It's memorial day weekend, we've got gorgeous weather, and one of the greatest events a sport could ever give us; a Game 7 with the team we've followed for years. So if you're like me and you're insanely nervous/anxious/hungry about the game tonight, doing random activities would be the best way to go. And what better random, time-wasting activity than to read articles about the game we've been waiting for since Wednesday night (last night was the first night I slept since then, by the way - that's how excited I am). Get out your lawn chair, crack open a beer, grill some food, and read some links.

Celtics Hope Experience Defeats Sixers' Youth in Game 7 - Sports Illustrated

The old (see what I did there) experience against youth factor. Doc sounds bitter. "Half of these young guys don't know I played and they definitely don't know Doug played". Lawns and things.

Under Control, Out of Your Minds - Depressed Fan

Brian at Depressed Fan talks about the advantages Boston will have being at home and also uses the phrase "purple nurple".

Fearless Sixers Embracing Challenge of Game 7 - CSN Philly

Doug Collins mentions how beautiful butterflies are. Jrue Holiday calls tonight's game "End of the world two."

More links after the jump, including a piece on a different site from a writer you might be familiar with.

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It was a night that from the beginning was predestined to be one that belonged to the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans. New CEO Adam Aron welcomed back on the most beloved athletes in Philadelphia history, flying in former Sixer superstar Allen Iverson to be in attendance for the Sixers' 82-75 game six victory over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Right before tip-off Iverson's name blared through the speakers, fans screaming his name, as he handed the game ball to referee Joey Crawford. As Iverson began to hug the players on the current Sixers roster (Evan Turner's demeanor was that of a kid meeting his childhood hero, it was so cute), visibly tearing up, something inside of me said that the Sixers would win this one and a Game Seven would be just around the corner. I was always told to go with my gut instinct, and tonight was no different as the Sixers defended and attacked their way to a seven point victory.

We saw the good Sixers we all love to embrace in the first quarter as they were utilizing ball movement, getting out in transition, and most gorgeous of all, attacking the rim. The last of those efforts was lead by point guard Jrue Holiday who was in beast mode for the majority of this game. All season we wanted Jrue to stay away from the long-two and get to the bucket and tonight was the epitome of those wishes coming true. Once he got the cup a couple times in the first quarter, it looked like Holiday's confidence sky-rocketed and he felt he could take anybody to the basket, which he did.

We've seen the Sixers do well in spurts in just about every game this series, but the main worry was if they could withstand the inevitable stretch where points are near impossible to come by. Tonight's rendition came in the second quarter when the Sixers went through an 0-9 slide, giving away 4 turnovers as well (for those keeping score at home, that's 13 straight scoreless possessions). While it certainly didn't help the Sixers' chances of coming away with a win (although that would be impressive), they saw themselves down by just 3 points at the half and even that was because of a last second Mikael Pietrus triple.

More after the jump.

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It wasn't the prettiest of games but the Sixers were able to get to the basket and defend the Celtics enough to take Game 6 at home.

The Sixers absolutely dominated the Celtics in the paint, lead by everybody's favorite California boy, Jrue Holiday who was making a living in the paint all night long.

Despite the missed free throws, at times extremely stagnant offense, and a few too many careless turnovers, the Sixers remained tenacious enough to not allow the veteran Celtics to clinch the series in Philadelphia.

Game 7 is in Boston on Saturday, the time still to be determined. The biggest game of many of these players' careers awaits. As Wiz Khalifa says, "the bigger the bill, the harder you ball".

Use this as time to celebrate a victory and organize plans to watch Game 7 together in Jordan's basement (just remember to do your homework before you go). Those Sixers Be Crazy. I believe Mike has this trademarked, correct?

There has yet to be a game this season that could have theoretically been the Sixers' last. Tonight, we break that trend and bring to you the first true "Win or Go Home" Philadelphia 76er spectacular extravaganza.

Allen Iverson (and Tyronn Lue) will be in the house tonight (well, we think). I'm only assuming Kevin Garnett will get booed like he's crashing a ghost wedding reception. Brandon Bass will most likely be wide open the entire game.

