finally get another win on the road. Offensively it was not exactly another banner night for the Sixers, as they shot just 40% from the field and 37% from beyond, but they did cash in big time at the free throw line, shooting a near perfect 84%. In fact, it was largely the foul line that allowed Jrue Holiday to put up a game high 19 and 5 assists. Spencer Hawes was close behind with 18 and 5 rebounds, while Elton Brand added another 15 and 4 rebounds and Jodie Meeks chipped in with 12, also largely from the foul line. Defensively, the Sixers also weren't exactly at their best in this one either, but they did enough, holding New Jersey to just 34% from the field and 30% from the line, while forcing 11 turnovers.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking a 6 point lead after the 1st quarter of play. They followed that up with just enough of an effort to stay up 6 at the half. The 3rd quarter was more of the same but the Nets did finally cut into the Sixer lead a little, dropping it to 4 at the start of the 4th quarter. There, the Sixers appeared to be cruising toward a win, up 11 with 3:38 left. Then switch briefly turned off for the Sixers as New Jersey pulled within 3 with 15 seconds left. Fortunately the Sixers hit their free throws from there and the rest of the Net's shots went begging as the Sixers hung on for an 82-77 win.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking a 6 point lead after the 1st quarter of play. They followed that up with just enough of an effort to stay up 6 at the half. The 3rd quarter was more of the same but the Nets did finally cut into the Sixer lead a little, dropping it to 4 at the start of the 4th quarter. There, the Sixers appeared to be cruising toward a win, up 11 with 3:38 left. Then switch briefly turned off for the Sixers as New Jersey pulled within 3 with 15 seconds left. Fortunately the Sixers hit their free throws from there and the rest of the Net's shots went begging as the Sixers hung on for an 82-77 win.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have in fact reached a deal with Cliff Lee to return to the city of brotherly love for 5 years and $120 million with a vesting option for a 6th year. The deal will be made official when Lee passes a physical Wednesday.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles have placed Brandon Graham on IR with his ACL tear and to replace him they have signed Derrick Burgess, who memorably beat up on Mike Vick in the 2004 NFC championship game, and went on become a 2 time Pro Bowler after signing with the Raiders the following season. He had 5 sacks for the Patriots last season, but the Pats cut him before the season this year. He knows the Eagle's system already and has been successful playing it in the past so should be able to ease the sting of losing Graham. The Eagles just have to hope his skills haven't diminished too much.
Monday, December 13, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Nothing has been made official yet, bet several prominent sources have confirmed that the Phils and Cliff Lee have agreed on a deal to bring the Lefty back to Philadelphia for 5 years and $100 million deal and an option for a 6th year. Joe Blanton will likely have to be moved to clear the cash needed for Lee.
EAGLES NEWS
While the defeated the Cowboys last night, they paid a hefty price to do so. Stewart Bradley dislocated his elbow and is out for at least the remainder of the regular season, but could return for the playoffs. Originally believed to have sprained his knee, Brand Graham actually tore the ACL in his knee and is done for the season. Finally, Desean Jackson suffered a sprained ankle and Mike Vick suffered a bruised thumb but both should be able to play against the Giants next week.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds renewed their fierce rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys tonight in Dallas, as they looked to continue their march toward the playoffs. It wasn't easy, thanks to turnovers and defensive miscues, but the Birds were eventually able to do just that. Offensively, Desean Jackson and Lesean McCoy were both huge. Jackson had 4 catches for 210 yards and a TD, including a near Eagle's record breaking 91 yard TD reception. McCoy rushed 16 times for 149 yards and although he never got in the endzone, he was instrumental in helping the Eagles run out the clock in the end. For his part, Mike Vick was solid completing 16 of 26 passes for 270 yards and 2 TDs, while running 8 times for 16 yards and a TD. He did throw 2 interceptions though, only one of which was his fault, that a better team might have cashed in on. Defensively, they were a little bit better than last week, forcing 2 turnovers, and stuffing the Dallas run game. They also put ample pressure on Jon Kitna on a good number of the plays. In the end, it was just good enough for the Birds to get a lead and hang on in the end.
