Andre Iguodala remained on the sidelines as the Sixers began a tough west coast trip in Oklahoma City with a matchup against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Surprisingly, even without Iguodala, the Sixers were able to give the Thunder all they could handle.They struggled to score at times with Iggy in there but now A=all of the sudden they look like a team that score with anyone. In fact, 5 Sixers scored in double figures tonight. Elton Brand was probably the leading man with 17 and 9 rebounds, but Jrue Holiday was also great with 17 and 11 assists, Evan Turner looked good in his 2nd start with 15 and 8 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had an impressive 12 points while guarding Durant most of the night, and Jodie Meeks poured in 17 points off the bench, while drilling 4 of 5 from beyond.
Unfortunately while they performed well offensively, the Sixer's defense was less than impressive and it cost them tonight. They did out rebound OKC 37-34 and post 8 steals, but other than that the defense was poor. Durant and Russell Westbrooik were both practically unstoppable with 31 points apiece. Oklahoma also shot 49% from the field, 1% higher than the Sixers and they seemed to do a better job spreading the floor. As a result the Sixers struggled to contest shots all night long, and ended up with just 1 block for their struggles. In addition to the mediocre defense the Sixers all turned the ball over way too many times with 16 to the Thunder's 14. Put together turnovers with bad defense and you don't usually get a win. The Sixers came pretty close though.
Early in the contest the Sixers hung right in there with OKC, seemingly matching them shot for shot. They were safely within 4 as the 2nd quarter began. In the 2nd quarter, Sixers' foul trouble allowed OKC to extend their lead a bit as they went into the half up by 8. The 3rd quarter was more of the same as the Sixers found themselves down by 11, heading into the penultimate time period. There in the 4th quarter, as has happened many times this season, the Sixers took command and outscored OKC 29-24. They pulled within 3 of the Thunder a couple of times down the stretch, but the defense never held up enough for them to get closer. Ultimately their 4th quarter proved too little too late as the Thunder hung on to win 109-103. With the loss the Sixers drop to 2-6 overall. If it's any consolation though , the Sixers proved to me at least that they have improved greatly from last season and can pretty much play with anyone at this point. If only they could beat anyone too.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The NL gold glove award winners were announced today and the only Phillies' representative among the winners was Shane Victorino, who won his 3rd straight gold glove in center field. With a league leading 11 outfield assists, and just 2 errors all season for a .995 fielding percentage, it's no wonder Victorino was so honored.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Given his spectacular play thus far this season, it should come as no surprise that the Flyers have signed Claude Giroux to a 3 year 11.25 million extension. If the Orange and Black had not signed him to the extension he would have become a restricted free agent after season. So Giroux has been extended but curiously enough Jeff Carter hasn't. Very interesting indeed.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Out since week 4 with broken ribs, Mike Vick returned to the starting lineup today and didn't miss a beat. Out since week 7 with concussion symptoms, Desean Jackson returned for the Eagles today as well and he too didn't miss a beat. Together Jackson and Vick combined for 401 yards of offense and a TD. Lesean McCoy also had a pretty big day with 16 rushes for 95 yards, most of them on a 75 + yard romp to open the game. Together the triumvirate helped the Eagles keep a nose in front of Peyton Manning and the Colts for most of the evening. Aside from their heroics, the Eagles defense also showed surprising poise against Manning, intercepting him twice and holding him to under 300 passing yards and 1 TD. The D also continued their strong play against the run, holding Indianapolis to just 62 rushing yards on the day. The lone damper on the Eagles performance were several questionable penalties, two of which contributed Colt's scoring drives, that marred an otherwise exciting game.
Following McCoys opening scamper. Vick found Jackson from 9 yards out for a quick 7 -0 lead. On the ensuing Colt's drive Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it into Colt's territory. The Colt's defense stepped it up though, and Eagles couldn't punch it in, instead settling for a chip shot Aker's field to make it 10-0. After stopping the Colts on downs near midfield the Eagles got the ball back inside their own 2 yard line, from which Vick directed a 96 yard drive, including a highlight reel 40 + yard pass to Desean Jackson. Unfortunately the Eagles again couldn't punch it in, instead settling for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 13-0 lead. Finally the Colts offense started rolling after that, as Manning marched them 76 yards, before hitting Jacob Tamme from 3 yards out to cut the lead to 13-7. The Eagles drove right back into Colt's territory again on their next drive, but again they couldn't punch it in and settled for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 16-7 lead.
It was on the ensuing Colt's drive that the evening's first controversy developed. Halfway through the drive, Manning connected with Austin Collie on deep pass into the Eagle's territory. Collie was then blasted by Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman, playing in place of Nate Allen who was injured earlier. The hit by Coleman knocked Collie out cold and jarred the ball loose, prompting the officials to rule an incomplete hit and flag Coleman for uneccesary roughness. Only one problem. Replays clearly showed Collie made the catch, got two feet down, lowered his helmet to protect himself and took a step forward, all before either hit. So he was not a defenseless receiver and Coleman's hit was perfectly legal. The officials didn't see it that way and Colts capitalized on their good fortune a few plays later with a 6 yard run by Javarris James cutting to 16-14. The Eagles couldn't do anything on their next drive and with the ball back to finish the half Manning drove into range for Adam Vinatieri to put the Colts up 17-16 at half.
After a series of defensive stops the Eagles again managed a drive into the Colt's territory and again couldn't punch it in, settling for a 44 yard Aker's kick to push back ahead 19-17. A couple stops later the Eagles had the ball back early in the 4th quarter, and marched 80 yards into the Colt's territory and this time, after Eagles had 3 TDs called back, 1 by penalty, 2 by review, Vick himself snuck one in from a yard out for a 26-17 lead. The Eagle's defense appeared to have things in control after that until another penalty got in the way. With just over 2 and a half minutes to play, and the Colts having to convert a 4th and 18 to keep the game alive, The Eagles came with the blitz and seemed to force Manning into a virtual game ending fumble. Only one problem. Trent Cole was whistled for a personal foul, a blow to Manning's head which gave the Colt's an automatic first down. Replays cleared show though that Cole did not do so intentionally and was instead swatting at the ball. The officials could easily have let it go, instead they flagged Cole and Manning took advantage handing to James for a 1 yard run to cut it to 26-24.
Still the Eagles should have been able to run out the clock after that and actually just needed to convert a 3rd and 2 with just 54 seconds left to do so. Only one problem. The Eagles were flagged for going offsides even though replays clearly showed a Colt illegally simulating the snap count and drawing them off. With a 3rd and 7 instead of a 3rd and 2 the Birds were forced to just send Vick on an outside run and use a much clock possible. When all was said and done. Manning still had 40 + seconds to drive the Colts into field goal range for the win. Fortunately the Eagles defense stepped up. Dmitri Patterson perfectly blanketed receivers down field on a couple deep Manning throws, and then Samuel picked him off for the 2nd time of the evening to seal the huge 26-24 Eagles win, which moves them to 5-3 overall, and solo 2nd in the NFC East with a date with Donovan Mcnabb and the 3rd place Redskins, in Washington, er Landover, Maryland looming next week.
Following McCoys opening scamper. Vick found Jackson from 9 yards out for a quick 7 -0 lead. On the ensuing Colt's drive Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it into Colt's territory. The Colt's defense stepped it up though, and Eagles couldn't punch it in, instead settling for a chip shot Aker's field to make it 10-0. After stopping the Colts on downs near midfield the Eagles got the ball back inside their own 2 yard line, from which Vick directed a 96 yard drive, including a highlight reel 40 + yard pass to Desean Jackson. Unfortunately the Eagles again couldn't punch it in, instead settling for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 13-0 lead. Finally the Colts offense started rolling after that, as Manning marched them 76 yards, before hitting Jacob Tamme from 3 yards out to cut the lead to 13-7. The Eagles drove right back into Colt's territory again on their next drive, but again they couldn't punch it in and settled for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 16-7 lead.
It was on the ensuing Colt's drive that the evening's first controversy developed. Halfway through the drive, Manning connected with Austin Collie on deep pass into the Eagle's territory. Collie was then blasted by Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman, playing in place of Nate Allen who was injured earlier. The hit by Coleman knocked Collie out cold and jarred the ball loose, prompting the officials to rule an incomplete hit and flag Coleman for uneccesary roughness. Only one problem. Replays clearly showed Collie made the catch, got two feet down, lowered his helmet to protect himself and took a step forward, all before either hit. So he was not a defenseless receiver and Coleman's hit was perfectly legal. The officials didn't see it that way and Colts capitalized on their good fortune a few plays later with a 6 yard run by Javarris James cutting to 16-14. The Eagles couldn't do anything on their next drive and with the ball back to finish the half Manning drove into range for Adam Vinatieri to put the Colts up 17-16 at half.
After a series of defensive stops the Eagles again managed a drive into the Colt's territory and again couldn't punch it in, settling for a 44 yard Aker's kick to push back ahead 19-17. A couple stops later the Eagles had the ball back early in the 4th quarter, and marched 80 yards into the Colt's territory and this time, after Eagles had 3 TDs called back, 1 by penalty, 2 by review, Vick himself snuck one in from a yard out for a 26-17 lead. The Eagle's defense appeared to have things in control after that until another penalty got in the way. With just over 2 and a half minutes to play, and the Colts having to convert a 4th and 18 to keep the game alive, The Eagles came with the blitz and seemed to force Manning into a virtual game ending fumble. Only one problem. Trent Cole was whistled for a personal foul, a blow to Manning's head which gave the Colt's an automatic first down. Replays cleared show though that Cole did not do so intentionally and was instead swatting at the ball. The officials could easily have let it go, instead they flagged Cole and Manning took advantage handing to James for a 1 yard run to cut it to 26-24.
Still the Eagles should have been able to run out the clock after that and actually just needed to convert a 3rd and 2 with just 54 seconds left to do so. Only one problem. The Eagles were flagged for going offsides even though replays clearly showed a Colt illegally simulating the snap count and drawing them off. With a 3rd and 7 instead of a 3rd and 2 the Birds were forced to just send Vick on an outside run and use a much clock possible. When all was said and done. Manning still had 40 + seconds to drive the Colts into field goal range for the win. Fortunately the Eagles defense stepped up. Dmitri Patterson perfectly blanketed receivers down field on a couple deep Manning throws, and then Samuel picked him off for the 2nd time of the evening to seal the huge 26-24 Eagles win, which moves them to 5-3 overall, and solo 2nd in the NFC East with a date with Donovan Mcnabb and the 3rd place Redskins, in Washington, er Landover, Maryland looming next week.
SIXERS NEWS
With Andre Iguodala MIA for the first time in 3 years, due to a strained achilles, Evan Turner stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in his career, at Madison Square Garden of all places and looked very much like he belonged. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists and played all the big minutes in the 4th quarter. Jrue Holiday continued to be just as impressive with another 19 points and 8 assists. Elton Brand continued his torrid play with 20 and 7 rebounds. Finally. Lou Williams continued to light it up off the bench with 19. As a team the Sixers were at least solid in all statistical categories and that was enough tonight. They did all the little things the Knicks never do and it worked to say the least. The lone statistical category that went in the Sixers' was 3 point shooting and that proved to be the difference. The Sixers were a decent 7 of 18 from beyond, while New York, which averages 10 treys a game, hit just 3 of 19 tonight and when you throw up that many treys and nothing falls it just kills you.
