Fo-Fi-Fo

April 1983 Moses Malone and the 76ers begin their "Fo-Fo-Fo" run to their their NBA title, with a win over New York. The run eventually became "Fo-Fi-Fo" with a second round loss to the Bucks, before a sweep of the Lakers in the Finals.

Whoa what happened to Sammy D?

One of the downsides of being at the game (at least from were I sit) is you don't get the injury report during the game. So you have to understand my concern when  Dalembert hobbled off the court with the help of several teammates just before the end of the 1st half. The Sixers win over the hapless Wizards was neither unexpected nor spectacular.

The fact that we are concerned about losing Sammy is a bit of a turnaround. If this were November the concern would not be the same. But Sammy was coming off his best performance of the season  (a victory over Yao Ming and the Rockets). And the Sixers (knock on wood) were healthy. A key ingredient for any successful season. The Wizards are a testament to how far a team can fall when the injury bug hits.

So yes ... I was concerned about Sammy. It's just a sprained ankle. Which is a day to day kinda thing.
But with Sammy done for the day,  I did get a chance to see E.B. at the center spot. I have to say that he is a very good defender. Very active on the boards and blocking shot (4 BLKS). I like the idea of Brand playing the 5 when the 76ers go small.

But I don't know if there is much you can take away from the ragged win over the Wizards. Best to say ... a win is a win. The first of 7 straight home games. It'd be nice to go 5-2 over this stretch and clear the .500 bar for good.

Get well soon Sammy.

Cheeks drops 21 dimes

October 1982 Maurice Cheeks hands out 21 assists - tying a franchise record - against New Jersey at the Spectrum.

Wow ... that was unexpected

Wow ... the 76ers comeback on the road to beat the Rockets 95-93 ... that was unexpected.

Iggy was the man last nite (20 points) ... coming up with the clutch (yes, I mean clutch) jumpshot with less than a minute left to put the Sixers up by 4. That was unexpected after the disappointing performance in N'Orleans. Heck, I'm sure many would never expect that rainbow jumper to find twine in the clutch.

Iggy ... you are the man!

You know what else was unexpected ... E.B. gettin' in the mix last nite. Playin' some Sixers ball ... blocking 6 shots ... posting 14 points ... and on the scoring end of a fastbreak (yes really). 

Sammy D's defense last nite was unexpected. He was part of the Sixers block party, swatting 4 of the Sixers 12. I particularly liked the way he defended Yao Ming. He was monster. Pushin' 'em around ... knocking him off the block ... keepin' 'em off balance. And that defensive switch at the end to challenge T. Mac was arguable the game winning play. Lets face it ... we all know Sammy has the potential to dominate a game. We just don't know when to expect it. But his defense has markedly improved since the coaching change. Perhaps he has gotten the message "Sammy ... Slammin' Sammy is just a nickname! Your here to play defense!".

Sixers go back to the throwbacks

 Kudo's to Ricky @Sixers 4 guidos - Sixers are going back to the old logo and uniforms | Madd Props to Ricky and all the fans that have pressed the organization to reconsider the Sixers uniforms. Going back to the old red & whites with blue trim next year is frickin' awesome!

  
Now on to Ricky's latest campaign ... retire Moses Malone's number ... he is already in the hall of fame. Shouldn't his number be retired?

Too Much CP3

 Paul owns the Sixers, stalls their quest for a record above .500  (Liberty Ballers) - Yea Chris Paul used and abused the 76ers last nite. I saw the game as too much CP3, not enough Iggy. The officiating was one sided in favor of the home team. But Igoudala just let it take him out of his game.

I thought we had gotten past that. Sometimes you don't get the calls. Get over it! The Sixers collapsed in the second half  'cause Iggy took himself out of the equation, the defense lapsed and the offense stunk ... a loss ensued.

T'was simple as that.

76ers beats Knicks again ... Brand returns

So the 76ers beat the Knicks for the 3rd time this season ... this time with E.B. Brand only played a little over 13 minutes. So he did not have a major impact on the game ... either positively or negatively. The game went as one might expect. The Knicks are putting it up pretty well nowadays, but their defense still stinks. So you expect the Sixers to win a high scoring game, Sixers 116 Knicks 110.