The Eagles started things off with a bang as Vick fired a bomb from about his 20 to Desean Jackson inside the Dallas 20, setting up Vick to take it in himself a few plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. Dallas battled back though, using a couple Eagle's penalties to move down the field for the score to tie it at 7 after the first quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter the Eagles finally put together another long drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard TD pass to Tod Herremans,the right guard, of all people for a 14-7 lead. The Eagles weren't quite able to put together another scoring drive for the remainder of the half, but Jon Kitna toughed out one more drive to close out the half with a 50 yard boot by David Buehler, cutting it to 14-10 at the half. In the 3rd quarter it was Dallas who struck first, scoring 10 unanswered points off Eagle turnovers for a 20-17 lead. After Akers booted a couple field goals, including a 50 yarder of his own to tie it at 20, just one play turned around all the Dallas momentum, as Vick hit Jackson on a short crossing pattern, just in front of Terence Newman, and then watched as Desean raced 91 yards for a score and a 27-20 lead.
A couple plays into the next Dallas drive, Dmitri Patterson intercepted Kitna, setting another Aker's field goal for a 30-20 lead. Still it wasn't over yet as Kitna drove to another TD on the following drive to cut it to 30-27. It was Lesean McCoy after that though, as he ran through Dallas and ran out the rest of the clock to close out an important 30-27 win, an impressive display for an Eagle's team not known for its running game. With the win the 9-4 Eagles stay first in the NFC East and 3rd in the NFC.
The Eagles started things off with a bang as Vick fired a bomb from about his 20 to Desean Jackson inside the Dallas 20, setting up Vick to take it in himself a few plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. Dallas battled back though, using a couple Eagle's penalties to move down the field for the score to tie it at 7 after the first quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter the Eagles finally put together another long drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard TD pass to Tod Herremans,the right guard, of all people for a 14-7 lead. The Eagles weren't quite able to put together another scoring drive for the remainder of the half, but Jon Kitna toughed out one more drive to close out the half with a 50 yard boot by David Buehler, cutting it to 14-10 at the half. In the 3rd quarter it was Dallas who struck first, scoring 10 unanswered points off Eagle turnovers for a 20-17 lead. After Akers booted a couple field goals, including a 50 yarder of his own to tie it at 20, just one play turned around all the Dallas momentum, as Vick hit Jackson on a short crossing pattern, just in front of Terence Newman, and then watched as Desean raced 91 yards for a score and a 27-20 lead.
A couple plays into the next Dallas drive, Dmitri Patterson intercepted Kitna, setting another Aker's field goal for a 30-20 lead. Still it wasn't over yet as Kitna drove to another TD on the following drive to cut it to 30-27. It was Lesean McCoy after that though, as he ran through Dallas and ran out the rest of the clock to close out an important 30-27 win, an impressive display for an Eagle's team not known for its running game. With the win the 9-4 Eagles stay first in the NFC East and 3rd in the NFC.
SIXERS NEWS
Just a few days after a heartbreaking near miss against the Celtics, you had wonder how the Sixers would respond this afternoon against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. Last year they probably would not have responded well and would haven taken another loss. Not this year though. The one problem they've had during this current streak of hot play at home is uneven defense. Defense was no problem at all tonight, as the New Orleans had an awful shooting night at just 30% from the field and 41% from beyond. Some of that was just bad shooting by the Hornets, but the Sixer's D did have something to do with that, forcing 13 turnovers and out-rebounding New Orleans 49-47. It really was a true team effort.Offensively, the Sixer's offense shined again with 4 Sixer's in double figures and 42% from the field and 41% from beyond. Andre Iguodala had 16 and 10 rebounds, Elton Brand had 15 and 13 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 12, and Lou Williams came off the bench for a Sixer high 17.
Early on it was the Sixers jumping to a 7 point lead after a quarter of play. Things went from bad to worse for New Orleans in the 2nd quarter as the Sixers extended their to 22. New Orleans finally managed to fight back a little in the 3rd quarter but ultimately when all was said and done, they were still down 21 heading into the 4th quarter. There, New Orleans cut into the Sixer's lead again, but it was a too little too late as the Sixers eventually cruised to an 88-70 win, their first against a team with a winning record. Don't look now but the Sixers suddenly look like their real as a playoff contender in the Eastern conference.
Early on it was the Sixers jumping to a 7 point lead after a quarter of play. Things went from bad to worse for New Orleans in the 2nd quarter as the Sixers extended their to 22. New Orleans finally managed to fight back a little in the 3rd quarter but ultimately when all was said and done, they were still down 21 heading into the 4th quarter. There, New Orleans cut into the Sixer's lead again, but it was a too little too late as the Sixers eventually cruised to an 88-70 win, their first against a team with a winning record. Don't look now but the Sixers suddenly look like their real as a playoff contender in the Eastern conference.
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