Early on the Sixers took advantage of some particularly porous Knick's defense, and shot 70 % in the first quarter while racing out an 8 point lead, heading into the 2nd squarter. As per their norm this season, the Sixers couldn't keep it going in the 2nd period and in fact when back to struggling to score again. Luckily the Knicks own poor shooting kept them from truly pulling ahead at the half and instead the Sixers clung to within 2 points of the Knick halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers turned things back around again, rallying to back head briefly by 1 before a botched Lou Williams finisher found them done by 1 again heading into the 4th quarter. As they for most of this season the Sixers again owned the 4th quarter, outscoring New York 26-15, thanks in large part, not to the young guys but to the 34 year old veteran, Tony Battie, who played the final 16 minutes and provided a clutch 5 points and 6 rebounds. Together the solid ply of the youngsters and Battie's heroics were enough to hold off the Knicks 106-96 for the Sixers 2nd win of the season.
Early on the Sixers took advantage of some particularly porous Knick's defense, and shot 70 % in the first quarter while racing out an 8 point lead, heading into the 2nd squarter. As per their norm this season, the Sixers couldn't keep it going in the 2nd period and in fact when back to struggling to score again. Luckily the Knicks own poor shooting kept them from truly pulling ahead at the half and instead the Sixers clung to within 2 points of the Knick halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers turned things back around again, rallying to back head briefly by 1 before a botched Lou Williams finisher found them done by 1 again heading into the 4th quarter. As they for most of this season the Sixers again owned the 4th quarter, outscoring New York 26-15, thanks in large part, not to the young guys but to the 34 year old veteran, Tony Battie, who played the final 16 minutes and provided a clutch 5 points and 6 rebounds. Together the solid ply of the youngsters and Battie's heroics were enough to hold off the Knicks 106-96 for the Sixers 2nd win of the season.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers faced off with the Washington Capitals this evening in showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern conference. They'll likely have more showdowns later in regular season and perhaps in the postseason before all is said done so this was just the first of the many rounds in this fight. Unfortunately round 1 went to Washington in a hard fought thriller as the Flyers were burned by a questionable boarding penalty, that allowed the Caps to score the winning goal. Before that call the star of the game for the Orange and Black was again Sergei Bobrovsky, who got the somewhat surprising start in goal, despite the fact the Flyers were playing on back to back nights. Bobrovsky reward Peter Laviolette's confidence, with another 36 saves to practically carry his teammates into overtime and salvage at least a point for the 7th straight game. If the Flyers had won Bobrovsky would have tied the Late Pelle Lindbergh's franchise rookie record of 7 consecutive wins, but it just wasn't to be.
Instead penalties, some of them questionable, did the Orange and Black in on this evening. The Flyers actually had the first lead of the game about halfway through the first period, as Andrea Nodl picked up the assist on a Nikolay Zherdev score. Later with just under 3 minutes left in the period, the Flyer's defense, which struggled all night, allowing 39 shots on goal, allowed Eric Fehr to slip one past Bob for a 1-1 tie. Just 4 minutes into the 2nd period Danny Briere, finally back from his suspension, picked up the assist as Ville Leino scored to put the Flyers up 2-1. That might have been enough to win, if not for Leino himself, getting called for a touch high sticking penalty, which opened the door for Alexander Semin to slap in a power play goal to tie it at 2. Thanks mostly to Bob the Flyers managed to hang in there with the game tied at 2, all the way into overtime. It was still tied at 2 with 40 seconds left in OT when Sean O'Donnell was, probably erroneously, called for boarding. That set the stage for Mike Green to beat Bob with 29 seconds left in OT, for a 3-2 win. So the Caps and the officials might have won this one, but we'll get them next time.
Instead penalties, some of them questionable, did the Orange and Black in on this evening. The Flyers actually had the first lead of the game about halfway through the first period, as Andrea Nodl picked up the assist on a Nikolay Zherdev score. Later with just under 3 minutes left in the period, the Flyer's defense, which struggled all night, allowing 39 shots on goal, allowed Eric Fehr to slip one past Bob for a 1-1 tie. Just 4 minutes into the 2nd period Danny Briere, finally back from his suspension, picked up the assist as Ville Leino scored to put the Flyers up 2-1. That might have been enough to win, if not for Leino himself, getting called for a touch high sticking penalty, which opened the door for Alexander Semin to slap in a power play goal to tie it at 2. Thanks mostly to Bob the Flyers managed to hang in there with the game tied at 2, all the way into overtime. It was still tied at 2 with 40 seconds left in OT when Sean O'Donnell was, probably erroneously, called for boarding. That set the stage for Mike Green to beat Bob with 29 seconds left in OT, for a 3-2 win. So the Caps and the officials might have won this one, but we'll get them next time.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to New York tonight for yet another matchup with the Islanders, as they looked for their 6th straight win. The Islanders meanwhile, came in hoping to avoid their 7th straight loss. Somewhat predictably the Islanders came out hungry and energized, determined to not lose again, while the Flyers came out sloppy and lethargic, resigned to the fact that New York wouldn't be much of a challenge. They were wrong. For the first two periods New York gave the Orange and Black all the energy and intensity they could handle and then some. Fortunately, Sergei Bobrovsky was up to the challenge. With help from Matt Carle and Andrej Mezaros, who both swatted away pucks that got through him, He stopped 22 of 23 Islander shots, singlehandedly keeping the Flyers in it through the 2nd period.
Heading into the 3rd period the game was tied at 1 thanks to Bobrovsky and a late goal by Mike Richards in the first period. After killing off a penalty to start the period the Flyers finally seemed to grab the momentum. Bobrovsky had 9 more saves to keep New York from pushing ahead. Meanwhile, the Orange and Black finally started putting pressure on the Islanders in their zone and it was just matter of time until would pay off with the go ahead goal. Finally with about 5 and half minutes to play Richards and Eric Wellwood setup Andreas Nodl with the go ahead and eventually winning tally. The now tiring Islanders offered little resistance in the final minutes the Orange and Black hung on, 2-1 for their 6th win in a row. Ultimately it was one of those nights where Flyers numbers on the stat sheet don't look very good, 26 shots on goal to the Islanders 32, 17 faceoff wins to the Islanders 37, and 0 for 2 on the power play to the Islanders 1 for 6, but they found a way to win anyway and that's what good teams do.
Heading into the 3rd period the game was tied at 1 thanks to Bobrovsky and a late goal by Mike Richards in the first period. After killing off a penalty to start the period the Flyers finally seemed to grab the momentum. Bobrovsky had 9 more saves to keep New York from pushing ahead. Meanwhile, the Orange and Black finally started putting pressure on the Islanders in their zone and it was just matter of time until would pay off with the go ahead goal. Finally with about 5 and half minutes to play Richards and Eric Wellwood setup Andreas Nodl with the go ahead and eventually winning tally. The now tiring Islanders offered little resistance in the final minutes the Orange and Black hung on, 2-1 for their 6th win in a row. Ultimately it was one of those nights where Flyers numbers on the stat sheet don't look very good, 26 shots on goal to the Islanders 32, 17 faceoff wins to the Islanders 37, and 0 for 2 on the power play to the Islanders 1 for 6, but they found a way to win anyway and that's what good teams do.
Friday, November 05, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
Just a couple nights after their first win, the Sixers had yet another night they'd like to forget. It was one of those nights that indicates this may be yet another long season. The Lebronless Cavs were their opponents which should have meant a golden opportunity at collecting 2 wins in a row. Instead the defense, so good in their first win, turned back into letdown and cost them another sure win. With Andre Iguodala injured and unable to return to court after halftime, the D couldn't help but be worse anyway, but it should have been better than this. All told Cleveland shot 54% from the field and racked up 123 points. They reached the foul line 48 times and were successful there 38 times, both numbers about twice as many as the Sixers. They also dominated the Sixers on the boards 41-30, not so much because they rebounded so well but because the Sixers rebounded so poorly. I mean when the starting center and power forward, Spencer Hawes, and Elton Brand combine for only 2 rebounds, and Tony Battie has to come off the bench for 26 minutes just to rebound, something's not right.
Thanks to their poor defense the Sixers fell behind by as much as 19 in the 1st quarter and didn't look like it would be their night. Then a funny thing happened, Doug Collins got them believe again. After a rash of steals and hot shooting from Jrue Holiday, who had the night of his life with 29 and 8 assists, the Sixers were able to close to within 8 by the half. They followed with their first dominant 3rd quarter of the season. With Holiday and Brand, who had 20 points at least, leading the way, they outscored Cleveland in 3rd 31-18. A trey by Andres Nocioni with a little under 6 minutes left in the period, finally put the Sixers ahead 72-71. By the 4th quarter they were up by 5 and seemed to be in control, even though they couldn't seem to stop Cleveland on the other end of the floor. They were still leading by as much 7 with about 4 and a half minutes to play when things took a turn.
The Sixers, who shot 55% from the field, finally started to cool off at that point. In fact they couldn't buy a basket and Cleveland with Daniel Gibson and Mo Williams finally coming back off the bench, rallied ahead. Holiday and Brand tried to keep the Sixers in it, but after a Holiday layup cut it 106-105 Cavs with a 2 and a half minutes to play, it was all Cleveland. Williams just kept driving into the lane and the Sixers kept letting him. Finally in the last minute or so they were forced foul but Cleveland hit their free throws and held on to win 123-116. With the loss the Sixers drop to 1-5 on the season and find themselves on the very edge of another lost season.
Thanks to their poor defense the Sixers fell behind by as much as 19 in the 1st quarter and didn't look like it would be their night. Then a funny thing happened, Doug Collins got them believe again. After a rash of steals and hot shooting from Jrue Holiday, who had the night of his life with 29 and 8 assists, the Sixers were able to close to within 8 by the half. They followed with their first dominant 3rd quarter of the season. With Holiday and Brand, who had 20 points at least, leading the way, they outscored Cleveland in 3rd 31-18. A trey by Andres Nocioni with a little under 6 minutes left in the period, finally put the Sixers ahead 72-71. By the 4th quarter they were up by 5 and seemed to be in control, even though they couldn't seem to stop Cleveland on the other end of the floor. They were still leading by as much 7 with about 4 and a half minutes to play when things took a turn.