If you've never gotten yourself pumped up for a Sixer game this year, I suggest tonight be your first because it could be your last chance. And who knows, maybe your enthusiasm is just the spark that these guys need. Lock all your windows and doors, get your garbage handy so you can turn it into gold, and have some spare buckets to catch the blood that Mike will more than likely lose. Tonight is Game Six and like Kevin O'Shea said, it's do or die, win or cry.

ESPN. 8:00 PM. LET'S. GO. SIXERS!

Much like we did at the beginning of the season, Liberty Ballers has made the executive decision to allow you guys to participate in some friendly competition predicting the outcomes of the second round match-up between your Philadelphia 76ers and her Boston Celtics (her?). Here's your chance to be just the like the rest of the experts, all predicting a Celtics win, or go against the grain and succumb to whatever took over Mike's brain, calling a Sixers victory.

This is all for an opportunity for you guys to have an outlet to call your shot so at the end of the series you can make everybody who didn't believe you eat some crow (they don't have that at the Greek Food Festival). 8 predictions stand between you and immortality, so let's hear 'em.

Questions after the jump.

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Well guys, we're only twelve hours away from the Sixers starting their first Eastern Conference Semifinal game since Sean Paul's "Get Busy" dominated the airwaves (hot girl check-in!). The Sixers are in Boston ready to take on the hobbled, older, and better Celtics. Two of those things are a good thing for the Sixers.

In order to get yourself greased up for Game 1 (Tonight, 8:00 PM on TNT), we've compiled some links so you go forth and frolic to the ends of the internet learning everything you could ever want to know about this series.

‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers - Ball Don't Lie

Dan Devine plays God and demands that it rain on Sixer fans' collective parade. I especially like the paragraph on the difference of match-ups between the Bulls and Celtics. Oh reality, it's you? Have a seat, makes yourself at home. I haven't seen you in two days.

Analyzing How the Sixers Can Beat the Celtics - CSN Philly

I'm disappointed that "poison Rajon Rondo's pre-game chamomile tea" is nowhere to be found in this article. Or is it?

PREVIEW: No. 4 Celtics vs. No. 8 Sixers - Sports Illustrated

Says Evan Turner is the x-factor because of size on Avery Bradley and age compared to Ray Allen. I'd have said it's because of the rumor that he'll do the DX "Suck-It" if he ever hits a postseason three-pointer.

Iguodala Lacking Love Due To Lacking Jumper (Sound Familiar?) - CelticsBlog

Jeff at Celtics Blog comes to the defense of Andre Iguodala in regards to fan appreciation. You've heard it from us a million times, but it's nice to read it from an outside party. Not only that, but he quotes an article from LB. We're all one big, happy (hungry) family.

Garnett Finds His Motivation as Celts Prep for Sixers - Boston Herald

Based on what got him going in the Hawks series, I'm going to suggest Adam Aron should lay low on the Twitterings for a while. KG is a scary man, and you don't want to give him any more motivation than he has. I'm still confused if anything's possible or not, though.

More links after the jump.

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This is how the play-by-play in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania went tonight (I run a small access cable television show much like Wayne's World. We talk about basketball and quilts):

"Thaddeus Young takes the ball into the middle, awkwardly rolls it off his finger.... IT'S GOOD! Doug Collins is yelling at the top of his lungs "Foul, foul! For the love of Jeff, foul!" C.J. Watson collects the inbounds, dribbles up the sideline, Jrue Holiday reaches around him for the purpose foul. But no! The referees' whistles are silent! Watson keeps dribbling up the court, racing at full speed. He finds a cutting Omer Asik who gets absolutely mauled by Spencer Hawes. Asik will shoot two at the line, hoping to put the Bulls up 3. Asik releases the first...... no good! The crowd is louder than a Justin Bieber concert right now as Asik puts up the second free-throw... and it clanks off the rim! Andre Iguodala gets the rebound, no timeouts, 7 seconds left. And he's racing up the court! Dre goes to the bucket with everything he's got and he's fouled! Andre Iguodala, the man who Sixer fans have dreaded seeing at the free throw stripe with the game on the line will attempt the biggest foul shots of his life, the Sixers season hanging in the balance.

