Posts Tagged ‘Basketball’

Sixers Win 5 in a Row

February 10th, 2010 by Johnny G | 10 Comments | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

Go Ahead, I dare ya to try and take it!

That’s right you heard it here first. The 76ers have won five games in a row. Don’t look now but the once cellar-dwelling Sixers are now 20-31, leaving them just 4.5 games out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. Before this recent hot streak the Sixers were well on their way to a lottery selection in the upcoming draft at 15-31, with only the New Jersey Nets behind them in the standings.

If you look further into the winning streak the Sixers have beaten the lowly Nets with a record of 4-47, then traveled to New Orleans and beat the Hornets without superstar point guard Chris Paul. Next was their most impressive victory of the streak when they came back from an 11 point second half deficit to beat the surging Houston Rockets. Finally, just last night they trounced the horrendous Minnesota Timberwolves by 22.

The talent level of the teams they have beaten in this recent run is not the best, but for a team of the Sixers caliber, a five game win streak is impressive nonetheless. This recent win streak also causes an issue for many Sixers fan that did not exist just a week ago. Do you continue rooting for the Sixers to lose in pursuit of a lottery pick and the draft rights to Kentucky star point guard John Wall? Or do you root for the Sixers to win and capture that final playoff spot, even though they will certainly be eliminated in the first round after facing Cleveland or Orlando?

The obvious answer is to root for the lottery selection but it is not always that easy. Naturally you want to root for your team to win and for the opportunity to see them succeed, or at least for the Sixers sake, participate in the playoffs.

The constant throughout this win streak is the absence of former star and Philadelphia icon, Allen Iverson. Iverson missed all but the first game of the win streak and the overall energy on the team has been on the rise during his absence. One would think due to the success of the team without him that when Iverson returns to the team it will be in a bench role. How that will go over in the locker room remains to be seen.” The Answer” has averaged 14.4 points since his return to the city of brotherly love but the team has largely struggled since he was acquired.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , ,

It kills me to say this, but Villanova is the truth

November 11th, 2009 by B.J | 7 Comments | Filed in Basketball, College Sports, General

Did you ever have that girl from your neighborhood that you constantly annoyed? Maybe you always told her that she was ugly? Maybe you called her annoying and obnoxious? But why did you make fun of her? Deep down, you loved this girl. No matter how much it burned you to say it, you thought she was attractive. You thought she was a real winner. Welcome to my world, boys and girls. No matter how much it pains me to say this, I have to come clean. As a student at Saint Joe’s, you are constantly told that “Friends don’t let Friends go to Nova”. You hate that they call themselves a “city school” when they reap the benefits of a Main Line location. You hate that they always frown upon the education you receive on City Ave. You hate the idea that they believe that they are God’s gift to the world. And it kills you deep down that they still talk about their National Championship they won on the hardwood almost 25 years ago. But I’ve come to realize that things are changing. I don’t hate Villanova. I’m simply a jealous sports fan. So here it goes…the Villanova Wildcats will get back to the Final Four, and dare I say, are my wildcard pick to win the National Championship this season. Kansas has a deep roster of NBA- ready talent, MSU has a slate of returning starters, and Carolina simply reloaded. But Villanova has the talent and the experience to make the run. And if they did, I would embrace it. Here’s why.

Scottie Reynolds is their leader, their general on the floor. I mean, he’s no Willy Green, but that’s beside the point. Here’s a kid who truly looks like he’s having fun out there on the court. He may not always appear to be the best player out there, but the kid is clutch (maybe you need to see the last shot from the Elite 8 contest with Pitt as a reminder). Now, his game may not translate over to the NBA, but for the system that they operate in Radnor Township, his ability to fly down the court truly makes one believe that Nova can hang with the big boys. But it’s not just Reynolds, it’s Corey Fisher, too. He’s in the same mold as Reynolds, but simply has a better jump shot. Fisher is a kid who was a McDonald’s All-American in high school, only to find himself splitting time with Reynolds during last year’s journey to Detroit. These two will make up the best backcourt in America (and if Jay Wright had his way, he’d probably have 5 starters listed as guards).

They have their role players. Reggie Redding is a stud who is not necessarily known for his offensive abilities. But the kid plays lockdown defense. Now although he’ll miss the first semester due to some… cough…cough…legal problems…cough …cough….Redding will find his way into the starting lineup come January. And believe it when I say it, his ability to immediately step in and provide his abilities will be crucial if the Cats hope of making another run at a trophy. They also have Taylor King. Yep, while SJU is getting transfers from JUCO schools, Nova is picking up 6th men from Duke. Can you understand why some Hawks fans are bitter towards them? King will step in and provide some depth to their front court, an area where they’ll need some improvement if Nova intends on cutting down the nets in Indy this April.

Oh, they have some prime time recruits, too. Maalik Wayns was one of the top 25 high school players in the country last year. A guard out of Roman Catholic, he will be able to provide relief to the efforts of Reynolds and Fisher. Dominic Cheek, a 3-guard out of perennial powerhouse St. Anthony’s, can provide explosiveness at the rim with his powerful ability to finish. Pair this with the services of Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena, returning role players from the 08-09 squad, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

These players are gritty, hard-nosed talents that will do anything to win ballgames. But that’s not even the part of their team that I admire the most. That title would belong to Jay Wright. He’s young, charismatic, and has a personality of a winner (Does the old, bald, and ugly Martelli even compare? Nah, didn’t think so). He has suits that make Frank Sinatra look like a homeless man. He is able to relate with today’s young players. And when you look at the man, the first word that comes to mind is cool. With a coach like that, it makes it easy to root for this particular team. It’s only somewhat of a challenge when that team is Villanova. But even in my case, it’s a no-brainer. That’s why, when push comes to shove, I’ll root for this Villanova team. Because no matter how much I’ll say out loud that this Cats team is ugly, I have the biggest crush in the world.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

$10 for Comedic Relief: A Night with the Sixers

November 10th, 2009 by B.J | 9 Comments | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

After suffering from a serious case of Phillies Withdraw, I have come to realize that I must take up a new hobby to pass the time from now until the start of Spring Training. Between Notre Dame fighting for another trip to the Gator Bowl, the Eagles and their poor clock management, and my beloved St. Joseph’s Hawks basketball team projected to finish 9th in the Atlantic 10 ( with 14 teams in the conference, it could be worse), I have come to the conclusion that something must be done to cure my sports addiction. And no, I’m not a hockey guy. So the natural answer would be the National Basketball Association’s dying local product, your 2009-10 Philadelphia 76ers.