What I did not expect was the Jekyll and Hyde articles Kate Fagan littered the inquirer with yesterday. I got the feelin' the break last week gave her too much free time and she filled it by writing mindless articles pondering wether Brand is the right fit.

Brand's the right fit ... No! he's not!

Jeez! ....  What a lame attempt to fill space. The Eagles are done and nobody in Philly wants to talk much Steelers vs Cardinals. So lets stick in some played out arguments about the Sixers and E.B. That's not to say the arguments had no validity. Its just incredulous for the same reporter to write both sides.

The season must play itself out before we can reach a verdict on Brand. The Sixers appear to be a playoff contender. Lets see if they can get past the first round. As E.B. said "It's not as if they won a championship".

Time for Brand to get on the bus

 Phil Jasner says "One way or another, Brand will fit in with Sixers" | Phil raises several good points. One point is very clear to everyone ... the Sixers must play fastbreak basketball to win and Brand must find a way to fit in. Their recent surge has refueled expectations for this season. Mo Cheeks is gone. There is no turning back.
Brand is in un-chartered territory. But we all know he is a smart player. The injury has given him the chance to see how the Sixers do it. Now just do it. Rebound ... start the break ... get down the floor as fast as you can ... fill the lane ... look for an offensive rebounds on the other end ... and then look for the post up or the mid range jumper. This is basketball ... not rocket science.

E.B. will start from the bench in his return, but we expect him back in the starting line-up as soon as he gets his sea legs. Working on the minutes will be a challenge, but its the type of problem you like to have. I'd like to see Brand at center more when the Sixers play small ball. So Thad Young can do his thing.

Here's to a win over the Knicks tonite. The Phillies World Series trophy will be in the house ... come on E.B. get on the bus and ride.

Toney Scores 25 in 4th Qtr.

March 1982 Andrew Toney scores 25 fourth quarter points against the Celtics, setting a franchise record for most points in a single quarter. Hence the moniker 'The Boston Strangler'!

Darn you Dirk!

That Monday matinee loss to the Mavs stung a bit. Notching that win and the upcoming game against the Knicks and they would be in solid .500 territory.

But the streak had to end eventually. The MLK day game always seems to be an anomaly. A 1 PM start on a Monday. There are a lot more kids at the game. I was there with my niece. The kids are more excited to be there than to care about the score. Cheers spring up at odd junctures. It is liberating to be allowed to scream out loud with impunity.

Both teams played very sloppy. The Sixers didn't really show up until that last minute surge to tie the game. But Dirk Nowitzki had his motor going in the 2nd half and the Sixers had no answer.

That shot at the buzzer really sucked.:(

Last NBA playoffs game 7 at the Spectrum

April 1981 Darryl Dawkins and the 76ers defeat Milwaukee 99-98 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the last time a Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs would be played at the spectrum.

76ers knock of Knicks for 7 straight wins

Iggy had 20 points in the 1st half. That includes another acrobatic 3 point shot at the buzzer to end the half and help the Sixers to a 2 point lead. He finished the game with 28. But clearly Dos Andre's just put the team on their back on the second nite of back to back games and carried the team for a win.

The Sixers managed only a few faskbreak points in the 1st half. But the pressure was there. Constantly challenging your opponent to defend in transition doesn't look like its has an effect. But it does. The Knicks' game quickly eroded to the pressure in the 3rd period. The Sixers started to score more points on the break and Knicks basketball was content with just jackin' up shots ... missing about 8 in a row at one stretch. it could have been another laugher had the Sixers shot better at the charity stripe

But true to the math that is Mike D'Antoni basketball .. jack-up enuff 3 point shot attempts per minute and you can be competitive ... even if you shoot below the NBA average. The Knicks made a couple of runs but the Sixers continued to plug away with confidence

The Knicks close to within 3 in the 4th ... the Sixers continue to plug away with confidence. They pull away again to win the game by 10, 107-97. It was not as pretty as recent games, but it was a great defensive effort. That may not be easily apparent but ... the Knicks are sixth in the league in scoring at 103 points a game. On offense ... Knick opponents give up 106 points a game. So we helped them keep up their average.:)

Yo dude ... the Sixers are a .500 ball club. Who's next?