The Sixers, who shot 55% from the field, finally started to cool off at that point. In fact they couldn't buy a basket and Cleveland with Daniel Gibson and Mo Williams finally coming back off the bench, rallied ahead. Holiday and Brand tried to keep the Sixers in it, but after a Holiday layup cut it 106-105 Cavs with a 2 and a half minutes to play, it was all Cleveland. Williams just kept driving into the lane and the Sixers kept letting him. Finally in the last minute or so they were forced foul but Cleveland hit their free throws and held on to win 123-116. With the loss the Sixers drop to 1-5 on the season and find themselves on the very edge of another lost season.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Orange and Black kept it rolling tonight as the archrival New York Rangers visited the Wells Fargo center. Claude Giroux again made up for the absence of Danny Briere, with 2 points, both on the power play, both sweet assists. If Giroux can do all this without Briere just imagine what could he do with Briere in the lineup. Aside from Giroux's heroics the Flyer's defense took care of the rest. They held the Rangers to just 21 shots on goal and killed off 3 of the 4 Ranger power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky was a big part of those penalty kills as he outplayed the Flyer killer, Henrik Lundqvist, with 20 saves out of 21 shots, to Lundqvist's 17 of 21. He's clearly growing in confidence with each game and making it harder and harder to envision Micheal Leighton back in front of the net.
The Flyers actually fell behind early in the 2nd period on a power play tally by Brandon Dubinksy, but were in command after that. Just 4 minutes later Mike Richards evened the score with his own power play goal and Giroux picked up his first point of the night with the assist. 4 minutes later Blair Betts poked another one in for a 2-1 lead. Later with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd, Giroux picked up his 2nd point, assisting on a score by Nikolay Zherdev for 3-1 lead. Only 3 minutes into the 3rd period Chris Pronger blasted in the Orange and Black's 2nd power play goal of the night for a 4-1 lead that all but put New York away. 5 Bobrovsky saves later and the Flyers had their 5th straight win and sole possession of first place in the Eastern conference by a point over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
Just one night after a heartbreaking loss, the Sixers came out angry tonight at home against the Indiana Pacers, who beat them 2 games ago, and used it as fuel to finally play a complete game defensively. The increased defensive intensity paid off handsomely for the Sixers, in the form of their first win of this young season. The Sixer's defense had been good in spurts thus far this season, but never for any sort of sustained period of time. Tonight they came out strong defensively, and never dialed it down. They held the Pacers to just 31% shooting from the field, and completely took away Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger who combined for just 16 points. For the first time all season they actually managed to not get outrebounded, instead outrebounded the Pacers 54-46, with 2 guys, Elton Brand with 12, and Mo Speights with 11, rebounding in double figures. Finally they also threw in 8 blocks and 9 steals just for good measure. The defense was so good that even much maligned center Spencer Hawes got into the act with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.
On the same night the Sixers produced their best defensive performance of the season, they also produced arguably their best offensive performance as well. For the first time this season, 6 Sixers got into double figures. It's not hard to see why either as they finally go to free throw line consistently and didn't kill themselves when they got there, hitting 21 of their 25 free throw attempts. Leading rebounder Brand, was also the Sixers leading scorer with 25. Andre Iguodala, and Jrue Holiday each had 11, to round out the scoring for the Sixer's starters, while Thad Young, Lou Williams, and Evan Turner came off the bench for 16, 11, and 12 respectively. Finally in addition to scoring more, the Sixers also took much better care of the ball, with just 10 turnovers, their lowest total of the season thus far. The offense was so good that even much maligned center Spencer Hawes got into the act with 9 points, including his first trey as a Sixer.
The Sixers really came out firing in this one, taking a 15 point lead into the 2nd quarter. This time there was not 2nd quarter let down as the Sixers actually extended their lead to 24 at halftime. Once again they did fall off slightly in the 3rd quarter, but enough for Indiana to really get back in the game, as the Sixers retained an 18 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. As they have all season they took over again in the 4th quarter, outscoring Indiana 23-17, extending their lead en route to an easy 101-75 win, a complete reversal of the first meeting between these two teams. That at least is a sign this team might be different from last year's after all. Only time will tell.
On the same night the Sixers produced their best defensive performance of the season, they also produced arguably their best offensive performance as well. For the first time this season, 6 Sixers got into double figures. It's not hard to see why either as they finally go to free throw line consistently and didn't kill themselves when they got there, hitting 21 of their 25 free throw attempts. Leading rebounder Brand, was also the Sixers leading scorer with 25. Andre Iguodala, and Jrue Holiday each had 11, to round out the scoring for the Sixer's starters, while Thad Young, Lou Williams, and Evan Turner came off the bench for 16, 11, and 12 respectively. Finally in addition to scoring more, the Sixers also took much better care of the ball, with just 10 turnovers, their lowest total of the season thus far. The offense was so good that even much maligned center Spencer Hawes got into the act with 9 points, including his first trey as a Sixer.
The Sixers really came out firing in this one, taking a 15 point lead into the 2nd quarter. This time there was not 2nd quarter let down as the Sixers actually extended their lead to 24 at halftime. Once again they did fall off slightly in the 3rd quarter, but enough for Indiana to really get back in the game, as the Sixers retained an 18 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. As they have all season they took over again in the 4th quarter, outscoring Indiana 23-17, extending their lead en route to an easy 101-75 win, a complete reversal of the first meeting between these two teams. That at least is a sign this team might be different from last year's after all. Only time will tell.
EAGLES NEWS
Apparently Ellis Hobbs has not been demoted to backup CB. Instead he won't be starting for the Eagles this Sunday because he has a hip injury. In fact, he tried to play through it last week, which explains why he just couldn't keep up with Kenny Britt in the 4th quarter. In other Eagles' news Ernie Sims was fined 50,000 for a helmet first hit on WR Lavelle Hawkins in the Eagles' game against the Titans 2 weeks ago. Given the NFL's new strict guidelines on helmet first hits, this fine is not a surprise at all. You just wonder why the NFL waited two weeks to levy it. Why not fine Sims two weeks ago when the hit actually happened.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers must be wondering at this point what it will take for them to finally get a win this season, because they were oh so close tonight in Washington. They really did everything you could ask for in this one. They shot 55% from the field while the Wizards only shot 47%. They were even with the Wiz in the rebound department at 36 a piece. Finally they were pretty even turnover wise with 22 and 21 respectively, and steals wise with 10 and 15 respectively. So defensively, it was an evenly matched contest and it was the scoring or lackthereof that made up the difference in this one. In fact, Washington had the advantage for the better part of the night because offensively they were able to take advantage of all the turnovers they got, While the Sixers failed to consistently take advantage of their turnover opportunities.
Individually the Sixers top performer was Lou Williams who poured in 30 points, mostly in the 4th quarter to almost singlehandedly carry the team to a win. Other impressive Sixers included Elton Brand who put up a solid 21 points and 9 rebounds, Andre Iguodala who contributed 12 and 9 assists, and Jrue Holiday who had his best game of the season thus far with 14 and 13 assists. Other than that it was a pretty average night for the rest of the Sixers and it showed at times. The other guys did their part as well though, they just weren't as into the game and weren't as a big a part of the Sixer's efforts as the others were.
Early on the Sixers actually jumped out to a 14 point lead and appeared poised to break this one open into an easy win. Then Doug Collins started going to the bench to end the quarter and the lead all but evaporated. The Sixers managed to hang in there for the next 2 quarters on guts and guile alone, before they finally heated up and started hitting shots again. Most notably Lou Williams drilled a trey at one point early in the 4th, that just beat the shot clock and Ignited Williams game. He was only 1 for 7 on the night before that first trey, but after that he caught fire and couldn't miss again. He hit another trey a later in the quarter to momentarily put the Sixers up 6. Later still with the Sixers clinging to a 3 point lead in the final seconds he drilled 10 straight free throws to preserve the lead.
Unfortunately all of Williams heroics went for naught as Cartier Martin somehow knocked in a three over Iggy at the buzzer to force overtime. In overtime the two teams went back in forth until Brand banked in a mid range jumper to put the Sixers up 1 with 14 seconds left. Alas, Brand then fouled out trying to block Andray Blatche's possible game winning attempt. It looked to be a clean block but the officials blew the whistle, Blatche sunk the free throws and the Sixers were down 1 with 7 seconds left. Unlike Washington the Sixers were not able to get a clean look as Iggy wound up throwing up a wobbly fadeaway that caught iron as time expired. So in the end the Sixers ultimately dropped their 4th straight game to open the season, 116-115. Better luck next time boys.
Individually the Sixers top performer was Lou Williams who poured in 30 points, mostly in the 4th quarter to almost singlehandedly carry the team to a win. Other impressive Sixers included Elton Brand who put up a solid 21 points and 9 rebounds, Andre Iguodala who contributed 12 and 9 assists, and Jrue Holiday who had his best game of the season thus far with 14 and 13 assists. Other than that it was a pretty average night for the rest of the Sixers and it showed at times. The other guys did their part as well though, they just weren't as into the game and weren't as a big a part of the Sixer's efforts as the others were.
Early on the Sixers actually jumped out to a 14 point lead and appeared poised to break this one open into an easy win. Then Doug Collins started going to the bench to end the quarter and the lead all but evaporated. The Sixers managed to hang in there for the next 2 quarters on guts and guile alone, before they finally heated up and started hitting shots again. Most notably Lou Williams drilled a trey at one point early in the 4th, that just beat the shot clock and Ignited Williams game. He was only 1 for 7 on the night before that first trey, but after that he caught fire and couldn't miss again. He hit another trey a later in the quarter to momentarily put the Sixers up 6. Later still with the Sixers clinging to a 3 point lead in the final seconds he drilled 10 straight free throws to preserve the lead.
Unfortunately all of Williams heroics went for naught as Cartier Martin somehow knocked in a three over Iggy at the buzzer to force overtime. In overtime the two teams went back in forth until Brand banked in a mid range jumper to put the Sixers up 1 with 14 seconds left. Alas, Brand then fouled out trying to block Andray Blatche's possible game winning attempt. It looked to be a clean block but the officials blew the whistle, Blatche sunk the free throws and the Sixers were down 1 with 7 seconds left. Unlike Washington the Sixers were not able to get a clean look as Iggy wound up throwing up a wobbly fadeaway that caught iron as time expired. So in the end the Sixers ultimately dropped their 4th straight game to open the season, 116-115. Better luck next time boys.
Monday, November 01, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
It was not the Flyer's best effort, and how could it be with Danny Briere suddenly serving a 3 game suspension, but rather was just one of in what a should be a long list of games this season in which they simply took care of business. The defense was solid, allotting Carolina just 28 shots on goal and keeping the penalties to a minimum. In fact the Orange and Black committed just 3 penalties all night long and killed off all of them. Meanwhile, Claude Giroux collected another power play tally, to give the Flyers at least one power play goal for the 4th straight game. Considering how much they struggled on the power play earlier in the season, that's pretty impressive. Equally impressive was Sergie Bobrovsky who shined again with another 26 saves out of the 28 shots he faced. Put it all together and you've got another job well done.
Jeff Carter picked up the assist as Scott Hartnell gave the Flyers the early 1-0 lead with 8 minutes left in the first period. Mike Richards assisted as Claude Giroux broke a 1-1 tie on the power play with 8 minutes left in the 2nd period. Early in the 3rd period Carter picked up another assist along with Kimmo Timonen as Hartnell picked up another goal for a 3-1 Flyer's lead. It stayed that way until Joe Corvo scored with 27 seconds left to cut the Flyers lead in half 3-2. It was too little too late for Carolina though and Orange and Black walked, er skated away with the 3-2, their 5th in a row. With the win the Sixers are now all alone in first place in the Atlantic division and 2nd in the Eastern conference.
