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SIXERS 82, CELTICS 75

HOLIDAY SEASON
Once again, Jrue Holiday proved that he's the Sixers' most valuable offensive piece. In the Game 5 loss, he took just six shots and the Sixers got blown out. Last night, he got up 15 shots and led the team with 20 points. It's the fifth time he's scored 17 or more in the playoffs. In those games, the Sixers are 5-0. It's not a coincidence and the Celtics need to think about making Holiday the focal point of their defense.

FOR FREE?
For a professional basketball player, free-throws are supposed to be simple. The Sixers managed to turn the exercise into a catastrophe last night. By going 17-for-28 (60.7 percent), they allowed the Celtics to hang around way longer than necessary. Boston went 20-for-23 from the charity stripe. Andre Iguodala -- whose free-throws won the first-round for the Sixers -- is shooting a Shaq-like 50 percent in the series.

WEARING DOWN
Much has been made of the Celtics' age, and it appeared to catch up with them in Game 6. Kevin Garnett struggled early jumper, missing nine of his first 14 shots. Ray Allen (ankles) couldn't even move on defense, so he got in foul trouble and was limited to 25 ineffective minutes. With Rajon Rondo unable to finish at the rim and Brandon Bass crashing back to earth, the Celtics wilted. They can take solace in the fact that they'll have two full days off to get fresh legs before Saturday's Game 7. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143947--celtics-sixers-3-things-we-learned-in-game-6 Thu, 24 May 2012 01:30:11 -0400 ADAM LEVITAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143947--celtics-sixers-3-things-we-learned-in-game-6
They didn't think about taking on top-seeded Chicago, they didn't think about all the future Hall of Famers on the Celtics and they aren't thinking about the Eastern Conference Finals. They're simply playing ball and having fun doing it. And now they find themselves one win away from the NBA's final four.

By overwhelming the Celtics with youthful energy in Wednesday's 82-75 win, the Sixers forced a Game 7 Saturday in Boston.  

"You can't think of any kind of consequence," Collins said.  "That's the beauty of youth. They look at things naively which is great."

Jrue Holiday, 21, is a perfect example. He scored 12 points in the second half Wednesday night and finished with a team-high 20. His aggression is the key to the Sixers offense -- when he has scored 18 or more points during this playoff run, they are 5-0.

"I was very very proud of Jrue Holiday tonight. He stayed in attack mode," Collins said. "He knows he needs to score for us."

The game never should have been as close as it was. The Sixers went 17-for-28 from the free-throw line while the Celtics made 20-of-23. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner combined to go 5-for-12 from the charity stripe.

Still, the Celtics never really threatened down the stretch as the Sixers brought far superior energy. They outscored Boston 42-16 in the paint and were fueled by a raucous crowd.

"Someone else was talking bad about our fans, so it's good to get this victory for them," said Elton Brand, who was referring to Kevin Garnett's "fair-weather" remarks following Game 5.
]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143943--youthful-sixers-force-a-game-7 Wed, 23 May 2012 23:49:19 -0400 ADAM LEVITAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143943--youthful-sixers-force-a-game-7
King Cole was dominant when the Phillies needed a big effort from their left-handed ace. Hamels and the Phillies beat the Washington Nationals, 4-1, which ended a four-game losing streak.

“Being able to go out and stop the skid we’ve been on the past couple of days was what we had to do,” Hamels said. “I just try to put up as many zeroes as possible and hope the team scores a few runs.”

Hamels (7-1) had a tremendous curveball to complement his exceptional changeup and plus-fastball. Hamels gave up four hits in eight shutout innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

“He pitched good,” Charlie Manuel said. “He had a good changeup down in the zone.”

The only trouble Hamels had was in the sixth when the Nats hit three singles but failed to score thanks to a great play by, who else, Carlos Ruiz. The catcher blocked the plate and picked a short hop thrown by Hunter Pence before applying the tag to Danny Espinosa.

“It was huge,” Hamels said. “It really saved us. You don’t want the opposing team to get that momentum back. Chooch [Ruiz] made a great tag.”

Ruiz, who is wielding a hot bat, had three hits in the four-hole and is now batting .357. The only dark cloud is that Ruiz took a foul ball off his right wrist in the seventh inning. He finished the game behind the plate, but had an X-Ray after the contest.

