No Howard, no problem for Magic as they close out Sixers

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

With Dwight Howard out due to suspension and Courtney Lee sidelined with an injury, Game Six appeared to be in the bag for the Sixers. Philly figured to be a lock to take Game Six at home and force the series into a seventh game back in Orlando, where anything could happen. Well, it didn't quite work out that way.

Someone forgot to tell the Magic that they weren't supposed to win without their best player. As often happens when teams are without their top scoring threat, the rest of the Magic played with extra intensity and played arguably their best game of the playoffs in dismantling the Sixers, 114-89.

Orlando came out firing, making shot after shot to build a double digit lead early in the first quarter. With Dwight Howard out, the Magic focused on shooting threes and finally starting hitting them consistently, something they hadn't done all series long. Their defense wasn't spectacular, but it didn't need to be because the Sixers couldn't hit a shot all night.

Philly was used to falling behind in this series but they always found a way to get back into the game. Tonight was a different matter, however, as they came out flat and never seemed to respond to the first punch the Magic delivered. The Sixers played without any urgency, as if they would win the game simply by showing up because of the Howard suspension. They never tried to take the ball down the lane and take advantage of not having Howard blocking shots in the paint, instead they stuck to the outside and took jumpshots. And, as we all know, the Sixers do not shoot well from the outside.

So ends another Sixers season in the first round of the playoffs. It's hard to get too upset at the Sixers for bowing out in the first round, especially since they were without Elton Brand, but that doesn't mean we should be happy with how they played in Game Six. They were in front of their home crowd and yet the Sixers completely lacked energy and had long stretches where it didn't even look like they were trying. As you know, we don't put up with that in Philly, so the Sixers were rightfully booed throughout the game.

The Sixers once again made things interesting in the first round of the playoffs, but once again they proved that they aren't ready to play with the big boys when it matters. As fans, all we can do is hope that a healthy Elton Brand would have made a world of difference for the Sixers. We'll have to wait to find out in the first round next year.

Young, Sixers shock Magic to take series lead

(AP Photo/Michael Perez)

The Orlando Magic were considered by many to be an elite team that had a great shot at knocking off the Cavaliers or Celtics and making it to the NBA Finals. They won 59 games in the regular season and were led by a dominant big man in Dwight Howard. The Sixers limped into the playoffs with a .500 record and were simply happy to be there and not expected to do much of anything in the playoffs without Elton Brand.

Three games into this first round series and you would swear these two teams switched jerseys. After each team took turns dominating in the first two games of the series, the Sixers made the most of their home court advantage and jumped out to a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter. The Sixers saw that lead swell to as much as 17 points in the third quarter before the Magic finally woke up and took over the game, pulling it close and tying it up late in the 4th quarter.

Enter Thaddeus Young. With the game tied at 94, Young made a layup with 2.2 seconds left to give the Sixers the win over the Magic, 96-94. It was only Young's third basket of the game, but he made it count when it mattered. Andre Iguodala had another big game for the Sixers, putting up 29 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and grabbing 7 boards. Iggy once again missed two crucial free throws at the end of the game and he once again escaped being the goat due to a last second shot. Andre Miller also nearly put up a triple double with 24 points, 7 assists and 9 boards. Think the Sixers should make every effort to re-sign this guy?

While the Magic did have a big comeback to make this one a game down the stretch, their play has been nothing but disappointing. Dwight Howard was basically forced to do everything by himself tonight, dropping 36 points on 12 of 16 shooting. Orlando isn't getting much from its role players and its getting absolutely nothing from its bench, two factors that could lead to an early playoff exit for any team.

The Sixers are holding true to recent playoff form. If you remember last season against the Pistons, the Sixers won Game 1 by a large margin, got blown out in Game 2 and went on to win Game 3. Of course, last year they subsequently lost Games 4, 5 and 6 and were ousted from the playoffs by Detroit. So, what makes things different this year? For one, the Sixers actually look like they are just as good as the Magic. When they played the Pistons last year, Detroit had long stretches where they weren't even trying and that's why the Sixers were able to surprise them. The Magic seem to be doing everything they can in this series but the Sixers are simply outplaying them right now.

Hopefully everyone is jumping on this Sixers bandwagon, they look poised to have an interesting playoff run. Jump on, there's plenty of room!

Sixers shock Magic with thrilling come from behind win in Game One

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

They say winning is contagious, and what happened in Philadelphia sports today is proof of that saying. First, the Phillies won with a walk-off home run by Raul Ibanez. Then, the Flyers played their best game of the playoffs and turned away the Penguins. Finally, the Sixers turned in the most surprising performance of all as they knocked off the Magic, 100-98, in a thrilling come from behind win.

The Sixers were down as much as 18 in the third quarter but used a 39-19 run to pull off the shocking victory over the favored Magic. Philly got back into the game thanks to the contributions of several players, including Donyell Marshall, who had three 3's and 11 points in the 4th quarter, and Theo Ratliff, who played a bunch of minutes down the stretch and had a key basket late in the game. While Marshall hit a huge three to tie the game with 34 seconds left, the biggest hero of the night was Andre Iguodala, who, with the game tied at 98, hit a tough fall away shot with 2.2 seconds left to give the Sixers the win. Iggy didn't have a great game overall, shooting 10 of 23 for 20 points, but he made the big basket when it counted.