The first is up.... and it's in. Sixer fans everywhere expecting him to go 1-2. Half the arena with their eyes closed, Doug Collins has his head between his legs, Old Man Knees is standing! Dre flicks his wrist.... and it's good! A beautiful second free throw from Iguodala to give the Sixers the lead. Watson gets the inbound, chucks up a prayer from half-court, it clanks off the rim! No Devin Harris tonight, folks! The Sixers have won their first playoff series since 2003 and have eliminated the eastern conference's first overall seed! Buy my new arrangement of afghan blankets!"

The emotions rattling through my brain during that very small stretch went from so low to the highest of highs. When Asik got the dunk off the pick-and-roll from Watson, I was sure the game was done with and we were going back to Chicago for a Game 7. Thad, like only he can do, capitalizes on an awkward take, Watson bails the Sixers out, and Dre does the Dre'est thing of all-time. What other player on this team would have it in the presence of mind to go get the rebound, recognize how much time was left with no timeouts, push the ball up the floor, and attack the big-man knowing a could was in his horizons.

Thinking of his son, Dre made sure this series was done and over with. He climbed up on the scorer's table after the buzzer sounded, embracing the fan base that has criticized him, unfairly in a lot of cases, over his career, basking in a first-round victory.

Andre Iguodala, I'm so proud of you.

Hit the jump, please!

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The Sixers are moving on to the second round thanks in part to the ref not calling Jrue Holiday's foul attempt on C.J. Watson, Watson passing the ball to Omer Asik, Andre Iguodala making a great decision to push the ball off the miss, and Dre drilling two of the clutchest free throws you could ever hope for.

The Celtics and Hawks are still doing their thing so we'll see if the Sixers will play on Saturday or not.

For the first time since 2003, the Sixers have won a playoff series. This one's for Steve Mix! This one's for Vonteego Cummings! This one's for the boys!

Let's second round celebrate!

This might be the last Sixer home game of the season. This might be the last game of the Sixers/Bulls first round series. This might also be none of those two things. Either way, the Bulls are in Philadelphia for Game Six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. With a 3-2 series lead and the home court, the Sixers will look to put away the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference (okay, tainted).

Thaddeus Young conquerer Taj Gibson is a go while Joakim Noah remains a game-time decision because of his ankle. We may be seeing more Jodie Meeks than we have the past couple games. Take your pick with who comes away with victory.

The winner of tonight's game gets complimentary baklava from the Greek Food Festival in Bethlehem, PA. If either team scores above 95 points, the world will implode.

Like Mike said last game: Blog a Bull. Allison Brie. Kumquats.

Time to show it.

Earlier today, Mike guided all you Thundercats with updates on the extensive amounts of injuries that have occurred in this series alone, the most important being my jammed finger. No worries, though, I had an incredible rehab session today so I'm looking probable for Game 5 tomorrow night.

We're about 24 hours from tip-off, which could be the last game of the series if the Sixers can close out their second road playoff win. While you're sitting around your basement waiting for Game 5, watching old episodes of Friends, why don't you catch up on some Sixers updates?

Sixers In Command Despite Poor Shooting - CSN Philly

So you're saying when a team shoots 39.2% or worse for two games, they usually don't win? Psh, I don't believe it.

76ers’ Evan Turner Says Bulls Won’t Go Away Quietly - Chicago Sun-Times

People freaked out when Evan said he'd rather see the Bulls than the Heat (how dare he tell the truth?!) but today he comes back with a quote that is near impossible to criticize. Go ahead, try.

Joakim Noah Ditches Crutches but Will Still Miss Game 5 - Chicago Tribune

My real question is, will he still have the boot on so I can see his toesies when they show the Bulls' bench? Important things, people!

Sixers' Iguodala Keeping Lid On His Emotions - Philadelphia Inquirer

Andre's been keeping his urge to kiss every Sixer who scores on the DL. Apparently, there's no kissing in basketball.

Inexperienced Sixers Aim to Close Out Series in Game 5 - PhillyBurbs.com

Evan Turner says "I'd much rather be in this situation than on the other end of it." How dare he say he'd rather be up 3-1 than down 1-3?!?!

More links after the jump.