Sixers Spank Spurs for Six Straight

San Antonio 79  vs. Philadelphia 106 | It suffices to say that I had a good feeling about this one. The 76ers had outplayed San Antonio so much that head coach Greg Popovich pulled most of his starters to fight another day with more than 8 minutes left in the 4th period.

What happened ... Young Thad happened.

Thaddeus Young toasted the Spurs for 27 points. It did not matter how they played him. Young was on fire ... scoring on the run ... hitting the 3 pointer ... scoring with his back to the basket! At one point in that game the Spurs double teamed Thaddeus Young. Think about that ... the Spurs were compelled to double team Thaddeus Young.

The Sixers defense has picked up and is contributing to the fastbreak game. Holding the Southwest division leader to less that 90 points, while scoring over 100 and out scoring their opponent in fastbreaks (the Sixers scored 30+ fastbreak points).

The stars come out at nite.

Jamie Fox, who is in town shooting a movie, took in the Sixers game. World champion Phillies Jimmy Rollins and Jason Werth added to the game's star power.

76ers need to beat Spurs to extend streak to 6

 Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs Philadelphia 76ers - So why would you think the 76ers can't extend their win streak to 6 ... the San Antonio Spurs? Everyone expected a little more out the Trail Blazers Wednesday nite. But the Sixers beat Portland handedly ... building a 20+ lead by halftime and winning the game by 21. You can't just write they game off 'cause the Blazers were on the road. The Blazers are a .500 road club and they beat Chicago on the road Monday. You have to give my boys some credit to mystify the bevy of young talent on the Blazers in form of Aldridge, Roy and Oden. They all didn't have a bad nite.

So why can't their spirited play continue against the Spurs. Perhaps their motor has finally kicked in. The Sixers haven't been able to get things going until after January for the last two seasons. If you look at it that way ... they are ahead of schedule.

Besides they could have won the game in San Antonio (Spurs hit a shot at buzzer) and the Spurs could have a let down after a win over the Lakers at home last nite. And don't forget the huge comeback win they staged at home against the Spurs last year season (Sixers win 103-96, Miller 32pts).

Also, there's the possibility that E.B. could log some minutes tonite. That's probably another blog entry to ponder the implications of that.

Anyhow ... I'm not saying the game's a lock, but you gotta give them better than even money to win. The line is 76ers +3.

Dr. J's amazing reverse layup in the finals

June 1980 Julius "Dr. J" Erving pulls off a reverse layup during the NBA Finals that Magic Johnson later calls "the all-time greatest" play he had ever seen in a game.

Bibby records 1st 4 point play at the Spectrum

Note: 4-point plays have been recorded 23 times since Bibby's. Bibby did it only once. Allen Iverson leads all Sixers (he did it 9 times).. Player to record 4-point plays more than once include  Barkley, Hornacek, McKie and Igoudala.

March 2, 1980 Henry Bibby records the first four-point play in 76ers history with a three-pointer and a free throw during a 144-99 win.

76ers take care of business ... extends streak to 4

Brian summed it up nicely (TCB In ATL (Depressed Fan)) ... the Sixers took care of business Sunday afternoon. I caught the game last nite on Tivo. One of their more impressive performances this season. Sorry fellas, like most of the delaware valley yesterday I was watching the Eagles vs G-men playoff game when the Sixers took the court. Donny Mac called in to check the Sixers score during the game.
The 76ers played as advertised ("Run with us") ... streaking down the court on every opportunity. Iggy seems extremely comfortable at the up tempo speed (27 points, nine assists). His drive from coast to coast was sweet. 'Dre miller followed suite a moment later. The Sixers just ran and ran to score easy buckets. The had a fastbreak on a made basket ... that created turn-overs for fastbreaks. They also committed a few more turnovers (21), but it did not hurt them yesterday. And they were the kind of turn over that can be corrected.

Young Thad was active again on both ends of the court. They called his number again .. and he responded (22 points, 3-4 from 3FG). Speights had another spectacular showing (12 points, 8 boards) ... and they had the block party going ... (Sammy blocked 4, Speights 1).