Jeff Carter picked up the assist as Scott Hartnell gave the Flyers the early 1-0 lead with 8 minutes left in the first period. Mike Richards assisted as Claude Giroux broke a 1-1 tie on the power play with 8 minutes left in the 2nd period. Early in the 3rd period Carter picked up another assist along with Kimmo Timonen as Hartnell picked up another goal for a 3-1 Flyer's lead. It stayed that way until Joe Corvo scored with 27 seconds left to cut the Flyers lead in half 3-2. It was too little too late for Carolina though and Orange and Black walked, er skated away with the 3-2, their 5th in a row. With the win the Sixers are now all alone in first place in the Atlantic division and 2nd in the Eastern conference.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles have demoted Ellis Hobbs to backup CB, while promoting Dmitri Patterson to take his place. It was Hobbs' struggles that allowed Kenny Britt to go off for over 100 yards and TDs in the Eagles last game before the bye week. So this comes as no surprise.
PHILLIES NEWS
After much consternation Davey Lopes has decided not to return as the Phils first base coach next season. A master at reading pitcher's tendencies and timing their throws to plate, Lopeshas been instrumental in the success of Phils' base stealers since 2007. The Phils will now have to find someone equally as adept to replace him.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
With the eternal Orange and Black elixir, the NY Islanders, visiting the Wells Fargo center tonight the Flyers were primed to grab their 3rd straight victory and boy did they. I mean everyone got into the act in this one. Chris Pronger had 2 goals, his first scores of the season. Kimmo Timonen had a goal and 2 assists and finally looked again like the Timonen controlled the blueline in the playoffs last season. Jeff Carter had 2 goals and an assist, racking up 3 points for the 2nd time in 3 games. Ville Leino and Claude Giroux each had 2 assists and continue to be offensive stalwarts. Finally, Sergei Bobrovsky had his best game of the season thus far with 30 saves, several of them highlight reel. Really it was about the first time all season that the Orange and Black played a hard as a team from start to finish. Of course it was also against the Islanders who have now lost 11 straight games in Philadelphia, so maybe the excitement should be tempered, but just to see the Flyers show the ability to break out like this was a blast, especially considering Nikolay Zherdev got a breather for the 2nd night in a row. Maybe he should just stay on the bench.
Just 2 and a half minutes into the 1st period Timonen put the Flyers on the board with an assist from Scott Hartnell. With about 3 minutes left in the period Giroux picked up the assist as Carter blasted one home for a 2-0 lead. Just under 3 minutes into the 2nd period Carter struck again, thanks to another Giroux assist. A couple minutes later Chris Pronger slapped one in on the power play for a 4-0 lead and the route was on. The Islanders finally got on the board with a shorthanded tally after that to cut it to 4-1, but that was as close they would get. Just over a minute later Pronger scored again on the power play for a 5-1 lead. Finally with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd period, Andreas Nodl nabbed his 2nd goal in 3 games, thanks a pretty pass from James Van Reimsdyk. At that point with the lead an insurmountable 6-1, the Flyers settled donw played solid d the rest of the way. The Islanders had some opportunities on the power play in the final minutes of the 3rd period but Bobrovsky made sure they did not cash in and Flyers eventually walked with away with the Easy 6-1. It's their 3rd straight win and keeps them tied for first in the Atlantic division with 13 points overall.
Just 2 and a half minutes into the 1st period Timonen put the Flyers on the board with an assist from Scott Hartnell. With about 3 minutes left in the period Giroux picked up the assist as Carter blasted one home for a 2-0 lead. Just under 3 minutes into the 2nd period Carter struck again, thanks to another Giroux assist. A couple minutes later Chris Pronger slapped one in on the power play for a 4-0 lead and the route was on. The Islanders finally got on the board with a shorthanded tally after that to cut it to 4-1, but that was as close they would get. Just over a minute later Pronger scored again on the power play for a 5-1 lead. Finally with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd period, Andreas Nodl nabbed his 2nd goal in 3 games, thanks a pretty pass from James Van Reimsdyk. At that point with the lead an insurmountable 6-1, the Flyers settled donw played solid d the rest of the way. The Islanders had some opportunities on the power play in the final minutes of the 3rd period but Bobrovsky made sure they did not cash in and Flyers eventually walked with away with the Easy 6-1. It's their 3rd straight win and keeps them tied for first in the Atlantic division with 13 points overall.
SIXERS NEWS
This was it. This was the game the Sixers were finally going to win. The one in which they were finally going to show what kind of team they really are this season. Unfortunately, the movie looked all too familiar for Sixer's fans tonight in Indiana. On paper the Sixers actually came in the bigger of the two teams and probably slightly better talent wise. The bottom line is they should have been able to hold their own against the Pacers. Instead like they did so many times last season they didn't show up for a full 4 quarters and paid the price for it. Defensively the Sixers were not very good again, but got lucky that Indiana didn't shoot very well otherwise this one could have a blowout. Still, they got out-rebounded 51-46 by a smaller team and that's just unacceptable. Offensively, they also weren't that great, at only 43% from the floor and a putrid 50% from the free throw line. They also only got to the free throw line 16 times, so getting to the line and making free throws when they get there continues to be a problem for this team.
The only real bright spot for the Sixers on this night was their 3 point shooting, which for once was actually very good at 54% from beyond. In fact, Thad Young and Lou Williams were a combined 3 for 3 from beyond, as the Sixers jumped out to a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately, Williams who had 18 points in the first half to lift the Sixers to that lead, did not score again. Indiana meanwhile went on a 17-5 to start the 3rd quarter and this time there was Sixer 4th quarter comeback as they ironically fell by 13, 99-86. Aside from Williams and Thad who scored 11 by the way, the other bright spots for the Sixers were Jrue Holiday who finally got into double figures with 12, Elton Brand who continued to impress with 12 and 10 rebounds, Evan Turner who was back on the upswing with 9 and 7 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala who posted 12 points. Again all of that only added to another missed opportunity for a win. I really thought things were going to be different for the Sixers this season, and they would win games like these now. Sadly it seems I was wrong. Nothing has changed.
The only real bright spot for the Sixers on this night was their 3 point shooting, which for once was actually very good at 54% from beyond. In fact, Thad Young and Lou Williams were a combined 3 for 3 from beyond, as the Sixers jumped out to a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately, Williams who had 18 points in the first half to lift the Sixers to that lead, did not score again. Indiana meanwhile went on a 17-5 to start the 3rd quarter and this time there was Sixer 4th quarter comeback as they ironically fell by 13, 99-86. Aside from Williams and Thad who scored 11 by the way, the other bright spots for the Sixers were Jrue Holiday who finally got into double figures with 12, Elton Brand who continued to impress with 12 and 10 rebounds, Evan Turner who was back on the upswing with 9 and 7 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala who posted 12 points. Again all of that only added to another missed opportunity for a win. I really thought things were going to be different for the Sixers this season, and they would win games like these now. Sadly it seems I was wrong. Nothing has changed.
Friday, October 29, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Just 10 games into the season the Flyers were already matched up with the arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins for the 3rd time. After blowout loss in their last meeting it was the Flyers who came out on top in this one. Sergei Bobrovsky had 26 saves and kept Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both scoreless, just as he had in the season opener. Claude Giroux was excellent on special teams with shorthanded and power play goals. Finally, Dan Carcillo, inserted into to the lineup give Nikolay Zherdev a breather, proved to be a key cog in the Orange and Black's efforts, with a goal late in the 2nd period. On the whole the Flyers defense and penalty kill was good enough, holding the Pens to just 26 shots on goal and killing off all 6 Pittsburgh power play opportunities. Offensively, they were solid and inefficient, with at least 1 power play goal for the 3rd straight game, and Giroux's brilliant night.
Pittsburgh actually had the lead through 1 period with Evgeni Malkin picking up the assist on a Kris Letang score midway through the 1st period. After that it was almost all Orange and Black. Early in the 2nd period Mike Richards picked up the pretty asssist, as Giroux dazzled on a shorthanded score, to knot it up at 1. With a little under 7 minutes left in the period Carcillo's deflected one in to put the Flyers up 2-1. They never trailed again. Midway through the 3rd Giroux gave the Orange and Black their only power play tally of the night for a 3-1 lead. Thanks to the brilliance of Bobrovsky, it stayed that way until Tyler Kennedy scored with 45 seconds left to cut the Flyer's lead in half to 3-2. They kept the pressure on in the final seconds but there just wasn't quite enough time left for them find the equalizer. So the Orange and Black hung on for the 3-2 win, their 2nd in a row and 3rd in the 4 games. Thanks to that semi hot streak the Flyers are now tied with the Pens for the first in the Atlantic division and sit 3rd in the Eastern conference.
Pittsburgh actually had the lead through 1 period with Evgeni Malkin picking up the assist on a Kris Letang score midway through the 1st period. After that it was almost all Orange and Black. Early in the 2nd period Mike Richards picked up the pretty asssist, as Giroux dazzled on a shorthanded score, to knot it up at 1. With a little under 7 minutes left in the period Carcillo's deflected one in to put the Flyers up 2-1. They never trailed again. Midway through the 3rd Giroux gave the Orange and Black their only power play tally of the night for a 3-1 lead. Thanks to the brilliance of Bobrovsky, it stayed that way until Tyler Kennedy scored with 45 seconds left to cut the Flyer's lead in half to 3-2. They kept the pressure on in the final seconds but there just wasn't quite enough time left for them find the equalizer. So the Orange and Black hung on for the 3-2 win, their 2nd in a row and 3rd in the 4 games. Thanks to that semi hot streak the Flyers are now tied with the Pens for the first in the Atlantic division and sit 3rd in the Eastern conference.
SIXERS NEWS
Still looking for their first win, the Sixers welcomed the Atlanta Hawks, another of the East's elite, to the Wells Fargo center tonight. Once again they played them close but as happened so many times last season they just didn't quite have enough to win. The Sixer's defense wasn't really any better, as the Hawks shot 54% from the field and outrebounded the Sixers 46-36. The Sixers did have 9 steals though, mostly in the 2nd half and that's what enabled them to keep it close. Offensively, the Sixers were a little, if only because Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand both had big nights. Brand had 20 and 8 assists, and Iguodala had 27 big points, including 2 threes, but again they were only starters in double digits, as Doug Collins stuck with the same lineup.
Finally the Sixer bench wasn't quite as good with Evan Turner and Thad Young both having off nights, but it still proved to be an asset. Andres Nocioni and Lou Williams were both huge again. Nocioni drilled 2 threes himself and poured in 15 and Williams had 16 to bolster the Sixer's 2nd half comeback effort that fell just short. So what do the Sixer's need to change to get a win, 2 things. First their defense needs to play hard all game not just in the 2nd half as it did night. Second, young point guard Jrue Holiday needs to improve. He has just 7 assists through 2 games and is struggling with his shot, going just 3 of 11 tonight. It would also help if guys like Turner and Young could be more consistent, but more than those 2 the Sixers need Holiday to produce and become play maker they thought he would be when they drafted him.