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The third quarter in yesterday's Sixer win over the Bulls in Game 2 was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, slightly behind a Ryan Cabrera concert I happened to catch while in high school. Between the Sixers getting out on the break with great ease, Evan Turner's mid-range display, Andre Iguodala's ferocious dunk, and Jrue Holiday's pure silkiness, I may never watch a basketball game ever again to have that as my last memory (a complete lie considering I have the Spurs/Jazz game on right now).

We've got another 2-day break before the next game, so let's tie ourselves over with a couple links. Remember to look further down the page for all our coverage on this playoff series where we discuss Dre's tendonitis, a ton of poll options on if you want Spencer Hawes back next year or not, and Dre finishing 7th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

How the Sixers Broke Down the Bulls - The Point Forward

Check this out if you get the chance. Zach Lowe does the damn thing. keep an eye on how Philadelphia defends the various sets in which the Bulls have a shooter — Hamilton or Kyle Korver, usually — curl off one or two screens on one side of the floor as other player movement happens on the weak side. The Bulls don’t have the most complicated offense in the league, but they are very good at the basic things they do — running these sorts of plays, working high pick-and-rolls with Rose and spacing their two big men in ways that take advantage of their passing skills.

A few more links after the jump.

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It's been the topic of Sixer related conversation ever since game one was in the books and everybody accepted that Derrick Rose wouldn't be returning: would Jodie Meeks continue to start or would Evan Turner be inserted back in?

In today's helping of Sixers links, we'll dive right into the speculation of who is going to have his name called by the Bulls' public address announcer prior to game two tomorrow night. Every impression I'm seeing is leading me to believe that it will be Turner who will start alongside Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala in the backcourt. But don't go by what I'm assuming, check out today's links and decide for yourself.

Sounds Like Evan Turner Will Start Tomorrow - Philadelphia Daily News

Asked if Watson was his assignment to guard, Holiday said, "No, that's Evan. I'm on Rip (Hamilton) tomorrow."

It's Time For Turner - Philadelphia Daily News

Collins reiterated that even though the Bulls will be without star Derrick Rose for the rest of the series, the key for the Sixers is rebounding. That is an area where Turner can be a big contributor.

"But if we don't rebound we can't win. We gave them 20 second-chance points. We talked to our bigs and our wings about rebounding the ball. One of the problems that we have is when we put [Andre Iguodala] on Rip or Korver, he's one of our better rebounders and he's away from the basket. Same thing about Evan."

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It's day two of the NBA Playoffs and we're all, as basketball fans, mourning the Chicago Bulls' loss of reigning MVP Derrick Rose. The injury is a huge blow to not only the Bulls' championship run this season, but also the NBA and possibly the future of that franchise. I feel for all Chicago fans that had championship on their minds.

While the Bulls come to grips with how they'll continue on in this series without Rose, the Sixers have issues (while not nearly as pressing) of their own they've got to straighten out if they want to come out of this series possibly victorious. They got very little production from starting shooting guard Jodie Meeks, while Evan Turner played a pretty effective game off the bench. Will that trigger a change in the line-up? That, and more addressed in today's installment of Sixers Links.

Turner Shakes Off Boos, Turns In Solid Game - CSN Philly

The crowd booed him when he entered the game. The crowd booed him whenever he touched the ball. But Turner didn’t care.

"They’re not playing on the court," Turner said. "To tell you the truth, I only worry about my teammates, the opponent and the positive people like my family and friends in the stands. I don’t worry about the people that don’t play on the court."

"I thought Evan played well," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Evan is going to have to be out there for us because when you play against the Bulls, you have to have playmakers. You have to have guys on the floor who can make plays and Evan did a good job with that. We had him guarding Rose and Luol [Deng], which took him away from the basket. We would like to get him assignments that are closer to the rim so he can rebound the ball."

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It is upon us. The NBA Playoffs begin in 5 hours, and I couldn't be excited. While the popular, mainstream thing to do is get all yolked up for the first day of the NCAA Tournament, day one of the NBA Playoffs is my second Christmas. It's time to watch the best basketball players in the world go all out for a shot at the Larry David O'Brien Trophy. 40 games in 40 nights; it's like the opposite of Lent. Gluttony at its finest!

