Sixers Pull Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde To Tie Celtics

This was the best Sixers' playoff game I have watched since Iverson and Vince Carter were having dueling 50 point games in 2001 conference semifinals.  The Sixers started off the game on a cold streak that seemed likely to sink the series within the first 3 minutes of the game.  The Celtics picked up right where they left off  in game 3, which was running the court at will.  Brandon Bass played the role of Kevin Garnett scoring 10 in the first quarter and 13 for the half.  Rajon Rondo was also picking the Sixers apart, setting up his teammates to lead them to a 14-0 start.  Rondo ended up with 9 points and 9 assists for the half.  Paul Pierce was hot, running off of screens and knocking down every shot in his sight scoring 12 in the half.  The Sixers offense was anemic to put it mildly.  This was easily the worst first half of the season for the Sixers.   They shot 23 percent from the field and missed a total of 8 free throws.  They were down 15 because they could not hit open shots or get out on the break after misses and turnovers.



The second half started off with much of the same as the Celtics built their lead to 18.  However, the Sixers showed resilience by playing lock down defense for the rest of the game.  Anchored by Lavoy Allen's defense on Kevin Garnett, who looked like he had nothing left for Lavoy.  KG was not his all star self and I am not sure some if it has to do with him being in his 16th season or if it was because Doug Collins matched him up with Lavoy.  Lavoy's play was stellar all game, limiting KG to 3 for 12 shooting and 9 points.  He made a valiant effort to keep him from catching the ball in the lane and turning and elevating for the shot.  Lavoy also did not allow KG many open shots.

Charles Barkley: "San Antonio is a gold mine for Weight Watchers"

Sir Charles Barkley is at it once again. Last night after the Spurs victory wrapping up the series against the Clippers, the cast of Inside the NBA on TNT was at it again. Ernie Banks, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Sir Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal went on to discuss moving out of the Atlanta studios and being on site for the Western Conference Finals in San Antonio.

It did not take long before Barkley took some jabs at the city of San Antonio. Barkley starts off with stating there are some "big ol women down there," and proceeds with "Victoria is a secret down there." Barkley had Smith shaking his head, and Shaq busting up laughing. 

I think the best line was when Barkley stated, "San Antonio is a gold mine for Weight Watchers...it's a mother load down there." It was definitely one of the funniest segments on any pre or post game show I have ever seen live. What made the entire segment so great was how hard Shaq was laughing, you could tell it was real. Also, another great part of the segment was watching how frustrated Smith became with Barkley's comments. 

Unfortunately nba.com will not let me post the video on this blog, they want traffic directed to their site. Click here and you will be taken straight to the video, watch a quick Hyundai sponsored ad and your golden from there.

When I watched it live I couldn't stop laughing. Last night proves once again why Inside the NBA on TNT is the best pre and post game show of any of the four major sports. Enjoy the video, I know I did. 

TNT's Shirt-Off Inspires 76ers Fan

If you did not happen to catch TNT's Inside the NBA Shirt-Off on Tuesday night, you missed another reason why this pre and post game show is one of the best on television. Aside from one of the best crews assembled lead by Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, and Sir Charles Barkley, they tell it like it is while rarely holding back, and always add something wild to the show.

Tuesday night was the highly anticipated Shirt-Off which featured Shaq versus Charles both taking off their shirts in studio displaying their new slim physiques. The video is posted below and is definitely worth a watch.

Unfortunately the Shirt-Off made its way to Philadelphia last night as you can see from the picture above, before Game 3 of the Sixers-Celtics series. TNT cameras were rolling when one Sixers fan decided to show off his goodies for the world to see. I was in the middle of putting away a burrito when I saw this fan live and immediately lost my appetite. At first glance I was not sure if he was mooning the camera but after close examination with the DVR, it is clear this fan does indeed have an ass crack where his stomach used to be.

This Sixers fan is the victim of too many cheesesteaks, Tastycakes, and God knows what else. As Sir Charles would say, "There is too many fat asses out there." Like I said, the video below is worth the watch.

Sixers Dig Deep and Take Game 2

Tough game on the eyes once again but the Sixers won in the end.  A strong game by Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala lead the Sixers.  Jrue had 18 points, 3 assists, and most importantly 1 turnover to lead the Sixers.  He had timely baskets in clutch situations and a less than ideal turnover in the next play.  His youth has a tendency to come out in the most inconvenient times but it was outweighed by his shooting and his teammates ability to step up.  Evan Turner had big buckets in the 4th quarter showing Doug Collins that he made the right decision in leaving him in the game.  Lou had arguably his best all around game in the playoffs with some decent defense, for Lou that is, on Rajon Rondo.  Rondo had his normal 13 assists.  Lou seemed to do a better job than Jrue keeping Rondo out of his normal rhythm and kept good care of the ball with no turnovers.  He played a solid 39 minutes off the bench.  The Celtics fell into deep slumps where they could not hit anything.