The singles-hitting Phillies actually drilled three doubles. Shane Victorino knocked in a run with a two-bagger and the center fielder also homered. But the last-place Phillies are perfecting the art of small ball. The Phillies executed a flawless suicide squeeze thanks to an effective bunt from Juan Pierre, who scored a charging Mike Fontenot.

“I had the right bunter and the right runner,” Manuel said.

Shortstop Freddy Galvis saved a run by making an unbelievable, over-the-shoulder catch in the middle of left field with a runner on third in the eighth.

“I thought he had no chance,” Hamels said. “When it came off the bat I thought it would drop in between them. I thought the run was going to score, but he made an outstanding play. Freddy will definitely be in the top ten plays tonight on ESPN.”

Harper, the Nationals' talented rookie, went 1-for-3. Hamels didn’t come close to hitting him. The potential top free agent of the class of 2012 was too busy dealing. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143942--phillies-top-nationals-in-harper-hamels-encore Wed, 23 May 2012 23:44:04 -0400 ED CONDRAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143942--phillies-top-nationals-in-harper-hamels-encore
Of course, if you ask KG, the fans in Philly aren't all that faithful. He used the term "fair-weather" to describe them, which set off the vitriol we saw every time he touched the ball in the first quarter of Game 6.

"Nobody was going to Celtics games five years ago until KG and them got there," said Dan Aiello, a Sixers fan that came from Lancaster for Game 6. "The average fan is not going to spend their hard-earned money to watch a crap product. That's why the Bobcats have 4,000 fans a game."

Aiello certainly has a point. Between 2004 and 2007, when the Celtics were battling mediocrity, they ranked in the bottom half of the league in attendance. The Sixers have been in the bottom third of the league in attendance for the majority of the last nine years.

As for the effect of Garnett's comments on the actual game, both sides were downplaying it.

"I don't think either fan base likes each other any way, so I don't think it added anything," coach Doc Rivers said. "Someone asked me that yesterday and I said, 'What are they going to do, hate us more?' So, what's the difference?" ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143929--kevin-garnett-gets-the-treatment Wed, 23 May 2012 21:32:50 -0400 ADAM LEVITAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143929--kevin-garnett-gets-the-treatment
It is what it is.

"I think we have a great group of guys, and we have a lot of talent," Coleman said. "Let the field speak for itself."

The field is shouting that Coleman has what it takes to be an NFL starter. Coach Andy Reid wasted no time when asked which safeties would be patrolling the secondary to start the 2012 season: Coleman and Nate Allen.

"It means a lot, you know, coming out of an injury you never know how things re going to go," Coleman said. "The coaches have a lot of confidence in me and what I can do on the field."

The safety position has been hotly debated the entire offseason after a roller-coaster ride in 2011. Journeyman Jarrad Page started the season opener, alongside Coleman, as Allen dealt with knee tendinitis. Allen finally did reclaim his spot, but he struggled.

"That knee, it was just weak last year and now I feel good. I feel strong," Allen said.

Last season, Coleman and Allen were benched off and on for inconsistent play. Many were clamoring for the Eagles to draft Alabama's Mark Barron. Obviously, that didn't happen.

"You look at it, we led the group in interceptions, the safeties over the secondary," Coleman said. "You know, that says something. At the same time, we also did things wrong. We have a lot of room to improve. That's what these OTAs are all about." ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143924--safeties-ignore-talk-looking-to-reward-coaching-staff-s-trust Wed, 23 May 2012 21:25:50 -0400 MIKE GREGER, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143924--safeties-ignore-talk-looking-to-reward-coaching-staff-s-trust
In Ryan Mathews' two-year career, he has never scored more than seven touchdowns. He's never ran for more than 1,091 yards or even come close to touching the ball 300 times. Mathews should also be a top-five pick in fantasy drafts this summer. Say what?

Rare talent  
The eye test remains the best talent evaluator. And all we have to do is turn on some tape of Mathews to see that he's one of the best pure runners in the league, right there with guys like LeSean McCoy and Maurice Jones-Drew. He never goes down on first contact, gets to the edge with ease and is a beast in the passing game. Mathews has averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his career for a reason. The dude can really run and is entering his prime at age 24.    