In case you haven't been paying attention to any of the playoff coverage we've been providing you guys over the past couple days, we've put together some links from guys who's names aren't Jordan, Mike, Derek, Tanner, or Dave to get you set for the greatest time of the year, the NBA Playoffs.

Eastern Conference NBA Playoff Preview - SBNation.com

The two East favorites enter the playoffs with many questions, but can anyone in the East actually give them a run?

Key to the series: Which bench gains an advantage? Chicago and Philadelphia have two of the strongest benches in the league, but they do different things. The 76ers get a ton of offense from their bench, while the Bulls' defense goes to another level when they bring in subs. Philadelphia's only chance to make this a series is if Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young have several big games.

Prediction: Bulls in five. The 76ers at their peak look like a tough matchup, but that 76ers team has been MIA since February.

More linkage after the jump.

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With just two days remaining in the regular season, only 3/5 of the Sixers regular starting lineup made the trip to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Thaddeus Young stayed at home and Louis Williams hung out on the bench, allowing some of the role players to play major roles in the outcome against a mostly second string Bucks squad.

No players took advantage of this opportunity more than the on-and-off-again starters of the second half of the season; Evan Turner and Jodie Meeks. Evan looked determined not to let any offensive possession end without him having some kind of a roll in the outcome, whether it be by way of assist or shot. I took him an absurd amount of shots to do it (29) but Evan notched a career high 29 points to go along with 13 rebounds (why he was allowed to have the ball) and 6 assists to put together a very "Evan Turner" type line. What was disheartening from his game tonight was that Evan didn't get to the line a single time during the regular flow of the offense (his free throws came from the Bucks playing the foul game at the end). Evan was falling in love with the mid-range jumpshot a little too much for my liking tonight. While he was hitting at 50% clip all night, that number isn't likely to be sustainable, so getting to the rack becomes an imperative part for being an all around threat.

Despite the lack of free throws, it was great to see Evan play with as much aggressiveness as he did. Was it that the fear of being pulled wasn't there? Could be. All I know is that Evan put the offense on his back (doe) tonight and was the focal point of just about every possession on that end of the floor.

Also showing up to the part (Orestes made sure he was invited) was Jodie Meeks. I wasn't quite sure if the player I was seeing out on the floor was Jodie. There was a Sixer player with the number 20 on the back of his jersey getting to the basket and even getting to the free throw line. Jodes got himself to the line 9 times for the game and connected on 8 of those attempts. Not only was he doing the unusual, but Jodie decided he's bring back "M33KS" for the first time in what seems like 20 games. Jodie dropped three jumpers from beyond the arc, prompting his BOSSness to tell Jodie "Stand right there all night, bro." Jodie ended the night just behind Evan with 27 points (on 19 shots) had his name spelled wrong on the CSN bottom line for his reward (Jody Meeks). His defense was suspect per usual but Jodie had himself a nice showing that his dad, and ours as a blog, can be proud of.

While Turner and Meeks were most of the team tonight, some other guys got some burn too. Check them out after the jump.

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The quote in the headline came from the BOSS (Louis Williams) himself as he was chatting it up with Jodie Meeks during a timeout. Jodie listened to his B-Boy teammate to the tune of 27 points of which 9 came from behind the arc and 8 from the free throw line.

Evan Turner seized the opportunity of the Sixers being without Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand and BOSS as he made sure he was a part of just about every possession that occurred with him on the floor. Evan put together a pretty impressive line of 29 points (on a ton of shots), 13 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Since they won, there's still a very realistic possibility of the Sixers getting the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

Get your post-game reactions, giraffes!

As you'll see further down in the rankings, Tom Ziller tells us that nobody fears the Sixers right now. I'll take it one step further as to say most wouldn't even recognize them at all. I imagine when being interviewed and asked if they're prepared for a first round match-up with the Sixers, both Tom Thibodeau and Erik Spoelstra would answer "Who?" (shortly followed by Michael Bluth asking "Her?").

With victories in Cleveland and against a surging Indiana (with Paul George <3) Pacer squad that will end the season with the 3 seed, the Sixers moved up one or two spots in this week's power rankings. So without further ado, here are the final power rankings for the regular season.

