LeBron'a late scratch ... can the 76ers win 3 straight?

LeBron to sit out Friday's game against Sixers. Under ordinary circumstances you wouldn't give Philly much of a chance 2 win their third straight game 2nite. You figure the Cavs to be pissed after Wednesdays lose and determined not to lose two in a row to the Sixers. But now James is out. This becomes a winnable game? Can they do it?

76ers Embarrass Cavs in Double-Overtime

Iggy was the MAN in the 76ers Double-Overtime Win.This was arguable the Sixers best game of the season. Not just because they beat a winning team. Because they looked like a team. Because they won two games in a row (back 2 back). Because they had 6 guys in double figures. They also defended Lebron James well. Sammy had 10 & 20 (Boards & Points). The rookie Carney scored 18 on efficient 7-10 shooting. They made free throws when it counted (the Cavs downfall). Even sweet Lou Williams played 10 quality minutes. He spelled Miller instead of Ollie.


I know what you saying out there. Yeah But ... they need to lose those games! Well they can't lose them all. Mo played the young players exclusively. That's what you've been clambering for. You can't be upset if they learn how to win.

Sixers Win another game at Home

Sixers 102 Hornets 96 - It got a little ragged at the end but the 76ers hang on to post a W. This was a winnable game. The Hornets are a sub 500 team on the road and missing their star player (Chris Paul). The Sixers sprinted out to a lead and maintained it though out the game. The twin towers line-up was working again. Rod Carney stepped in for an injured Willie Green. I haven't seen the numbers, but I would venture to guess it was a pretty good defensive effort. Perhaps the team is beginning to develop a personality.

Next on the Schedule "The Lebrons"! A home and home series with the Eastern conference leading Cleavland Cavaliers (man that sounds odd to say).

Just a brief comment of the firing of T-wolves head coach Dwane Casey. Like any pro sport. The head coach is the 1st to blame when the team is not winning. You can't fire the players. But Casey was there only two seasons and despite their activity on draft day, The T-wolves didn't give him much to play with. It's KG and Randy Foye (who's still learning the pro game). There had to be something personal here. They brought in his replacement (Randy Wittman) in the off season. Then fire him while he was still in contention for the playoffs! Sure they're in the second tier of western teams, but 20 wins is only 4 games off the pace in the east. Tell me how that makes sense.

The coaching carousel is twirling at full tilt now. Mo Cheeks name has been tossed around more often lately. Particularly since Mr. Snider, in a recent TV interview, did not rule out Larry Brown coaching for the Sixers again . Cheeks is in a really tough position. He doesn't have the players to make the play-offs. Nobody expects his team to win. If Casey can be fired with a winning record ... what chance does he have?

What makes Kevin Durant so special?

What makes Kevin Durant so special? Whatever it is ... I didn't see it today against 'nova. Yea I know he put up 37 the other nite. But all I saw in the 'nova game was a deer caught in the head lights. It looks to me like he still needs to grow into his body. I know there are some casting Durant in the Sixers future plans ... But count me as an unbeliever.

Sixers gain a character win vs. the Heat in OT

I will refrain from any play on words like beating the heat, getting burned and the like. The Sixers could be expected to have their heads down after the shellacking in Memphis. BTW the Grizzles are a better team than their records shows. The up tempo offense they're playing now will pay dividends (if their conditioning improves). You expect the Sixers to lose more than they win. So a bad lose doesn't distress me ('like Ed Snider). But you like to see some character wins like last nite against a road weary opponent. The Sixers blew a 17 point lead. They overcame a bad call in the waining seconds. The basketball gods granted them a reprieve after Andre Miller committed a brainless foul on D.Wade's 3 point attempt. Wade's road weary legs could only managed 2 or 3 free throws. Then the Sixers recover from a slow start in OT to post a 98-95 win (cracking 100 would have been nice).



Mo switched to the twins towers line-up again. I don't know why he doesn't used it more often. It seems to help their interior defense. Didn't help the rebounding however (Sixers got pounded 55-36 on the boards).

Did you see that Pistons vs. T-wolves. I missed the fight that got KG tossed. But Randy Foye was puttin' on a show. But then with 3 ticks on the clock Billups shoots a 3 point dagger into the heart of the short handed T-wolves (sending the game into OT). Damn I hating seeing that smug look on C. Webb's face. All of a sudden he's healthy enough to play 38 minutes and score 16 point without taking 25 shots. I think I'm gonna be sick.

Sixers & Grizz face off in the Geg Oden Sweepstakes 2nite

He's big ... 7 feet 280 pounds.Ohio State freshmen, Greg Oden could be the most coveted draft pick in years. Tonite the Sixers take on the Memphis Grizzles in a battle for 1st place in the NBA lottery and a chance to draft Oden. There is still some question whether he will indeed turn pro. But dreams are all we can hold onto our winter wasteland of sports ineptitude. If they play like they did Monday the Sixers (10-28) will pull into a dead heat with the Grizzles (9-30).
Oden is no Shawn Bradley. He's everyones consensus #1 draft pick. The next Tim Duncan. How sweet would that be. It's a little early to be thinking about this with 44 games to go. But I'm not the only one thinkin' 'bout the draft. Watch teams start tankin' with 20 game left.

GREGODEN.COM | GREG-ODEN.NET | NBA 2007 DRAFT

Sixers no cure for eagles withdrawl syndrome

I am on my way to the Sixer's MLK day matinee this afternoon. My second game this weekend. There was an Eagles game sandwiched in the middle of the long weekend. The Eagles extended play into the post-season has truly been a gift for the Philly sports fans. The insufferable state of the Sixers and Flyers would have provided no refuge from that sick feeling we were feeling weeks ago when the Eagle where trashed by the Colts. But now the fairy tale story is over. That feeling begins to creep back in to my consciousness. Unlike the Eagle run. My team has no hope.

The win Friday nite was treat. The Sixers broke 100. Willie Green goes for 30, including a monster slam in the first half. The 76ers had gotten off to a slow start. As if they did not realize the Bucks start Micheal Redd was not in attendance. They fell back early (4-18), but they finally got the message that the Bucks only inside presence what Brian Skinner. Bogut is a nice player, but no inside presence. After a time-out they began driving to the hoop for slam after slam.

The dark side of Green as your leading scorer is that means he's on the floor more often. Which means defensive breakdowns. Willie was getting schooled by Earl Boykins! They had to switch Andre Miller on 'em. Willie can be explosive going north and south, but his lateral movement is none existent.

Sixers 110 Bucks 97

I can assure you nobody watched 83-89 loss to the Bobcats Saturday (it overlapped with the eagles game). The Bobcats have won 3 straight. That's good for us. The Sixers were getting blown out again, but the Bobcats wouldn't any part of it. The blew their 17 point lead in the 3rd period. But the Sixers came thru with another loss.

IC that C. Webb is heading for Detroit. That would suck if he got a ring after all this ... I hope Chris Bosh doesn't but up 30 on us today.

Good-bye-out C.Webb

They say the wheels of progress moves slowly. Nothing could be more emblematic of that than the dis-construction the 76ers. Most fans agree this latest move, the buyout of Chris Webber, was long overdue. The latest failed chemistry experiment by the mad scientist doctor king has been discarded. Good-bye Chris Webber. Good luck on your quest for a contender. The price may be right, but I'm not so certain about the buyers.

The Sixers seem to be moving in slow motion these days. The 98-89 loss to the Pistons was like a Chinese water torture. They fell further and further behind ... drip ... drip ... drip as Detroit continued to execute their offense with surgeon like precision. Now that they are just a bunch of young players the Sixers blemishes are beginning to show. Like the spots on Micheal Barkan's head in super-slo-mo on an 10 foot HD screen they stand out. Iggy is still too timid to be the primary scoring option and the effort seems to be taking a lot out of him. He has no legs by the end of the game. Kyle Kover's weaknesses became clearer as he was effectively out muscled in the Pistons game and showed little ability to create space between himself and the defender in the Knicks game (a 106-99 loss) . And the make shift line-ups Cheeks has been putting on the floor leads us to question his thinking. The whole team was never really in the game. The 3rd period collapse last nite was foreseeable. Our strangle hold on the seller position seems intractable.

The Grizzles (9-27) and BobCats (10-23) are helping out. Memphis blew out the Lakers the other day for their 9th win and Charlotte beat Detroit (on the road no less) for their 10th. Let's hope they both get continue to get better ... so we don't have to be so bad.

Garnett's buzzer-beater in OT sends Sixers home

Garnett's buzzer-beater sinks Sixers in overtime. So I'm watching Sixers in overtime. Iguodala had just missed horribly on his attempt to break the 102 tie in the waining seconds of the game. I was think'n it had been a long road trip and it showed in his weary legs. Apparently all the Sixers were road weary. How do you not double or triple team KG on that play?

Larry Brown named Executive Vice President

Larry Brown Executive Vice President. Billy King has confirmed what we already know. That he talks to Larry Brown about personnel matters. My question is this; How can Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Tony DiLeo not take this move as a slap in the face. He been with the Sixers for over a dozen years and is supposed to be the personnel guy. It this a demotion?

Sixers fade in second half, fall to Jazz

Boy that was close! The Sixers fade in second half, and fall to the Jazz in the second of back to back road games. This would be a tough game for any team, but they played well in the first half. I was getting concerned they might win it. The Grizzles win in a old fashion shoot-out 144-135 over the Warriors.

Riley to Take Medical Leave of Absence

HEAT head coach Pat Riley to Take Medical Leave of Absence. I have said it before and I will say it again. Pat Riley is fraud!
Once again he is bailing out on his team ... until they improve.

Sixers beat A.I. and the Nugg-ettes

So the Sixers beat the Nuggets last nite. I don't think anyone has a problem with that. Whether you think (1) AI got his just deserts for poppin' off before that game, (2) your happy the current Sixers where determined to show AI that they could play, or (3) you 're just a player hater you where happy with the outcome of this game.

It was a game they were supposed to win. The back court combo of Iverson and Boykins has to be the most height challenged (I can't midget right) on record. The Sixers posted them up early and often. The Nuggets are giving up over 100 points game and the Sixers were no exception (Sixers 108 Nuggets 97).
Kyle Korver said "For us, it was just good to get back to just playing basketball. I saw him in the other team's jersey and said that was just weird, but after that we just played. I got four layups tonight on dump-down passes; I never got those before. Andre and Andre got 20 assists between them, and that's great basketball. We're running sets, going to options, stuff we've never done."

The Sixers are now 9-22. Two games behind Memphis (7-25) for the Greg Olden sweepstakes. The Sixers are now on par with perennial seller dwellers Atlanta (9-20) and Charlotte (9-22).

Happy New Era?

Happy New Era! Looking forward to the new (rebuilding) 76ers? Kobe Carries Lakers Past 76ers 104-94". The Sixers are 1-3 so far on this defining left coast road trip. I am trying to adjust. This is what is to be expected this new year. They get blown out a few games. They struggle to stay in games. Then out of nowhere they win one like they did in Portland (a flawed team). Where Iggy takes over the game (32 PTS, 5 RB, 5 AST, 5 STLS) and give you a bit of hope. I am trying to adjust with all the things that accompany losing. I must keep reminding myself there is a lottery pick at the end of this season's anguish.

But its a New year out with the old and in with the new. AI is gone but not forgotten. Webber may be gone soon. He has been as much a distraction as AI. C.Webb has not accepted that fact that he can no longer play. The often injured forward cannot accept his role as mentor. The Sixers are looking to buyout the rest of his contract. Addition by subtraction. Welcome to the new era!

Inevitably the coaching will be questioned. Cheeks demeanor doesn't really give us any insight as to his competence for the job. But they are losing (as prescribed), the head coach is the first to blame. The Grizzles, the only team worse than the Sixers, have fired their head coach. The calls for Cheeks head will continue (the blogsphere is full "Cheeks can't coach" posts, see passion & pride for an example), but the calls will not likely be appeased. He will be here as long as Billy King is GM.

To punctuate matters, the Sixers play AI in Denver tonite. AI vs his old team. AI vs AI2. Considering the 76ers road record, Almost certainly a loss. GO AI2. Happy New Era!