For those with good memories, you will remember that the Sixers series against the Pistons last season started in the exact same fashion. The Sixers came back from 15 down to knock off Detroit in Game One of that series, just like they did today against the Magic. Hopefully this Orlando series will turn out differently, but it is important to remember this is just one game in a seven game series. Orlando is still the better all-around team and they could easily beat the Sixers down in Game Two, but winning this first game is huge for Philly. They have taken the home court advantage away from the Magic; if the Sixers can somehow win all of their home games in the series, they will move on.

So caps a great day in Philly sports. Your heroes for the day are Raul Ibanez, Claude Giroux and Ander Iguodala. It's nice to have this ray of hope after an otherwise depressing week of tragedy and bad losses.

Sixers vs. Magic: Series Breakdown

After making my NBA Playoff Predictions yesterday, it's time to take a closer look at the Sixers series with the Magic, which gets under way today. While Philly has a slim shot of getting past the Magic, you can bet their running style will help them win a game or two in the series. The Magic are an elite team in the league, but they don't have a ton of playoff experience, so they aren't unbeatable. Here is my breakdown of the series.

Backcourt: This is the one place the Sixers have a decided advantage. Ever since Jameer Nelson went down, the Magic backcourt has been nothing but average. They did go out and acquire Rafer Alston to run the point and he has done a solid job but is still prone to turning the ball over. The Magic also start Courtney Lee at shooting guard, and he is basically in there for his defense and to hit an open shot now and then. Neither of those players scare you. The Sixers, on the other hand, have one of the better point guards in the league in Andre Miller. Somehow, Miller seems to get better and better every year and his 16.3 points per game and 6.5 assists per game demonstrate just how good he was this year. The other Sixers starter is Willie Green, who isn't anything special but can make shots and is smart with the ball. EDGE: SIXERS

Frontcourt: This is where you really see the glaring differences between the Magic and the Sixers. Dwight Howard is easily the best player in this series and the Sixers have absolutely no one that can guard him. Samuel Dalembert has had some success in the past at slowing Howard down but I can see him getting shut down for more than a game or so. Besides Howard, the Magic also have one of the best forward combos in the league in Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Both players averaged over 16 points a game this season and can knock down threes at will. The Sixers have some talent of their own at forward but they don't have anyone that quite matches up with Orlando. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young are both quicker and more athletic than the Magic forwards and they will really thrive when the pace quickens. They will struggle when things slow down to playoff basketball pace, meaning more half court action and slower developing plays. At center, Dalembert has had a bit of a disappointing season for the Sixers, but he still alters shots on the inside and can grab boards. EDGE: MAGIC

Bench: The Sixers bench is made up of a lot of guys who do one or two things well but have big holes in their games. Marreese Speights is probably the best player off the Sixer bench and can fill up the stat sheet no matter how many minutes he plays. For a defensive presence, the Sixers turn to the bruising Reggie Evans and Royal Ivey. Evans will likely spend part of the series beating up Dwight Howard, trying to frustrate him out of his game. For offense off the bench, the Sixers turn to Lou Williams who can fill it up but is adverse to playing D.

The Magic bench isn't anything special but they have several guys who can step up in a pinch. Mickael Pietrus has shown that he can score in bunches and D up hard when he gets extended minutes so he is easily the best player off the Magic bench. Orlando also has three point ace J.J. Redick who can do nothing but shoot. Marcin Gortat is probably the best Magic player you have never heard of, he is mostly a defensive player who can bang inside and block shots. The Magic also have a veteran presence off the bench in guard Anthony Johnson. EDGE: MAGIC

Prediction: The best the Sixers can probably hope for in this series is what they did in the playoffs last year: steal a couple of games and make the favored team sweat it out. The Magic simply aren't a great matchup for the Sixers, especially considering Orlando has won 8 of the last 9 times these two teams have played. The Sixers can steal a playoff game here or there if they are allowed to get out and run, so that is why I like the MAGIC IN SIX. One has to wonder if the Sixers might have been better off losing to the Cavs in the last game of the season and facing off against the K.G.-less Celtics. One also has to wonder what impact having a healthy Elton Brand would have in this series.

Sixers vs. Magic: Series begins Sunday

After losing 6 games in a row, the Sixers surprised everyone by actually knocking off the Cavs, who rested all of their starters, and moving up to the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Moving up to the 6th seed means the Sixers actually have a shot to compete in the playoffs, since they match up much better with Orlando, the 3rd seed, than they do with Boston, the 2nd seed. Here is the schedule of games for the first round series between the Magic and Sixers:

Game 1: Sun., April 19: at Orlando, 5:30 pm

Game 2: Wed., April 22: at Orlando, 7 pm

Gm. 3: Fri., April 24: at Philadelphia, 8 pm

Gm. 4: Sun., April 26: at Philadelphia, 6:30 pm

Gm. 5: Tue., April 28: at Orlando, TBD

Gm. 6: Thu., April 30: at Philadelphia, TBD

Gm. 7: Sat., May 2: at Orlando, TBD

I will have more analysis on this series later, but the Sixers are going to have to play much better basketball if they want to do any damage against the Magic. My initial prediction is Magic in 6. Check back later for more on the Sixers and the rest of the NBA Playoffs.