Tom Ziller, SB Nation - 16th (7th in East)

(No one fears the Philadelphia 76ers right now. Watch them take Chicago to seven.)

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The first half of the Sixers game in Cleveland looked very typical of the team we've seen so much of lately. Lazy defense, Spencer Hawes doing Spencer Hawes things, and some general BOSSness had the Sixers up just 4 when they went into the locker room at halftime.

While those in "tank-mode" camp were excited about the possibilities of dropping another game, Jrue Holiday decided it was time to drop a barrage of three-pointers on the Cavs. With the help of 5 (yes, 5) triples in the third quarter alone, Holiday lead the Sixers on a gigantic 24-2 run that they never looked back from, getting their only win in their stretch of 3 games in as many days.

Jrue finished the night not missing anything from beyond the arc on his way to a team, and game, high 24 points. Andre Iguodala joined the three-point party bus along with Holiday, netting a few of his own that accounted for 9 of his 19 to go along with 13 boards and 7 assists (so Andre). Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young also dropped double figures themselves, collecting 10 and 12 points off the bench respectively.

Not only did the Sixers come away with the win but the Milwaukee Bucks, apparently switching personalities with the Sixers of recent, fell to the Washington Wizards to put further distance between the two teams for the coveted 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. With just 4 games to play and 2 games up, the dream the tankers once had may just be over.

Unfortunately (?) the game was on TCN, which my cable provider doesn't want to carry, so I was unable to view the game. I did box score follow and read along in the Game Thread, and from the looks of things, it seemed this game was uneventful sans the Holiday 3-point contest in the second half.

Reactionz!

76ers vs Cavaliers coverage
	@
31-30		20-40
Location: Quicken Loans Arena
Time: April 18th 2012, 7:00 PM Eastern
Channel: TCN (again? really?), NBA League Pass
Probable starters:
Jrue Holiday	PG	Kyrie Irving
Jodie Meeks	SG	Anthony Parker
Andre Iguodala	SF	Omri Casspi
Elton Brand	PF	Antawn Jamison
Nikola Vucevic	C	Tristan Thompson
Advanced Stats: (league rankings)
101.2 (18)	Off	98.5 (27)
95.6 (2)	Def	105.2 (25)
47.8% (20)	eFG%	46.5% (29)
45.5% (2)	deFG%	50.4% (25)
10.9% (1)	TOR	14.4% (23)
24.0% (26)	ORR	29.2% (7)
75.5% (2)	DRB	72.4% (23)
21.5% (30)	FTR	31.0% (6)
Friends Forever (obvs the song from Saved By The Bell): Fear The Sword

It's the last of a back-to-back for the Sixers tonight, who actually haven't shown up to a game for a while now so they should be pretty well rested. It's the showdown of two of the league's best tonight as the Sixers have lost 7 of their last 9 while the Cavs, coming off an almost 40-point loss in Detroit, are just waiting for the season to end so they can laugh at us when they get a top 5 pick to pair with likely rookie of the year winner Kyrie Irving. If the Sixers drop this one, they'll be back to the hilarious .500 record that we've all grown accustomed to over the past decade. It looks good on us, why stray from what we know, right?

The game's on TCN again tonight because CSN is carrying the Flyers playoff game as they go for a sweep against the Penguins. You're probably better off watching that (my cable provider doesn't carry TCN so I don't really have a choice), even if you don't like hockey.

Hello? Guys? Is anybody even out there? Didn't think so.

We at Liberty Ballers love getting ideas from you guys via the e-mails. Like Adam Aron, we read every tweet or e-mail and respond with extreme optimism and pat-ourselves-on-the-backism. Recently, one of our dozens of readers, Eric DeBerardinis (I only had to look at his name 5 times to make sure I had it spelled right), sent us an interview he recently did for his NBA radio show at Penn State University with Sports Illustrated writer Lee Jenkins.

For those of you who don't know, Jenkins is the guy who wrote the piece that was in SI a couple weeks ago (give it a read here). In the interview, Jenkins addresses how the article came about (much earlier than you might have anticipated), Andre Iguodala's demeanor, and one thing that was left out of the final version that he found interesting (hint: it's about Doug Collins and waking up at 4:00 AM).