Empty keg
A big reason Mathews isn't a household name right now is Mike Tolbert. The powder keg was used as the Chargers' clear goal-line back in the timeshare, racking up 21 touchdowns and 382 touches over the last two seasons. Now Tolbert is in Carolina, leaving Mathews as the lone ranger. He's going to see a huge spike in goal-line work and the passing game. Projecting 330 touches in the Chargers' high-powered offense is very fair.    

Fixable flaws   
The biggest knocks on Mathews so far have been missed games and fumbling issues. However, his injuries have not been of the serious variety. He hasn't torn up a knee like Adrian Peterson or needed a groin surgically repaired like Michael Turner. Those ankle sprains and tweaks are just bad luck. As for Mathews' 10 fumbles over the last two seasons, he's aware of it. And that's step one to fixing it. But even if the problem crops up again, the Chargers will have no choice but to stick with Mathews. His backup is former undrafted free agent Curtis Brinkley.   ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143919--fantasy-sports-top-five-surprise Wed, 23 May 2012 20:18:58 -0400 PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143919--fantasy-sports-top-five-surprise
Stockton’s responses have been more or less incoherent, but we appreciate the effort by C-Webb. Of course, it might be TNT execs whispering in Webber's ear to bring up the fact, on air, that Stockton’s heyday was a quarter century ago.

Hell, the guy was flubbing names in 1996 and was married to Lesley Visser back when Lesley Visser wasn’t made out of recycled Vitamin Water bottles. In other words, thanks for the memories Dick, but you’re past your prime.


 


A look at a few other sports announcers who might and/or should be nearing the end:
 
Chris Berman
Age: 57
Boomer isn’t getting the discount at the Denny’s in Bristol just yet, but "age is nothing but a number."

You know that friend that constantly references to drunk episodes on his 21st birthday, only brings up girls that he dated when he was 19 and has an iPod that’s filled with nothing but early ’90s R&B?

Well, get him to take a class at Connecticut School of Broadcasting because in 30 years, he’ll be the current day Boomer Berman. Draconian references for all!

Sadly, ESPN won’t be pulling the plug on Boom anytime soon. His contract filled with once a year SportsCenter assignments and contracted home run derby’s is almost certainly a lifetime deal.
Can you imagine what this trainwreck is going to look like in 2032?
 
 
Don Criqui
Age: 72
For some ungodly reason, Criqui has been doing Patriots pre-season games since the Parcells era. He then makes the smooth transition to Notre Dame football on the radio and pops up on CBS NFL telecasts for D-list games.

Here's a little known rule: if Don Criqui does more than one of your favorite NFL team's games during the regular season, your NFL team sucks.

It’s been getting sloppy lately for Don, even if no one is around to hear it.

 
Tommy Heinsohn
Age: 77
Heinsohn is beloved by Celtics fans and loathed by everyone else. You really could make the case for re-shaping the Celtics logo after Tommy at this point ... though, if you think about it, it wouldn't really take much - just toss a pipe in his mouth and call it a day.

If you want to witness homer-ism at its finest, order the NBA package for a month or two next season (we’ll reimburse you, promise), sit back and get pissed off at a 77-year-old man who is always four or five J&B scotch's away from landing in a nursing home.

 


Marv Albert
Age: 70
This one hurts, it really does, considering I believe Marv-elous to be the best ever. Yup, he’s shockingly 70-years-old now even though he is showing no signs of slowing down. But in the back of my mind, I know the end is near.

He’s known mostly for his NBA work but I challenge anyone to find a football announcer who was as good as Marv was in his prime with the old NFL on NBC with the AFC package in the 1990s.
Ironically, his career played out in similar fashion as that of Michael Jordan (Marv called nearly all of Jordan’s big games for NBC).

Jordan missed two years of his prime after “retiring,” the first time, from basketball in 1993. Marv, meanwhile, lost his spot as NBC’s lead announcer for a couple of years after sexual assault charges in 1997.
If it just wasn’t for that one time he put women’s underwear over his crum and took a big bite out of some girl’s back, he would today, hands-down, be universally regarded as the greatest sports announcer of all-time.

Like Jordan, most say he is the greatest today. But you’ll get a few differing opinions here and there.
If it wasn’t for those two prime years off? Discussion over.

Tebowing. Really?

We all cringed a few weeks ago when Celtics star Paul Pierce was caught "Tebowing" after making a few clutch shots against the Atlanta Hawks.

Apparently, he also did a killer Borat impression and shouted, "Yeah-ah!" "WHAT?!" "Okay!" Lil' John style in the postgame press conference as well to show just how out of date he truly is.