My brother and I decided to go down to the “gut-wrenching” contest on November 6th. Immediately, I knew that the night was going to be a struggle. When asked where we were parking, my brother responded by saying, “Broad and Bigler”. Initially, I was puzzled, because I sure as hell knew it wouldn’t be a mass exodus from the Sports Complex after this one. His reasoning for parking about a mile away from the Wach? He didn’t want to spend more on parking than what he was about to shove out for a ticket. Reasonable excuse, my friend.

We arrived at to the Box Office around 6:45 P.M. Shortly after, we were told that our tickets would not be able to print due to a problem with the Internet Service. I realized that General Manager Ed Stefanski must have traded his internet server for a conditional second round pick in 2023. I found this hard to believe, considering the server was more productive than Samuel Dalembert.  Oh, don’t worry readers, I’ll get back to your main man Sammy D shortly.

After the fiasco with the printers at the box office, we walked into the Wachovia Center at 7:05, which was much to my excitement, considering I wouldn’t have to listen to Public Address announcer Matt Cord announce “Number 9…from the University of Arizona…AN-DRE…I-GU….DALA-DALA-DALA” I would like to take this time now to officially thank the people at the Box Office for managing to screw up the ticket situation and keeping me at the right place at the right time.

Now to the problems with the team/game/product. First off, I truly believe that this organization feels obligated to giving playing time to Samuel Dalembert. Yeah, I know, he’s the most overpaid player in the league. And I know that, at times, human beings are capable of being tricked and/or deceived. But it’s one of those ‘fool me once, shame on you’ type of deals. Sammy stole money from this organization, but we are capable of learning from our mistakes. While Sammy is still grabbing balls of the rim and swatting balls away that have already grazed the rim (with all that money, he could have invested in a few Goaltending for Dummies books), there is a young man by the name of Jason Smith fighting to work his way on to the court. I truly believe that this Smith kid is a bright spot for the future. He’s an athletic big man (who understands goaltending, none the less) who has somewhat of an outside shot and has an eye for the open man.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sixers Embarrassed By Celtics

November 3rd, 2009 by Johnny G | 23 Comments | Filed in General, Sixers

Eddie Jordan

[/caption]

If you took the time out of your night to attend the Sixer’s game on Tuesday night, you should be in line for a refund check from Ed Snyder himself. The final score of this game, as ugly as it is, does not even begin to explain how painful and disgraceful the 76er’s performance was. With a final score of 105-74, the Sixers were dominated in every facet of the game. The Celtics connected on 14 of 20 from 3 point range, meanwhile the Sixers missed their first 15 3 point attempts of the game and did not hit their first 3 until the game was well out of reach in the 4th quarter. At the end of the game the Sixers made 6% of their shots from beyond the arc, which can easily be accomplished by the average middle school student. They were also outscored in every single quarter of this game and unbelievably at one point in the first quarter, actually held an 8 point lead.

Is there any hope for the future? I would like to believe so and I’m sure many Sixers fans would like to do the same but I will simplify this pretty easily. No, there is not. Samuel Dalembert, the team’s starting big man still has yet to understand even the basic rules of the NBA. As each goaltending call and offensive basket interference call are made, the frustration with Dalembert grows. He will occasionally flash signs of brilliance on the defensive end of the floor but will show you why he and his ridiculous contract would not start on almost any other NBA roster with his offensive play. Just last season, his minutes were slashed in favor of the aging Theo Ratliff. Elton Brand, the 76er’s big free agent signing for 2008 looks to be a shell of his former self. After getting an $80 million dollar contract in the summer of 08, he injured his shoulder and took the rest of the season off. To start the beginning of 2009, it is almost as if he is in the way of his other 4 teammates on the offensive end of the floor, even passing up wide open jumpers that were a routine part of his offensive game.

There are some bright spots on the roster if you look to Andre Iguodala, who is the #1 scoring option on this pitiful roster but in reality would be a #2 to #3 scoring option on any real contender. He struggles with his jump shot and is extremely inconsistent but has all the physical tools to play the game. Lou Williams is a talented but unproven point guard who lacks the ability to be a pass-first point guard, which has proven to be the mentality needed to win championships in the NBA.

As this roster is currently constructed, this team has no chance at anything more than an 8th seed in the Eastern Conference and a quick first round exit in the playoffs to any of the big time contenders like the Cavaliers or Celtics. To actually make this team competitive for an NBA championship , all of the horrendous contracts on this team will have to expire, which will take years. My best advice to any Sixers fan would be to enjoy the team for what it is and try to watch the developing young players such as Thaddeus Young and Jrue Holiday. It is sad what this team has become, where you can hear a pin drop at the Wachovia Center during any regular season game. I would say look to the future for better times but even the future looks bleak. As the 4th most popular professional sports team in this city, there won’t be much pressure for improvement and with the Philadelphia Union soccer team’s inaugural season coming up the sixers may be 5th very soon.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes