Sixers Win Despite Terrible Start

With the 5th seed in sight, the Sixers took on the Minnesota Timberwolves last night at the Wach. DEspite only scoring 37 points in the first half and finding themselves down by 6 at the break, the Sixers were able to take control in the 4th and ride the young buck, Thaddeus Young to victory.   A tale of two halves if you will.

Young scored 29 points and Andre Miller had 15 to lead the 76ers to a 96-88 win over the revamped Timberwolves on Wednesday night.  Revamped meaning that Kevin McHale decided it would be a good idea to get some of his bench guys a start.  He sat the entire starting 5 and went with an unusual starting five in; Brian Cardinal, Rodney Carney, Craig Smith, Kevin Ollie, and Bobby Brown.

With the win the Sixers (37-33) pulled within a half-game of the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference standings. The Heat lost 90-88 at Indiana on Wednesday.

Sixers Get Robbed in Dirty Jerz

Ok so Devon Harris didn’t walk (since when is 5 steps legal), or a self pass (loses it mid air, lands, grabs it again and shoots), or is the clock operator getting paid to fix this game, CRIPES.  In the longest 1.8 seconds known to man, Devon Harris does the unthinkable… Have a look for yourself:

From a friend of a friend:
I just watched the replay on ESPN; there’s NO way he was able to do all that in 1.8; he definitely traveled, too. Do the refs have their own time kept? Nothing the Sixers can do; hope that doesn’t come back to haunt them later in the season.

A Trade in the Making?

Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers in a Possible Three Team Deal

From a source:

A three team deal is in the works between the Houston Rockets, YOUR Philadephia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Clippers.  The deal would include the following:

• Houston Rockets receive Andre Miller and the expiring contract of Brian Skinner
• Los Angeles receive Samuel Dalembert, Ron Artest and Rafer ‘Skip to my Lou’ Alston
• YOUR Philadephia76ers receive Baron Davis and Marcus Camby

right click and ‘view image’ to enlarge

Hey according to the ESPN Trade Machine, it works.  God I hope this happens, as much as I like Andre Miller, I would love to see Baron Davis running this offense.  Imagine the starting lineup of Baron Davis, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, the rook Mareese Speights, and Marcus Camby.  Look out Boston, you got something to worry about in the Atlantic now. PULL THE TRIGGER STEFANSKI!

Elton Brand to Return to the Sixers on Saturday

Elton Brand’s long-awaited return to the Philadelphia 76ers will be on hold until at least Saturday.

Brand dislocated his right shoulder December 17th and worked out on the court before Monday’s game against Dallas. He was placed on the inactive list for the 16th consecutive game. Coach Tony DiLeo said Brand most likely will play Saturday against the New York Knicks.

The 76ers are 9-6 without Brand and have won a season-best seven straight games entering Monday. They were 11-14 when the 6-foot-8 forward was sidelined.

Dirk’s Buzzer Beater ends Sixers Streak

Despite missing 13 of his first 14 shots and 16 of 23 overall, the seven-foot forward hit a turnaround 17-foot jumper over Reggie Evans at the buzzer to give the Dallas Mavericks a 95-93 victory against Philadelphia, snapping the 76ers’ season-high seven-game winning streak.   Nowitzki received the inbounds pass with 4.3 seconds left and spun around the 6-foot-8 Evans to deliver the game-winning shot.

Nowitzki finished with 24 points, Jason Kidd had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Jason Terry added 20 for the Mavericks (24-17).

Lou Williams scored 25 points, while Andre Iguodala had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers (20-21), who are trying to climb above .500 for the first time since Nov. 23 when they were 7-6.

Andre Miller added 12 points for Philadelphia, whose four-game home winning streak ended.

Sixers Win in Milwaukee

Andre Miller’s  3-pointer over Michael Redd with 28 seconds left helped the Philadelphia 76ers hold on for a rare road win Wednesday night, 110-105 over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Miller led the Sixers, finishing with 28 points and 9 boards and 6 assists.  With only 49 seconds left, Miller went down the floor and Redd barely reacted, looking for a pick and expecting a drive when Miller pulled up and answered with a 3 to push the lead to 107-103 and seal the deal.

Lou Williams scored 12 points and Thaddeus Young 10 for the Sixers. Milwaukee got 26 points from Charlie Villanueva, 18 in the second quarter, 20 from Redd and 11 from Ridnour.

Elton to Miss a Month

Sixers forward Elton Brand will be sidelined for a month because of a dislocated shoulder.

The 76ers leading scorer has a fracture and tear in his right shoulder but will not need surgery.  Brand was hurt Wednesday night in a 93-88 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.  Brand is averaging 15.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season.

Mo Cheeks Takes Blame

Three days after the team gave him the axe, Mo Cheeks met with reporters on Tuesday to thank the fans and take responsibility for the poor start of a team which was thought to be a contender this year.

Sitting in front of a 76ers banner and behind a Sixers mic, fired head coach Maurice Cheeks took the blame.

Cheeks said he would be open to another position with the team, although he has not been approached about a job.

I’ve been a part of this town a long time and I don’t plan on going anywhere.  If the opportunity is there for me to be in the organization, I’m more than happy to do that.

Cheeks Fired as Sixers Coach

Stephen A. Smith is reporting that the Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Maurice Cheeks on Saturday.

Assistant GM Tony DiLeo will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, the sources said.  Cheeks’ deal with the 76ers, who started the season 9-14, was guaranteed through next season.

After signing Elton Brand to a five-year deal worth nearly $80 million in the offseason, the Sixers have looked nothing like last season’s up-tempo squad that advanced to the playoffs.

The 76ers had lost eight of 10 games entering Saturday night’s game against the Washington Wizards in Philadelphia.

Sixers get Smoked by Kobe; Lose Brand in the Process

Kobe Bryant torched his hometown team again, scoring 32 to help the Lake-show rebound from a last-second loss with a 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.  Pau Gasol had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum scored 18 points for the Lakers.

Andre Miller scored 26 points and Iguodala had 19 for the Sixers, who played the entire fourth quarter and the last 4:50 of the third without Elton Brand.  Brand left early with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

The Sixers said Brand had a strained right hamstring amnd only finished with three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 25 ineffective minutes. Brand will be evaluated on Thursday.