Pierce, however, was outdone over the weekend when a high school kid getting his diploma Tebowed on stage in front of the graduating class.

His punishment was cleaning the gym but here's saying that slight electric shock would have been more appropriate.

Follow Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBos ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143852--old-senile-sports-announcers-and-people-still-tebowing-unfortunately Wed, 23 May 2012 11:36:53 -0400 MATT BURKE, MATT BURKE http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143852--old-senile-sports-announcers-and-people-still-tebowing-unfortunately
While going with Hector Luna (a minor league call-up) at first, Mike Fontenot (released by the Giants during the spring) at second and Freddy Galvis (a minor leaguer prior to this season) at short, the Phillies needed a big game from Roy Halladay — especially when the club’s best hitter, Carlos Ruiz, got thrown out of the game in the third after arguing a call with home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom.

They didn’t get it. The Nationals beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner and the Phillies, 5-2. The Phillies, who have lost four straight games, staked Halladay to a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Luna double in the second. However, Halladay gave up a four-spot and the game in the third inning.

The big damage was done by Philadelphia’s latest public enemy, Bryce Harper, who drilled a Halladay curve for a two-run triple. The rookie phenom also scored.

“The one to Harper was a bad pitch and it cost me,” Halladay said. “They were swinging early. You can take advantage of that if you’re making good pitches.”

Halladay, who won 11 straight against the Nats, dating back to 2002 when the club was the Montreal Expos, also gave up home runs to Ian Desmond and Rick Ankiel.

“The one to Desmond was a pretty good pitch,” Halladay said. “The one to Ankiel was not in a good spot.”

Halladay (4-4) gave up nine hits and five earned runs in six innings. He struck out six. The Phillies have now lost six of Halladay’s last seven starts. Doc is 1-4 with a 4.75 ERA during that stretch. Halladay has given up five home runs over his last 28 innings after not allowing a homer in his first 40 innings of the season.

“I have to do better,” Halladay said. “We have to do better.”

The Phillies left nine on base and were 1-7 with runners in scoring position.

“You score runs by hitting the ball hard,” Charlie Manuel said. “We’re not doing that now.”

It was especially difficult without Ruiz, who is hitting .344.  His ejection surprised Manuel and Halladay.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with what he did,” Halladay said. “He didn’t turn around [at the ump]. He didn’t get in his face. He didn’t use obscene language. He said the pitch is a strike. He said it a couple of times. I’ve never seen one [an ejection] like that before and it’s unfortunate since he’s our best player and he gets run out of the game for saying the pitch is a strike. We needed him.”

That was so apparent since a healthy portion of the starting lineup looked as if it was designed to open a game in Clearwater in March.

Baseball 101 for Women

It’s easier to score tickets for a Phillies game than it is for female fans to land ducats for the club’s annual Baseball 101 for Women class.

“We were on five different phones dialing hoping to get through,” said Lynne Martin, of Lumberton, N.J. “We got through just in time. It sold out quickly, like it usually does.”

The 12th Baseball 101 session, which attracted 140 women Tuesday, has sold out each time it has been presented at Citizens Bank Park. Martin hit the ball off a tee in the batting cages near the clubhouse, threw a baseball in the bullpen with her friend Barb Hoopes, of Haddon Township, N.J.

“This is my fourth time and Lynne’s first time,” Hoopes said. “I love it. We do something different every year. This year we got to go in the Phanavision booth to see how that works and that was really interesting. It was wonderful hearing Charlie Manuel, who came in to speak with us. We got to hear from the coaches. It was amazing.”

Hoopes intends to return next year for the 2013 version of Baseball 101 for women but will she continue to catch the last-place Phillies?

“Absolutely,” Hoopes said. “I’m not a bandwagon jumper. We have two six packs of tickets.  They’re having trouble right now but look where the St. Louis Cardinals were last year [10.5 games out with a month to play]. They made the wild card and won the World Series. I’ll always come out for this and Phillies games.” ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143835--phillies-fall-to-nationals-host-baseball-101-for-women Wed, 23 May 2012 01:59:31 -0400 ED CONDRAN, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143835--phillies-fall-to-nationals-host-baseball-101-for-women
“With all the big time players that we have, we really have to check ourselves and go into the season to prove ourselves,” said LeSean McCoy, who re-iterated that his main goal is to win a championship. “I really think all of the hype is out the window and it’s a new year.”