Anyway like last the night the Sixers kept things tight for much of the first half. They actually had the lead for a while at the onset and were down by just 3 after 1 quarter of play. As late as the final 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter they were within 4 points of the lead. Then Atlanta turned it on for a bit and took a 10 point lead into the half. This time the Sixers did not let the game get away from them in the 3rd quarter. Instead they played Atlanta even and went into the 4th quarter still down 10. Once again they took command in the 4th, outscoring Altanta 27-20. Unfortunately it was too little too late again. A Nocioni jumper with about a minute left cut the lead to 2 before Josh Smith answered with a 3 to push it back to 5. Still, a couple of missed free throws by Joe Johnson kept the Sixers in it, and Nocioni had a look at a 3 to tie it at the buzzer but Smith blocked it to preserve the 104-101 Hawk's victory.
Finally the Sixer bench wasn't quite as good with Evan Turner and Thad Young both having off nights, but it still proved to be an asset. Andres Nocioni and Lou Williams were both huge again. Nocioni drilled 2 threes himself and poured in 15 and Williams had 16 to bolster the Sixer's 2nd half comeback effort that fell just short. So what do the Sixer's need to change to get a win, 2 things. First their defense needs to play hard all game not just in the 2nd half as it did night. Second, young point guard Jrue Holiday needs to improve. He has just 7 assists through 2 games and is struggling with his shot, going just 3 of 11 tonight. It would also help if guys like Turner and Young could be more consistent, but more than those 2 the Sixers need Holiday to produce and become play maker they thought he would be when they drafted him.
Anyway like last the night the Sixers kept things tight for much of the first half. They actually had the lead for a while at the onset and were down by just 3 after 1 quarter of play. As late as the final 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter they were within 4 points of the lead. Then Atlanta turned it on for a bit and took a 10 point lead into the half. This time the Sixers did not let the game get away from them in the 3rd quarter. Instead they played Atlanta even and went into the 4th quarter still down 10. Once again they took command in the 4th, outscoring Altanta 27-20. Unfortunately it was too little too late again. A Nocioni jumper with about a minute left cut the lead to 2 before Josh Smith answered with a 3 to push it back to 5. Still, a couple of missed free throws by Joe Johnson kept the Sixers in it, and Nocioni had a look at a 3 to tie it at the buzzer but Smith blocked it to preserve the 104-101 Hawk's victory.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have decided not to offer contracts to Jamie Moyer and Greg Dobbs. That means both will become free agents and likely play for someone else next season. That's assuming the 48 year old Moyer actually plays next season. At this point Moyer is slated to play winter ball to test out his injured elbow and then if all is well he'll hope to catch on with another team. Good luck Jamie.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers opened their regular season tonight against the Miami Heat, in front of an unusually large Wells Fargo center crowd. Of course the crowd tends to be larger when you've got Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh all in the building at the same time. Still the Heat and their Dynamic trio actually came in at 0-1 on the season after a sloppy loss to the Boston Celtics and they continued their sloppy play tonight, mostly to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately the Sixer's couldn't quite take advantage of Miami's sloppiness, to steal a win, but they played hard and were at least able to keep it close.
They actually did a decent job defensively, against the big 3 with only Wade managing to break out with a 30 point night. The continue to lack even solid perimeter defense though, and that's what killed them tonight. James Jones alone, was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc, for 20 points off the bench. As a team Miami shot 50% from beyond with 8 treys which is just too much. You just can't allow that kind of success from beyond all the time and expect win consistenly. They couldn't get around it last year and they won't this year. So at point Doug Collins will have to figure out how to improve their game on that side of the floor.
For now though, he take some consolidation in the improvements he's made on the offensive side of the things. Evan Turner, who struggled all summer and started the night on the bench, was actually the Sixers leading scorer on the night, with 16. He also added 7 rebounds and was overall very encouraging to watch. Elton Brand actually looked somewhat like his oldself for a change with 12 and 9 rebounds. Aside from Brand, Andre Iguodala, with 10 was the only other Sixer starter to reach double figures, so Collins made need to shuffle the lineup a little.
That's especially considering how well the bench performed. Besides Turner, Thad Young and Lou Williams each chipped in with 15 and Andres Nocioni dropped 10, with 2 treys. Whether one of those guys gets moved into the starting lineup are not, its looks as though the bench will be a strength for the Sixers this year. That's nice considering it had been a weakness for some time.
In early going the Sixers really came out to play in this one and actually had a couple brief leads.
They really stood two to two with the Heat in the first half and only trailed by 8 at the half. Things got away from the Sixers a bit in the 3rd quarter as turnovers creeped in for them. Miami took advantage as they pulled away to a 26 point lead through 3 quarters. Surprisingly, rather than go away, it was the Sixers who really took command in the 4th quarter, outscoring Miami 33-17. Sadly it was just a bit too little too late as Miami thrice held off the Sixers for their first win 97-87.
While it is encouraging that the Sixers were able to keep it to a 10 point game, it's also important to remember that they a lot of good teams close last season as well, only to not show up against bad teams and get spanked. So it will be a little while before we know if this team is really anything more than the same mess it was last season. Here's hoping it is.
They actually did a decent job defensively, against the big 3 with only Wade managing to break out with a 30 point night. The continue to lack even solid perimeter defense though, and that's what killed them tonight. James Jones alone, was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc, for 20 points off the bench. As a team Miami shot 50% from beyond with 8 treys which is just too much. You just can't allow that kind of success from beyond all the time and expect win consistenly. They couldn't get around it last year and they won't this year. So at point Doug Collins will have to figure out how to improve their game on that side of the floor.
For now though, he take some consolidation in the improvements he's made on the offensive side of the things. Evan Turner, who struggled all summer and started the night on the bench, was actually the Sixers leading scorer on the night, with 16. He also added 7 rebounds and was overall very encouraging to watch. Elton Brand actually looked somewhat like his oldself for a change with 12 and 9 rebounds. Aside from Brand, Andre Iguodala, with 10 was the only other Sixer starter to reach double figures, so Collins made need to shuffle the lineup a little.
That's especially considering how well the bench performed. Besides Turner, Thad Young and Lou Williams each chipped in with 15 and Andres Nocioni dropped 10, with 2 treys. Whether one of those guys gets moved into the starting lineup are not, its looks as though the bench will be a strength for the Sixers this year. That's nice considering it had been a weakness for some time.
In early going the Sixers really came out to play in this one and actually had a couple brief leads.
They really stood two to two with the Heat in the first half and only trailed by 8 at the half. Things got away from the Sixers a bit in the 3rd quarter as turnovers creeped in for them. Miami took advantage as they pulled away to a 26 point lead through 3 quarters. Surprisingly, rather than go away, it was the Sixers who really took command in the 4th quarter, outscoring Miami 33-17. Sadly it was just a bit too little too late as Miami thrice held off the Sixers for their first win 97-87.
While it is encouraging that the Sixers were able to keep it to a 10 point game, it's also important to remember that they a lot of good teams close last season as well, only to not show up against bad teams and get spanked. So it will be a little while before we know if this team is really anything more than the same mess it was last season. Here's hoping it is.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Fresh off their most lifeless performance of the season the Flyers rebounded in a big way tonight, exploding for 6 goals, 3 on the power play, against the Buffalo Sabres and the top goalie in the Eastern conference, Ryan Miller. Considering how poorly they played in their last game this kinda came out of nowhere but it just goes to show how talented this team really is. I just wish they would show that talent more consistenly. Tonight was fun though and I'll take it. It was just one of those nights where just about everything went in the favor of the Orange and Black.
The rookie, Sergei Bobrovsky, outplayed Miller with 32 saves to Miller's 28. The Flyer's power play outplayed the Buffalo power play with 3 goals in 5 scoring changes, to the Sabres two scores in 3 opportunities. Only the Flyer's defense failed to impress allowing 35 shots on goal and scores on 2 out of 3 Buffalo power plays. So ironically the first game all season in which the Flyers scored multiple power plays is also the first game all season in which they allowed multiple power plays. There's a joke in there somewhere, but anyway aside from that it was great to be a fan of the Orange and Black.
Things started slowly with a Jody Shelley penalty leading to a 1-0 Sabres lead just about 9 minutes into the contest. From there however, it was pretty much all Flyers. Late in the first period Danny Briere scored the first of the 3 Flyer's power play goals to knot it up at 1. Just under 5 minutes into the 2nd period Nikolay Zherdev, with an assist from Scott Hartnell, gave the Flyers a lead they would never relinquish. Late in the period Darroll Powe extended the Flyer lead to 3-1. Just 3 minutes later, Claude Giroux, who assisted on the Powe goal, added a pretty unassisted tally for the 2nd of the Orange and Black's 3 power play scores.
38 seconds into the 3rd period Jeff Carter slapped home the 3rd and final power play score to push the lead to 5-1 and all but put the game away. The game Sabres did fight back cut it to 5-3 with about 8 minutes to play, but it was too little too late. Andreas Nodl added an empty netter and the Flyers walked away with an easy 6-3 win. If only they could play like that every night.
The rookie, Sergei Bobrovsky, outplayed Miller with 32 saves to Miller's 28. The Flyer's power play outplayed the Buffalo power play with 3 goals in 5 scoring changes, to the Sabres two scores in 3 opportunities. Only the Flyer's defense failed to impress allowing 35 shots on goal and scores on 2 out of 3 Buffalo power plays. So ironically the first game all season in which the Flyers scored multiple power plays is also the first game all season in which they allowed multiple power plays. There's a joke in there somewhere, but anyway aside from that it was great to be a fan of the Orange and Black.
Things started slowly with a Jody Shelley penalty leading to a 1-0 Sabres lead just about 9 minutes into the contest. From there however, it was pretty much all Flyers. Late in the first period Danny Briere scored the first of the 3 Flyer's power play goals to knot it up at 1. Just under 5 minutes into the 2nd period Nikolay Zherdev, with an assist from Scott Hartnell, gave the Flyers a lead they would never relinquish. Late in the period Darroll Powe extended the Flyer lead to 3-1. Just 3 minutes later, Claude Giroux, who assisted on the Powe goal, added a pretty unassisted tally for the 2nd of the Orange and Black's 3 power play scores.
38 seconds into the 3rd period Jeff Carter slapped home the 3rd and final power play score to push the lead to 5-1 and all but put the game away. The game Sabres did fight back cut it to 5-3 with about 8 minutes to play, but it was too little too late. Andreas Nodl added an empty netter and the Flyers walked away with an easy 6-3 win. If only they could play like that every night.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have set their starting linuep for the season opener against the Miami Heat. The starting 5 will be Jason Kapono, Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand, and Spencer Hawes. So Lou Williams, Thad Young, Mo Speights and the No.2 overall pick in 2010 NBA draft, Evan Turner, will all come off the bench.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have decided not to excercise the 2011 option on J.C Romero's contract. Most likely he will not return to the Phils next season and someone will replace him as the Phils primary lefty reliever. That someone could be farmhands Mike Zagurski or Antonio Bastardo, or a free agent. This is only the start of what will be an interesting offseason.