#Hashtag of the Day: #IllTradeBoozerFor

Carlos Boozer of the Chicago Bulls played so horendously last night that Bulls fans woke up angry.  Below are some funny tweets with the above-metioned tagline:

#IllTradeBoozerFor the Krabby Patty Secret Formula

— Tristan (@tristanyv) May 11, 2012

#IllTradeBoozerFor Lebron's hairline.

— Grandad (@GrandadJFreeman) May 11, 2012

#IllTradeBoozerFor 42 cents and half a left shoe.

— Luke Kligis (@Kligis) May 11, 2012

#IllTradeBoozerFor A piece of gum ....underneath a school desk

— DammmHeFly ♕(@ImTooSwavey) May 11, 2012

With Derrick Rose out with a torn ACL, the pressure fell on power forward Carlos Boozer. Boozer pulled down 13 boards, but that was the lone bright stat from last night's game. He went 1 for 11 from the field for 3 points, and only made it to the foul line once. Due to his lack of everything, Boozer only played 27 minutes in the game and accrued 3 turnovers in that time.

Sixers Complete Upset of Shorthanded #1 Seed

Yea, it was about that tough.

As a Philly sports fan I prepare myself for anything.  And as history dictates, I was preparing myself for the worst and hoping for the best.  For the first time in recent history the city of Philadelphia and the Sixers were rewarded.  Iguodala, who had a aggravatingly sub par year from the stripe, made two pressure free throws to win the game.  I am elated that the Sixers chose the playoffs as a time to pull out close games.  This is when it counts most, right?

The first half was exactly as I would have diagrammed it if I were Doug Collins.  The Bulls put forth a valiant effort, but just could not keep up with the Sixers' defense in the first.  Luol Deng had a strong first half with 10, but was forced to sit when an errant elbow cracked his face open.  He was assisted by spark plug and St. Joe's nemesis, John Lucas,III .  The Bulls ran the same screen and go play 4 straight times down the floor and it led to Jon Lucas scoring a quick 7 points.  The frountcourt of the Bulls played very aggressively and physically.  Leading to 14 points for Taj Gibson, 10 for Omer Asik.  Asik had a career game with highs for points and rebounds(9).

The energy of the Bulls was admirable but the Sixers could not miss it seems in the first half.  The Bulls decided to go under screens for Jrue Holiday and Jrue took the shot when it was given to him.  He led the team with 12 in the half.  Iguodala decided to go shot for shot with Deng in this game to go along with some decent defense.  Deng had 19 on .500 shooting but most of his shots were on put backs, and that is reflected in his gaudy number of rebounds(17).  Lou Williams got off in the second quarter scoring 11 points.  Lou took his defensive assignment seriously tonight.  He countered some shaky decisions with 3 steals that led to some easy baskets that always works wonder for his jump shot.

Chris ''Birdman" Andersen in the Middle of Child Porn Scandal

Chris Andersen, more notably known as "Birdman" is in the middle of a child pornography scandal. While no charges have yet to be filed, sheriffs from the Douglas County Internet Crimes Against Children's Unit searched Andersen's home Thursday afternoon, confiscating computers, hard drives, and thumb drives that are believed to be connected to the case. The Internet Crimes Against Childrens Unit is responsible for investigating child porn, Internet luring, child predators, and child pornography. Authorities said Andersen was very cooperative when answering his door and letting investigators enter his home.

Police have been investigating Andersen since February after receiving information from a law agency in California. Andersen lives about 40 miles south of Denver, and has been absent from the entire playoff series against the Lakers. The Nuggets have since excused Andersen from all team-related activities indefinitely.

This is a very sad and twisted story that still has many questions left unanswered. What makes Andersen's case even more sad is that he was extremely involved in the Denver and New Orleans communities, especially when it came to underprivileged children. He raised money for Mount Saint Vincent, a home for troubled and abused children. Andersen was also involved with Alliance for Choice in Education, which provides scholarships for low-income families to use in private schools.

Investigators are reporting that it could possibly take several weeks to a month to collect evidence from from the seized items taken from Andersen's home. I will continue to update as the details emerge.