The Sixers can continue their January streak with a win at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Buckle your seat belts!

Sixers outlasts Brown's Bobcats for 3 straight wins

It was a lite crowd Friday nite as the Sixers hooked up with Larry Brown's Charlotte Bobcats. In their prior meeting this season the shorthanded Bobcats  (Richardson was injured) shot better than 50% from the 3 point line (8-14). The Sixers lost the game in Charlotte 84-93 primarily because of the disparity in 3 point shooting (the Sixers where 3-16) ... or perhaps it's a disparity in 3 point defense.

In Friday's tilt the Bobcats started out hot from the 3 point line scorching the Sixers for 5 3's' early in the 1st half. But they finished the game 5-16. They only committed 15 turn-overs for the game, but they came in bunches in the 3rd quarter when the Sixers took control of the game. The Sixers outscored them 20-4 on fastbreaks and swatted 7 blocks (Sammy had 4 and Speights had 2).

Such is the plight of losing teams. I'm glad the Sixers did not take the opportunity to play down to their level, again.

 

Thad Young went off in the third period! Scoring 9 of his 15 points in the period. That's something I'd like to see more of. Andre Miller is great, but the Sixers offense is stale if he's the one posting up and taking most of the shots. They Sixers started that game posting Miller up against the Bobcats Sean Singletary. But in the third period they isolated Thad in the post. I think it's time to asked Young to do more in the offense. He capable. Why not?

Let's keep the streak going against Atlanta on the road Sunday afternoon.

Dawkins shatters 2nd backboard

December 1979 Darryl Dawkins - shown here with one of his patented dunks - shatters his second backboard of the season, this time at the spectrum. Note: Double D was also know has "Chocolate Thunder"!

Sixers win 2nd in back to back games

Philadelphia 110 - Milwaukee 1-5 |  Rollout the old puns ... It's Miller Time. Andre Miller took over the game last nite ... in the home place of the Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee. The  stat line reads 28 points (lead all scorers), 9 rebounds (Sixers High), 6 dimes and a lot of street savvy play that doesn't show up in the box score. Miller even hit couple of 3's and sold popcorn at half time. He is a really great player that often doesn't get enough credit.

It's important for the Sixers for win games against the mid and lower tier teams. Particularly after a stellar win against a top tier team the nite before. There are a lot of home game coming up. After returning from a 1-5 road trip the Sixers play 8 of 13 at home. A good run could bring them up to .500.

Points are up the last two games. They have posted 100+ in each. Fast-breaks are up, they shot better from the 3 point line last nite and they made their free throws. Consistent defense remains a problem. I think the addition of Royal Ivey has help extend the Sixers perimeter defense, but the Bucks just drove to the hoop win Theo was not in the game. Theo has been getting some minutes lately. It refreshing to see the defensive tenacity that help send the Sixers to the finals in '01. I hope it rubs off on his teammates.

"Give back the money!"

Sixers knock off Rockets - I was in attendance last nite as the Sixers got the fastbreak going to run the Rockets out of the gym. The final  score was 104-96.

Iggy scored 20+ points in his fourth straight game. During the game Iggy drives into the lane, falls and tosses up an awkward shot, but is fouled.

"Give back the Money!"

Someone jeered from the crowd. Igoudala lifts himself off the floor and walks to the line. He clanks his first attempt off the rim.

"Give back the Money!"

The heckler shouted. Drawing more chuckles from the crowd. Iggy steps to the line again and misses the second free throw attempt as well.

"Give back the Money!"

The heckler responded. Echoing a sentiment among many Philly fans that Andre Igoudala is overpaid for what he's demonstrated so far this season. I'm a Igoudala fan, but I have to admit that I share some of that sentiment.

Iggy's posted some of the most un-impressive 20+ scoring games I can remember. All I remember is that 18 foot jumper with an exaggerated motion that he consistently clanks off the rim. He manages to score 20+ on put backs and transition buckets, but in the half court he gets stuck taking that 18 footer that nobody respects. So for many fans ... Andre can't do it in the clutch. The turn-over under pressure don't help either .... the Denver game come to mind.

But any kind of win for my Sixers is welcome. I'd rather Iggy score 20+ on 20 shots that not at all.