Monday, October 25, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers went into Columbus looking to win back to back games for the first time since the first few games of the season. Once again the defense showed up strongly enough, limiting the Blue Jackets to just 25 shots on goal and only 4 power play opportunities. Also Brian Boucher was solid in goal, saving 23 of the 25 shots. Unfortunately aside from that there was just nothing there for the Orange and Black tonight. They had no heart, no hustle, and no intensity. They just came out lifeless and disinterested from the beginning and were never able to get over it. They even allowed a power play goal. You know's something not that there when even the team's lone strength doesn't hold up.
The Flyers themselves only got on the power play twice all night, both in the first period. That means they went two full periods without a power play, and it's not as if the Columbus' defense was really that great. In fact the Flyers actually outshot the Blue Jackets 29-25. You have to be pretty lifeless to go two periods without a power play against a poor defense. Anyway, thanks to the Briere - Hartnell - Leino line the Orange and Black at least avoided a shutout but only just barely. With a just over 5 minutes to play in game Ville Leino scored off assists from who else, Briere and Hartnell, to cut the Columbus lead in half at 2-1. Unfortunately the Flyers could not find the equalizer in the final 5 minutes. So once again that one line was the only one to give the Orange and Black anything tonight and it cost them.
The Flyers themselves only got on the power play twice all night, both in the first period. That means they went two full periods without a power play, and it's not as if the Columbus' defense was really that great. In fact the Flyers actually outshot the Blue Jackets 29-25. You have to be pretty lifeless to go two periods without a power play against a poor defense. Anyway, thanks to the Briere - Hartnell - Leino line the Orange and Black at least avoided a shutout but only just barely. With a just over 5 minutes to play in game Ville Leino scored off assists from who else, Briere and Hartnell, to cut the Columbus lead in half at 2-1. Unfortunately the Flyers could not find the equalizer in the final 5 minutes. So once again that one line was the only one to give the Orange and Black anything tonight and it cost them.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
With their bye week looming next week the Birds were looking to go into their break on a positive note with their first ever win against the Tennessee Titans. For the better part of 3 quarters it looked like it would be mission accomplished. However, the Birds failed to take advantage of some early Titan miscues and those missed opportunities eventually came back to haunt them. They led by 9 early in the 4th quarter, but should have been ahead by at least 13 or maybe even 20. As a result they had no recourse when Kenny Britt went off later in the quarter for 96 yards and 2 TDs and turned the 9 point deficit into an 18 point win.
Most of the blame for the loss probably goes to Kevin Kolb. He threw for only 231 yards and 1 TD while getting intercepted twice. 4 times he and the Eagles offense had to settle for David Aker's field goals and 3 times they come up empty following Tennessee turnovers. Most notably after the Titan's 3rd turnover, with the Eagles already leading 16-7 in the 3rd quarter, Kolb and Lesean McCoy botched a handoff on 1st and goal from inside the 3 yard line as Kolb was hit before he could even hand the ball off. That mistake likely cost the Eagles a sure 7 points that might have put the game out of reach with a 23-7 Eagles' lead. Instead after the teams traded field goals on their next possessions the Titans had new life.
While Kolb went cold the rest of the day Kerry Collins, starting in place of the injured Vince Young, finally found his timing and began to exploit the suddenly slow footed Eagles' secondary. It just got to the point where the Birds both couldn't cover down field and couldn't get pressure on Collins and they paid for it dearly in the 4th quarter. Ellis Hobbs simply couldn't stay with Kenny Britt throughout the 4th quarter and the Eagles safeties always seemed to be out of position against him. They'll probably have nightmares about him over the bye week. Bye the time the Britt show was over the Titans had gone from trailing 19-10 to leading 30-19. Then on the final play game Cortland Finnegan added insult to injury by picking off Kolb and racing 41 yards to pay dirt to cap off a 37-19 Titan win. Yes, the Eagles will certainly remember the Titans.
Most of the blame for the loss probably goes to Kevin Kolb. He threw for only 231 yards and 1 TD while getting intercepted twice. 4 times he and the Eagles offense had to settle for David Aker's field goals and 3 times they come up empty following Tennessee turnovers. Most notably after the Titan's 3rd turnover, with the Eagles already leading 16-7 in the 3rd quarter, Kolb and Lesean McCoy botched a handoff on 1st and goal from inside the 3 yard line as Kolb was hit before he could even hand the ball off. That mistake likely cost the Eagles a sure 7 points that might have put the game out of reach with a 23-7 Eagles' lead. Instead after the teams traded field goals on their next possessions the Titans had new life.
While Kolb went cold the rest of the day Kerry Collins, starting in place of the injured Vince Young, finally found his timing and began to exploit the suddenly slow footed Eagles' secondary. It just got to the point where the Birds both couldn't cover down field and couldn't get pressure on Collins and they paid for it dearly in the 4th quarter. Ellis Hobbs simply couldn't stay with Kenny Britt throughout the 4th quarter and the Eagles safeties always seemed to be out of position against him. They'll probably have nightmares about him over the bye week. Bye the time the Britt show was over the Titans had gone from trailing 19-10 to leading 30-19. Then on the final play game Cortland Finnegan added insult to injury by picking off Kolb and racing 41 yards to pay dirt to cap off a 37-19 Titan win. Yes, the Eagles will certainly remember the Titans.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
With their season on the line again the Phils turned Roy Oswalt to extend it for at least another game. Oswalt did his job, allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits, while striking out 5. The Giants had multiple opportunities to put up crooked against Oswalt but he held firm and found his way out of trouble again and again. By all rights Oswalt's performance should have been enough to force a game 7, but it wasn't. The Phils had at least twice as many opportunities as the Giants to produce runs, most of which came against the San Francisco bullpen, as Jonathan Sanchez failed to get through the 3rd inning, and they just didn't come through.
Early on the Phils took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, on a double by Chase Utley, and a sac fly by Jayson Werth. They also had 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez and could have really broken the game open but Ibanez popped up to end the inning. In the 5th Jimmy Rollins leadoff with a double and Ryan Howard looked to have an RBI double but Rollins was held at 3rd. After Werth was walked to load the bases, Shane Victorino grounded out to end the inning, blowing another opportunity. In the 6th Raul Ibanez lead off with a double and moved to 3rd on a bunt by Carlos Ruiz, but he was stranded when Ben Francisco struck out looking, and Jimmy Rollins flied out.
In the 8th, Victorino and Ibanez collected back to back singled to put 2 on with 1 out for Ruiz. Ruiz crushed a line drive the other way, but right at Aubrey Huff who snared it and threw to 2nd to double off Victorino and end another threat. Finally in the 9th, the Phils put 2 on with 2 out for Ryan Howard who went down looking at strike 3, on a very questionable pitch. It was a borderline pitch at best that I've seen go both ways. In this case the umpire decided to give it to Brian Wilson to clinch the NL title for the Giants. So there will be no 3rd straight NL title for the Phils. It was still a good season for them and a lot of fun to watch.
Considering all of the injuries they had to overcome, I am still proud of them for making it this far. Considering they could make it all the way to game 6 of the NLCS without ever being at 100%, you can just imagine how good they could have been if they had been able to stay healthy all season. You have to like their chances to repeat as NL East champions, especially since Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt will all be back next season for a full season, not just the last few months. Where they go beyond that will be determined by what they do with the Jayson Werth free agency situation. If they can figure out a way to keep him or they can replace with him with another power right handed bat they will contend for a world title again. Otherwise they might have trouble getting deep in the playoffs again.
Early on the Phils took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, on a double by Chase Utley, and a sac fly by Jayson Werth. They also had 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez and could have really broken the game open but Ibanez popped up to end the inning. In the 5th Jimmy Rollins leadoff with a double and Ryan Howard looked to have an RBI double but Rollins was held at 3rd. After Werth was walked to load the bases, Shane Victorino grounded out to end the inning, blowing another opportunity. In the 6th Raul Ibanez lead off with a double and moved to 3rd on a bunt by Carlos Ruiz, but he was stranded when Ben Francisco struck out looking, and Jimmy Rollins flied out.
In the 8th, Victorino and Ibanez collected back to back singled to put 2 on with 1 out for Ruiz. Ruiz crushed a line drive the other way, but right at Aubrey Huff who snared it and threw to 2nd to double off Victorino and end another threat. Finally in the 9th, the Phils put 2 on with 2 out for Ryan Howard who went down looking at strike 3, on a very questionable pitch. It was a borderline pitch at best that I've seen go both ways. In this case the umpire decided to give it to Brian Wilson to clinch the NL title for the Giants. So there will be no 3rd straight NL title for the Phils. It was still a good season for them and a lot of fun to watch.
Considering all of the injuries they had to overcome, I am still proud of them for making it this far. Considering they could make it all the way to game 6 of the NLCS without ever being at 100%, you can just imagine how good they could have been if they had been able to stay healthy all season. You have to like their chances to repeat as NL East champions, especially since Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt will all be back next season for a full season, not just the last few months. Where they go beyond that will be determined by what they do with the Jayson Werth free agency situation. If they can figure out a way to keep him or they can replace with him with another power right handed bat they will contend for a world title again. Otherwise they might have trouble getting deep in the playoffs again.
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Flyers had 3 lost straight contests and had not looked good doing so. Tonight was much different. The defense finally resembled last year's, holding the Toronto Maple Leafs to just 14 shots on goal. Once again they also kept the penalties on low side, putting Toronto on the power play only 4 times and killing off all of them. More importantly, the Flyer's finally got it going offensively, even scoring on the power play. They were still only 1 of 6 on the power play which isn't great, but it's a step in the right direction. Aside, from the power play score, Mike Richards had his first goal of the season and 2 assists, and the Leino, Briere, and Hartnell line, produced 3 goals, including the lone power play tally. The Flyer's can't just rely on that line the rest of the season. Sooner or later another line will have to step up for them, but for now they'll take the 1 hot line and run with it.
Richards opened the scoring on the night with an unassisted tally late in the first period. Ville Leino followed a minute later with the lone power play score and the Flyers led 2-0 after 1 period. The Flyers allowed a couple sloppy goals in the 2nd period, but a late Blair Betts score off an assist by Daroll Powe at least kept them ahead 3-2 heading into the 3rd period. The Briere - Leino - Hartnell line took over in the 3rd period. First Hartnell scored a minute into the period off Richards 2nd assist, for a 4-2 Orange and Black lead. Then Briere scored unassisted just under 8 minutes into the period to put the Leafs away for good. Brian Boucher and the defense held up the rest of the way and the Flyers walked away with an important 5-2 win.
