SIXERS: Recap of first three games

With an off day in the 2009 World Series, this seems like a good time to recap the Sixers first three games.  Before I get into the Sixers, I want to give a shout out to Cliff Lee.  He is without a doubt the best pitcher we have seen in a Phillies uniform since the days of Curt Schilling.  No matter what happens in the rest of the series in New York, Cliff Lee deserves all the credit in the world for getting this team as far as it’s come.  Let’s keep thinking positive and focus only on Game 6, one game at a time.  Lets Go Phils!

Now onto the Sixers.  I’ll admit I have not been able to watch any of the first three games due to the Fall Classic but have caught all the highlights and read all the articles, so here is what I have to say about the first three games.  After a terrible opener in Orlando, the Sixers rebounded nicely with wins against Milwaukee and New York.  However, there are several issues to address.

Number 1: Defense

It hasn’t been there at all for the two games against Orlando and New York.  The Magic shot 55% from the field, and 55% from the 3-point mark, torching the Sixers in a lopsided 120-106 game that was never as close as the final score.  Against the Knicks, they blew a 23 point lead to allow them to force overtime.  Thankfully, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams brought their A-games, combining for 59 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the team to a 141-127 overtime victory at Madison Square Garden.  The team is struggling to defend both inside the paint and from beyond the arc, something that they need to remedy immediately.  They did play a great defensive game against Milwaukee, taking their home opener by a score of 99-86 behind strong performances byAndre Iguodala (19 pts, 9 reb. 7 ast.) and Samuel Dalembert (10 pts, 12 reb., 2 blk.).  One of the most important things I noticed about that game was that Dalembert only had one foul.  He went on to have a great game and had a +18 for the night.  In the two poor defensive games against Orlando and New York, Dalembert has 5 and 6 fouls, respectively.  This led to his inability to contribute, which hurt the Sixers defensive game tremendously.

Good start overall offensively, as it seems the team has adjusted well to Eddie Jordan’s Princeton offense.  But the team has to be able to defend the opposition better.  Otherwise they have no shot.

 

NBA ALL UGLY TEAM

As we patiently wait for the 2009-10 NBA season to begin in late October, I thought I would examine a usually seldom discussed topic among sports writers, but one that I’m sure everyone has thought about: who are the ugliest players in the NBA, past and present?. Well I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on which players they find to be the most difficult to look at, but I think I have found a very solid starting lineup of players who were blessed with plenty of talent but not the good lucks.

POINT GUARD: SAM CASSELL

Sam Cassell has had a great career in the NBA, most notably for the Nets, Bucks, Timberwolves and most recently the Celtics. However, he is without a doubt one of the ugliest people I’ve ever seen. He’s been compared to the fictional character E.T. I don’t know about you, but I think E.T. looks better than Sam Cassell. Every time I see that guy on TV I want to change the channel. It’s just that painful to look at this guy. It was a good thing he was blessed with great talent cause he sure would never be allowed on TV if he wasn’t on the court.

Sam Cassell makes E.T. look pretty good

SHOOTING GUARD: REGGIE MILLER

One of the greatest 3 point shooters and big time players to ever play, former Indiana Pacers’ star Reggie Miller is yet another great NBA players whose looks were subpar compared to his game. Reggie was one of the most clutch playoff performers of all time, especially when playing the Knicks during the playoffs at Madison Square Garden. However Miller is a very ugly man, with those creepy looking eyes and alien shaped head.

Reggie Miller rarely choked with the game on the line

Small Forward: Andrei Kirilenko

The Utah Jazz forward has had a solid NBA career thus far, providing good defense and occasional scoring. Kirilenko, who hails from Russia, is another ugly NBA player who we get to watch often since Utah is always playing in the national spotlight. When I look at Andrei Kirilenko I think of one other person: Ivan Drago. Kirilenko resembles Drago’s appearance enormously, with the slicked back blond hair and an over protruding chin. Not to mention both men hail from Russia and are very tall. Thankfully we no longer have to look at Drago unless we want to watch Rocky kick his ass again. Unfortunately, we still have to watch Andrei Kirilenko.

Kirilenko is one ugly man

Power Forward: Tyrone Hill

This former 76ers reserve may be the ugliest man to suit up in the NBA. Hill was an average NBA player, someone you could have come off the bench to grab some rebounds and put up a few points. Hill’s play was largely overshadowed by one of the ugliest faces you’ve ever seen. He probably never needed to find a Halloween costume thanks to that face.

Hill may be the NBA's all time ugliest player

Center: Chris Kaman

If there was one thing that developed worse for Kaman than his NBA career, it was his appearance.  This man defines ugly in so many ways.  Long hair with an ugly face on a 7 foot frame isn’t going to get him far with good looks.  Kaman has had a very disappointing career thus far, never panning out to be one of the NBA’s top centers that many scouts predicted him to be.  But compared to his looks, his NBA talent is on the same level as Tim Duncan’s.

Just flat out ugly, there's no other way to put it

So there you have it, my starting lineup for the NBA All Ugly Team.  Some of you may disagree with some of my selections, but I think I did a pretty good job with this group.  Everyone enjoy this post, as my next one will be about the Sixers beginning training camp shortly followed by my previews of the Sixers season, along with an overall preview of the NBA for this upcoming season.  October 28 is getting closer every day.