McCoy is fresh off signing a five-year contract extension that put him among the NFL's elite. Now that he’s financially set, McCoy knows he’ll be leaned on heavily as a team leader. The same goes for Mike Vick. This is his first full offseason as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. He’s been working extra hard in the film room with quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson.

"Hard work and preparation is one thing I pride myself on now,” Vick said. “We just have to keep grinding and understand that nothing is going to come easy.”

Vick turned the ball over 18 times in 2011, throwing 14 interceptions and losing four fumbles. That trend can’t continue if the Eagles want to reach their goal. He knows it, and he didn’t hesitate when asked what area of his game needs to improve. Dramatically.

“Obviously, the turnovers,” Vick said. “That’s something that can be corrected, and my accuracy — slowing my feet down and not getting too anxious and excited. I can do that from time to time, and I have to work on it. If I do it, then it will take my game to another level.”

NOTE: There were only two players missing from action on the first day of OTAs. Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and defensive end Jason Babin were reportedly on a fishing trip in Alaska. OTAs are considered mandatory, so they won't be disciplined. ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143821--mike-vick-ready-to-take-his-game-to-another-level Tue, 22 May 2012 21:14:24 -0400 MIKE GREGER, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143821--mike-vick-ready-to-take-his-game-to-another-level
“Golden boy is up,” Shane Victorino said while a Nationals game was broadcast last month in the Phillies’ clubhouse. The Flyin’ Hawaiian was goofing on Harper, as he stepped to the plate for the first time.

“What is he, 3-for-2?,” Cliff Lee cracked.

Victorino turned off the television while Harper was batting. Harper was wearing a bulls-eye on the back of his jersey way before Hamels welcomed him to the big leagues in Cole’s “old school” way.

The 19-year-old future of the Nationals laughed heartily when informed of Lee’s joke.

“It’s unbelievable playing against guys you grew up watching,” Harper said during an 1-on-1 interview with Metro. “You see guys like Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Chase Utley, and it’s like, ‘Wow, I’m really up here playing with these guys.’ I just try to take everything in stride and take one day a time.”

Harper isn’t just impressive on the diamond. The rookie phenom is also a star in the classroom. Apparently, Harper aced his media relations session. He’s saying all the right things and using clichés like he sports eye black. He predictably downplayed Wednesday night's rematch versus Hamels.

“I’ve put that all behind me, definitely,” Harper said. “Hamels is a great pitcher. He’s an All-Star. He does everything right. He’s a bulldog. You just try to go out there and get a ‘W’ and not worry about anything around you. He’s an All-Star, who is very talented. He’s an outstanding pitcher.”

Those certainly don't sound like fighting words. But the Phillies’ animosity might be driven by Harper’s perceived lack of respect for the game. He infamously blew a kiss at a pitcher after taking him deep in a minor-league game. Odds are, he’s not likely to do that to Hamels.

“Bryce is going to be a target for awhile, not just in Philadelphia but everywhere in baseball,” said former Phillie turned National Brad Lidge. “But from what I’ve seen, he has a good head on his shoulders on the field and in the clubhouse. I can’t say anything bad about the guy. Everyone in the world is watching his every move and he’s only 19. I couldn’t handle that at 19. Bryce is an amazing player. You see what he does out there?”

Phillies fans have had an eyeful already. Harper is on pace to rival Chipper Jones, J.D. Drew and Scott Stevens for the city's most despised athletic enemy. Harper had two hits in the Nationals’ 2-1 win over the Phillies Monday night, then singled and tripled in a pair of runs Tuesday night off Halladay.

“It’s fun playing here,” Harper said. “They have a great fan base in Philadelphia. Win or lose, they have a packed house. All of that [the boos directed his way] is no big deal. They want their team to succeed. I understand it. I’m looking forward to coming up here [with the Nationals] and playing here in front of them for years to come. It’s fun to play against the Phillies.”

The way Charlie Manuel’s team is playing right now, it's definitely fun to face them.


  ]]> http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143818--exclusive-bryce-harper-talks-cole-hamels-phillies-rivalry Tue, 22 May 2012 21:02:01 -0400 ED CONDRAN, ED CONDRAN http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/sports/article/1143818--exclusive-bryce-harper-talks-cole-hamels-phillies-rivalry