Richards opened the scoring on the night with an unassisted tally late in the first period. Ville Leino followed a minute later with the lone power play score and the Flyers led 2-0 after 1 period. The Flyers allowed a couple sloppy goals in the 2nd period, but a late Blair Betts score off an assist by Daroll Powe at least kept them ahead 3-2 heading into the 3rd period. The Briere - Leino - Hartnell line took over in the 3rd period. First Hartnell scored a minute into the period off Richards 2nd assist, for a 4-2 Orange and Black lead. Then Briere scored unassisted just under 8 minutes into the period to put the Leafs away for good. Brian Boucher and the defense held up the rest of the way and the Flyers walked away with an important 5-2 win.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
With the Phillies season on the line Roy Halladay delivered a performance that may be remembered for a long time, especially if the Phils somehow reach their 3rd straight world series this year. Despite pulling his groin while pitching to the first batter of the game Halladay gutted out 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5. It wasn't pretty but it was exactly what the Phils needed to stave off elimination. Halladay did have some help though as Phils blead out 3 runs on 4 hits off Tim Lincecum. The Phils also deservedly backed up Roy with 3 huge scoreless innings.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, as Chase Utley fumbled away a double play opportunity, the Phils got some luck in the 3rd. Raul Ibanez lead off with a single. Carlos was then hit by a pitch to put two and nobody out for Halladay. Attempted to bunt the runners over into scoring position but bunted foul, or at least he thought it was foul, but the home plate ump called it fair, and Ruiz went to second and the hustling Ibanez reached 3rd, despite Buster Posey's throw beating him as Pablo Sandoval missed bag with his foot. The dumbfounded Halladay never left the batter's box and was thrown out at first. Still the damage had been done. Shane Victorino followed with a ball off Aubrey Huff's glove and into right to score both runners. Then back to back singles by Utley and Placido Polanco scored Victorino for a 3-1 lead.
The 3 runs would be all the wounded Halladay would need. He got into and out of trouble in 3rd, allowed a run in the 4th but avoided further damage, as Jayson Werth gunned Cody Ross at 3rd as he attempted to tag up. He cruised through the 5th inning and then finally got of jam in the 6th inning, striking out Juan Uribe, with 2 on and 2 out to preserve the Phils 3-2 lead. The Phils had a golden opportunity to cushion their lead in the 7th, but Huff robbed Ross Gload of extra base hit, to keep it at 3-2. Next in the 7th Jose Contreras and J.C Romero combined for a scoreless frame after Polanco and Utley snared back to back line drives, by Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff.
After the Phils again failed to cushion their lead in the top of the 8th, Ryan Madson, who pitched an inning and a 3rd last night, stared down the heart of the Giants lineup, Buster Posey, Pat Burrell ,and Ross and struck them out one by one to preserve the lead. Finally in the 9th Werth offered some insurance with a leadoff solo bomb to push the lead to 4-2. As it turned out, Brad Lidge did not need extra run. He comfortably retired Sandoval, Uribe, and pinch hitter Travis Ishikawa in order to close out the huge 4-2 win that shifts the series back to Philadelphia. Getting the series back to Philly doesn't mean the Phils will win it but with Roy Oswalt to pitch game 6 and Cole Hamels if neccessary in game 7 they at least have a chance now.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, as Chase Utley fumbled away a double play opportunity, the Phils got some luck in the 3rd. Raul Ibanez lead off with a single. Carlos was then hit by a pitch to put two and nobody out for Halladay. Attempted to bunt the runners over into scoring position but bunted foul, or at least he thought it was foul, but the home plate ump called it fair, and Ruiz went to second and the hustling Ibanez reached 3rd, despite Buster Posey's throw beating him as Pablo Sandoval missed bag with his foot. The dumbfounded Halladay never left the batter's box and was thrown out at first. Still the damage had been done. Shane Victorino followed with a ball off Aubrey Huff's glove and into right to score both runners. Then back to back singles by Utley and Placido Polanco scored Victorino for a 3-1 lead.
The 3 runs would be all the wounded Halladay would need. He got into and out of trouble in 3rd, allowed a run in the 4th but avoided further damage, as Jayson Werth gunned Cody Ross at 3rd as he attempted to tag up. He cruised through the 5th inning and then finally got of jam in the 6th inning, striking out Juan Uribe, with 2 on and 2 out to preserve the Phils 3-2 lead. The Phils had a golden opportunity to cushion their lead in the 7th, but Huff robbed Ross Gload of extra base hit, to keep it at 3-2. Next in the 7th Jose Contreras and J.C Romero combined for a scoreless frame after Polanco and Utley snared back to back line drives, by Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff.
After the Phils again failed to cushion their lead in the top of the 8th, Ryan Madson, who pitched an inning and a 3rd last night, stared down the heart of the Giants lineup, Buster Posey, Pat Burrell ,and Ross and struck them out one by one to preserve the lead. Finally in the 9th Werth offered some insurance with a leadoff solo bomb to push the lead to 4-2. As it turned out, Brad Lidge did not need extra run. He comfortably retired Sandoval, Uribe, and pinch hitter Travis Ishikawa in order to close out the huge 4-2 win that shifts the series back to Philadelphia. Getting the series back to Philly doesn't mean the Phils will win it but with Roy Oswalt to pitch game 6 and Cole Hamels if neccessary in game 7 they at least have a chance now.
FLYERS NEWS
For the 3rd straight game the Flyers played a team, this the Anaheim Ducks at the Wells Fargo center that came in tired, having just played the night before. For the 3rd straight game they failed to take advantage of it. They did cut finally down on the penalties, with just 5, 4 of which resulted in a power play. They also killed off all 4 of those power plays but again their own power play struggled once again, going 0 for 5 and that ultimately came back to haunt them. Aside from the power play struggles there was just something missing for the Flyers tonight. The hunger that they played with at the end of last season just isn't there yet and until they find that hunger again they're going to continue struggling.
The Flyers fell behind early in the first period, with Lubomir Visnovsky scoring just 35 seconds into the game. 4 minutes later Scott Hartnell scored his first goal of the season to knot it at 1. A little over halfway through the period Jason Blake put the Ducks ahead again 2-1. That would be the trend the remainder of the night. Late in the 2nd period Claude Giroux tied it up again at 2. The Flyers had opportunities after that to slap in the goal that would win it, with 10 of their 42 shots on goal coming in the 3rd, but for whatever reason they just couldn't finish on their scoring chances.
Their inability to finish finallly came back to bite them when with a little under 2 minutes to play, Ryan Getzlaf beat Sergei Bobrovsky for a 3rd time on the night to put Anaheim ahead for good 3-2. The Flyers couldn't come up with anything of their own in the waning moments as they dropped their 3rd in a row and fell to 11th in the Eastern conference. Sure, it's still early in the season but I don't think they want to stay that far down in the standings much longer.
The Flyers fell behind early in the first period, with Lubomir Visnovsky scoring just 35 seconds into the game. 4 minutes later Scott Hartnell scored his first goal of the season to knot it at 1. A little over halfway through the period Jason Blake put the Ducks ahead again 2-1. That would be the trend the remainder of the night. Late in the 2nd period Claude Giroux tied it up again at 2. The Flyers had opportunities after that to slap in the goal that would win it, with 10 of their 42 shots on goal coming in the 3rd, but for whatever reason they just couldn't finish on their scoring chances.
Their inability to finish finallly came back to bite them when with a little under 2 minutes to play, Ryan Getzlaf beat Sergei Bobrovsky for a 3rd time on the night to put Anaheim ahead for good 3-2. The Flyers couldn't come up with anything of their own in the waning moments as they dropped their 3rd in a row and fell to 11th in the Eastern conference. Sure, it's still early in the season but I don't think they want to stay that far down in the standings much longer.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Down 2-1 in the NLCS and desperately seeking the win that would even the series again, the Phils turned to Joe Blanton to cook up a good one in game 4. Save for 2 wild pitches in the first inning that lead to an unearned run, he gave the Phils about as much they could have hoped for. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 4 and 2/3rds innings and left the game with the lead thanks to a 4 run Phils 5th, which would have been 5 had Carlos Ruiz only been held at 3rd. He would have gotten through 5 if not for Aubrey Huff's 2 out RBI single, that went just over Blanton's head. Still, Jose Contreras finished the inning without further damage and the Phils just needed their bullpen to hold up to even the series.
Unfortunately because the 39 year old Contreras went 2 innings in game 3, he could not come back out for the 6th inning. Instead Chad Durbin, out of action since September because of the Phils great starting pitching, came in for the 6th and promptly walked the leadoff man before allowing 2 runs on a Pablo Sandoval double to put San Fran back ahead 5-4. Somehow Durbin avoided further damage and sent the game into the 7th at 5-4. Ryan Madson pitched into and out of trouble to keep it at 5-4 heading into 8th. There back to back doubles by Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth tied the score at 5. However, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Carlos Ruiz all failed to get Werth and proved to be the Phils undoing.
Madson got through the 8th as well, thanks to Carlos Ruiz gunning down Andres Torres at 2nd. The Phils didn't score in the top of the 9th so Brad Lidge could not come in to close it out in the bottom of the inning. If they had only been able to score Werth in the 8th, Lidge likely would closed the door on San Fran in the 9th and evened the series at 2. Instead the desperate Phils were forced to go to Roy Oswalt to keep the game tied and he could not, as Juan Uribe slapped a 1 out game winning sac fly as the Phils dropped a heartbreaker 6-5 and fell behind 3 games to 1 in the series. It isn't over yet though as the Phils have their big 3, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels lined up for the final 3 games and are certainly capable of winning out if they can all toss a gem.
Unfortunately because the 39 year old Contreras went 2 innings in game 3, he could not come back out for the 6th inning. Instead Chad Durbin, out of action since September because of the Phils great starting pitching, came in for the 6th and promptly walked the leadoff man before allowing 2 runs on a Pablo Sandoval double to put San Fran back ahead 5-4. Somehow Durbin avoided further damage and sent the game into the 7th at 5-4. Ryan Madson pitched into and out of trouble to keep it at 5-4 heading into 8th. There back to back doubles by Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth tied the score at 5. However, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Carlos Ruiz all failed to get Werth and proved to be the Phils undoing.
Madson got through the 8th as well, thanks to Carlos Ruiz gunning down Andres Torres at 2nd. The Phils didn't score in the top of the 9th so Brad Lidge could not come in to close it out in the bottom of the inning. If they had only been able to score Werth in the 8th, Lidge likely would closed the door on San Fran in the 9th and evened the series at 2. Instead the desperate Phils were forced to go to Roy Oswalt to keep the game tied and he could not, as Juan Uribe slapped a 1 out game winning sac fly as the Phils dropped a heartbreaker 6-5 and fell behind 3 games to 1 in the series. It isn't over yet though as the Phils have their big 3, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels lined up for the final 3 games and are certainly capable of winning out if they can all toss a gem.
SIXERS NEWS
With the Knicks resting Wilson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, and Danilo Gallinari they were no match for the Sixers who closed out their preseason tonight with a win. Andre Iguodala and Jason Kapono each had 20 points, Elton Brand had 16 and 11 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 10 and 11 assists, and Thad Young and Lou Williams were big off the bench with 14 and 18 respectively as the Sixers blew away the Knicks B team 118-91. With the win they finish the preseason at 2-5 and probably with more quetions then answers as they head into the season.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
In a pivotal game 3 matchup of aces it was unfortunately Matt Cain who bested Cole Hamels. Cain tossed 7 scoreless innings while Hamels allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in just 6 innings. Like Roy Halladay in game 1, it was just hard luck that got to Hamels in this one. He had 2 outs in the 4th inning when a walk to Pat Burrell, followed by back to back RBI singles by Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff put the Giants up 2-0. Later in the 5th inning he had 2 outs again when Chase Utley was unable to keep a groundball in front of himself, allowing Aaron Rowand to score from 3rd for a 3-0 lead.
Those 3 runs would be all the Giants would need. Cain was just too good for the Phils today. They did have a few opportunities against him but were unable to capitalize. They had 2 on with 2 out in the 3rd inning, but Chase Utley grounded out. They 2 on with 1 out in 4th but Jimmy Rollins flied out and Raul Ibanez. They put 2 on with 2 out in the 7th for Shane Victorino but after a long at bat he grounded sharply to the 2nd to end the inning and Cain's night. From there the Phils. Finally they had 1 on with 1 out in the 9th but Ibanez grounded into a game ending double play and the Giants had a 2-1 series lead.
This is not the first time the Phils have trailed 2-1 in the NLCS with game 4 on the road, in fact they won the series that last 2 times that happened. They trailed 2-1 in the 1980 NLCS and came back to win 3-2, defeating Nolan Ryan at Houston in game 5. They also trailed the 1993 NLCS 2-1 and came back to win 4-2, winning games 4 and 5 at the then 2 time defending NL champion Atlanta Braves. So the series is far from over and they're just going to have to dust themselves off and come back strong in game 4 tomorrow.
Those 3 runs would be all the Giants would need. Cain was just too good for the Phils today. They did have a few opportunities against him but were unable to capitalize. They had 2 on with 2 out in the 3rd inning, but Chase Utley grounded out. They 2 on with 1 out in 4th but Jimmy Rollins flied out and Raul Ibanez. They put 2 on with 2 out in the 7th for Shane Victorino but after a long at bat he grounded sharply to the 2nd to end the inning and Cain's night. From there the Phils. Finally they had 1 on with 1 out in the 9th but Ibanez grounded into a game ending double play and the Giants had a 2-1 series lead.
This is not the first time the Phils have trailed 2-1 in the NLCS with game 4 on the road, in fact they won the series that last 2 times that happened. They trailed 2-1 in the 1980 NLCS and came back to win 3-2, defeating Nolan Ryan at Houston in game 5. They also trailed the 1993 NLCS 2-1 and came back to win 4-2, winning games 4 and 5 at the then 2 time defending NL champion Atlanta Braves. So the series is far from over and they're just going to have to dust themselves off and come back strong in game 4 tomorrow.
SIXERS NEWS
Micheal Curry subbed in as head coach for Doug Collins, who went to back to Philly with post-concussion symptoms, as the Sixers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 5th preseason game. Andre Iguodala has his best game of the preseason thus far with 19 pts, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Andes Nocioni and Lou Williams came off the bench for 17 and 15 points, respectively, but the Sixers stil lost 111-95. The Cavs 44 points in the paint and 57% shooting from the floor were just too much for the Sixers to overcome.
FLYERS NEWS
Matt Walker, the defenseman the Flyers acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Simon Gagne, is going to need to surgey on his hip and will miss 10-12 weeks. He injured the hip during a fight in the preseason and hasn't played at all so far in the regular season. Even if he was healthy there wa some question as to whether there was even room for him in the Flyer's rotation of defenseman. So losing him now is probably not that big of a deal, but it could be a big deal to add him to the roster when he comes back, especially if the Orange and Black are really hurting defensively.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
When the Phils had to have it from him, Roy Oswalt delivered tonight. He was brilliant, dazzling Giant's hitters through 8 innings in which he allowed just 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 9. Only Cody Ross' 3rd homer of the series in the 5th inning averted a shutout and perhaps even a no hitter. Aside from Roy Halladay's no-no and Cole Hamel's shutout in the NLDS it doesn't get much better than what Oswalt did tonight. That's especially evident when you consider the pressure he was under to do so with the Phils down 1-0 in the series and in a virtual must win scenario. Oswalt didn't just do it with his arm either. He also singled and scored as the Phils offense awakened to the tune of 6 runs on 8 hits and treated the Giants to their first non 1 run game of the postseason.
Early on the Phils had a golden opportunity to get to Jonathan Sanchez right away in the first inning, but Jimmy Rollins bases loaded walk was all they could come up with. The pitching of Oswalt and Sanchez mostly dominated the night from there and it looked like for all the world that Roy would have to throw a shutout to get the Phils the win. Then Ross homered in the 5th to tie it at 1 and panic briefly set in at the Bank. Shane Victorino quickly wiped the sweat off everyone's brows in the home half of the 5th with a leadoff double and run scored on back to back sac flies. Sanchez hung in there and kept it 2-1 through a scoreless 6th but he finally ran out juice in the 7th. There after Oswalt leadoff with a single Sanchez was removed from the game. The Giants bullpen proceeded to implode from there.
Oswalt moved to 2nd via a bunt and then surprisingly scored on a 1 out single by Placido Polanco, after running threw a stop sign at 3rd. From there the Phils executed a double steal before struck out to put 2 on with 2 out for Jayson Werth. Werth was intentionally walked to bring up the struggling Jimmy Rollins to face righty Santiago Casilla. That forced JRoll to turn around and bat lefthanded, which is generally his weaker side, especially season. At this moment though it wasn't weak at all as JRoll got ahead of Casilla and then ripped a bases clearing double to blow the game open. Behind 6-1, the Giants did not resign themselves to loss, but instead kept fighting. It didn't matter though as Oswalt held them off in the 8th and Ryan Madson worked around a walk and a single to close them out in the 9th. Tied at 1-1, the series now shifts to San Francisco for game 3 on Tuesday as Matt Cain and Cole Hamels faceoff.
Early on the Phils had a golden opportunity to get to Jonathan Sanchez right away in the first inning, but Jimmy Rollins bases loaded walk was all they could come up with. The pitching of Oswalt and Sanchez mostly dominated the night from there and it looked like for all the world that Roy would have to throw a shutout to get the Phils the win. Then Ross homered in the 5th to tie it at 1 and panic briefly set in at the Bank. Shane Victorino quickly wiped the sweat off everyone's brows in the home half of the 5th with a leadoff double and run scored on back to back sac flies. Sanchez hung in there and kept it 2-1 through a scoreless 6th but he finally ran out juice in the 7th. There after Oswalt leadoff with a single Sanchez was removed from the game. The Giants bullpen proceeded to implode from there.
Oswalt moved to 2nd via a bunt and then surprisingly scored on a 1 out single by Placido Polanco, after running threw a stop sign at 3rd. From there the Phils executed a double steal before struck out to put 2 on with 2 out for Jayson Werth. Werth was intentionally walked to bring up the struggling Jimmy Rollins to face righty Santiago Casilla. That forced JRoll to turn around and bat lefthanded, which is generally his weaker side, especially season. At this moment though it wasn't weak at all as JRoll got ahead of Casilla and then ripped a bases clearing double to blow the game open. Behind 6-1, the Giants did not resign themselves to loss, but instead kept fighting. It didn't matter though as Oswalt held them off in the 8th and Ryan Madson worked around a walk and a single to close them out in the 9th. Tied at 1-1, the series now shifts to San Francisco for game 3 on Tuesday as Matt Cain and Cole Hamels faceoff.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles came into this afternoon's matchup with the Falcons wondering how good they really were. Atlanta came in having been anointed the best team in the NFC and were simply looking to cement that claim. After 60 minutes of football 2 things were clear. The Falcons were most definitely not the best in the NFC and the Eagles were most definitely back in the conversation for tops in the NFC. The Birds just thoroughly outclassed the Falcons on both sides of the ball from beginning to end. Offensively, Kevin Kolb was near flawlesss throwing for 326 yards and 3 TDs. With Desean Jackson getting knocked out early in the game with a concussion, Jeremy Maclin wound up Kolbs top target with 7 catches for 159 yards and a TD.
Before he left with a concussion Jackson had a pretty explosive day as well with a 34 yard TD catch and 2 carries for 44 yards and a TD. On the whole the Birds piled up 474 yards of offense, 154 rushing and 320 passing, to stun the vaunted Falcon's defense. Defensively the Birds played maybe only their 2nd complete game of the season. They held the rush happy Falcons to just 65 yards on the ground. They also terrorized Matt Ryan most of the afternoon, sacking him 3 times and intercepting him once as he threw for just 250 yards. Like their defense, the Atlanta offense was just out of sync all day long. The Eagles jumped on them early and they never recovered. At the same time they also seemed to have a poor game plan and no real plan B and that cost them dearly as well. It was type of performance of Atlanta that makes you wonder what people ever saw in them in the first place.
It was all Eagles in the first quarter, with Desean Jackson rushing 31 yards for a TD on the Birds opening drive and Kevin Kolb tossing a 34 yard TD pass to him for a quick 14-0 lead. Later a little over halfway through the 2nd quarter Kolb found Maclin for an 8 yard TD pass and a 21-0 lead. Asante Samuel then intercepted Ryan late in the 2nd half and the route was on, or at least it would have been if Kolb had not given the ball right back. Following Kolb's interception, Ryan and the Falcons finally punched it in to cut it to 21-7 at the half. A little over halfway through the 3rd quarter, with Atlanta having cut the lead to 21-10, Kevin Kolb fired his 3rd TD pass of the day, an 83 yarder to Maclin to make it 28-10. Finally in the 4th quarter Tony Gonzalez hauled in a TD pass from Ryan to cut it to 28-17 before David Akers could add a late field to put away an impressive 31-17 win. Ultimately it wasn't as close as that score would indicate.
Before he left with a concussion Jackson had a pretty explosive day as well with a 34 yard TD catch and 2 carries for 44 yards and a TD. On the whole the Birds piled up 474 yards of offense, 154 rushing and 320 passing, to stun the vaunted Falcon's defense. Defensively the Birds played maybe only their 2nd complete game of the season. They held the rush happy Falcons to just 65 yards on the ground. They also terrorized Matt Ryan most of the afternoon, sacking him 3 times and intercepting him once as he threw for just 250 yards. Like their defense, the Atlanta offense was just out of sync all day long. The Eagles jumped on them early and they never recovered. At the same time they also seemed to have a poor game plan and no real plan B and that cost them dearly as well. It was type of performance of Atlanta that makes you wonder what people ever saw in them in the first place.
It was all Eagles in the first quarter, with Desean Jackson rushing 31 yards for a TD on the Birds opening drive and Kevin Kolb tossing a 34 yard TD pass to him for a quick 14-0 lead. Later a little over halfway through the 2nd quarter Kolb found Maclin for an 8 yard TD pass and a 21-0 lead. Asante Samuel then intercepted Ryan late in the 2nd half and the route was on, or at least it would have been if Kolb had not given the ball right back. Following Kolb's interception, Ryan and the Falcons finally punched it in to cut it to 21-7 at the half. A little over halfway through the 3rd quarter, with Atlanta having cut the lead to 21-10, Kevin Kolb fired his 3rd TD pass of the day, an 83 yarder to Maclin to make it 28-10. Finally in the 4th quarter Tony Gonzalez hauled in a TD pass from Ryan to cut it to 28-17 before David Akers could add a late field to put away an impressive 31-17 win. Ultimately it wasn't as close as that score would indicate.
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