Many thanks to our good friend Eric (@EJDpsu for our Twitter fans) for sending this audio along. His weekly NBA radio show "The Association" airs every Friday at 2:30 PM on ComRadio, the campus radio station at PSU. I believe you can also give it a listen on the PSU ComRadio website.

Hit the jump to listen to the interview.

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The right song can make you feel just about anything. If you're out on a date with a beautiful lady (first off, you probably don't read this site if you can get a date), you can pop in a little John Legend, 112, or Tyrese to set the mood. If you're trying to party hard-y, it shouldn't be a problem if you've got some Jay Sean or New Boyz at your disposal.

So we've established what you can listen to if you're feeling seductive or if you're ready to rip the dance floor (Derek is especially proficient at that), but what do we throw on the ol' 8-track player when we watch this hilariously mediocre 76ers team on a nightly basis?

I couldn't narrow my choices down to just one song, so I've come up with a pair of tunes that accurately capture my feelings about the 2011-2012 Philadelphia 76ers.

Check out my jams after the jump!

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Doug Collins said it earlier this week; we'll know who the Sixers truly are after the brutal 3-game stretch against the Nets, Raptors, and Nets again. Like the Sixers have been doing for the past decade, they took the first two pretty easily and when everyone expected them to do the same for the final game, they lose at home to the team with the second worst defense in the league (for the second time this year). Yep, Doug Collins' quote was spot on. This is exactly who they are.

Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday had pretty nice games, which is certainly what I'm most concerned about with this current roster as the season stands. How many games the Sixers win for the rest of the year? I'm pretty sure I care more about the newest plot twist on Gossip Girl. The only thing I'm worried about is the development of these two guys. The offseason is where it really matters at this point.

All-star frontcourt Kris Humphries and Jordan Williams combined for 31 points and 18 rebounds, Collins decided to pull Turner (9-15 at the time) for Louis Williams (3-8 at said point) in the final two minutes (and yes, Lou did get abused on the defensive end immediately), Jodie Meeks played 23 minutes shooting 0-5 from the floor, and the Sixers continue to do exactly what they always do.

Oh, and just to rub it in the faces of those who still had hopes for the division, the Raptors ended up beating the Celtics.

We'll always have #PHIvsNJN though, right?

UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments, see Mike's Twitter account to read an accurate description of this chicken-fungus of a game.

Nets vs 76ers coverage
	@
21-38		31-27
Location: Wells Fargo Center
Time: April 13th, 2012, 7:00 PM Eastern
Channel: TCN, NBA League Pass
Probable starters:
Deron Williams	PG	Michelle Williams
Brian "Smash" Williams	SG	Louis Williams
Berrnie Williams	SF	Montell Williams
Jordan Williams	PF	Katt Williams
Sheldon Williams	C	William(s) Smith
Advanced Stats: (league rankings)
100.8 (19)	Off	N/A Sucks (Per Mike)
107.1 (29)	Def	95.8 (2)
47.7% (22)	eFG%	47.8% (20)
51.5% (30)	deFG%	45.7% (3)
14.4% (23)	TOR	10.8% (1)
28.9% (30)	ORR	24.0 (26)
70.3 (27)	DRB	75.0 (3)
27.5% (16)	FTR	N/A Sucks (Per Mike)
Mortal Enemies: NetsDaily

Yep, that's right guys. The Nets and Sixers will be disguised as Robert Pattinson and Booker T (far too few images of them when I Google Image searched "Liberty Ballers" - looking to increase) in honor of today being Friday the 13th.

The Sixers are coming off two enormous wins against these Nets and the Andrea Bargnani-less Toronto Raptors in America's hat. The same starters that were used in those two wins (Jrue Holiday, Jodie Meeks, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Nikola Vucevic) will most likely strut out on the Well Fargo Center floor tonight in those same roles.

Although the Sixers haven't been playing the best basketball lately (huh? what are you talking about? DEYDABEST!), I'm fully expecting them to put the Nets away without any trouble whatsoever. The Sixers have been struggling mightily on offense but the Nets defense could be the chicken soup to temporarily cure that illness. If they do lose, it will just be another reminder to the front office that this team is stuck in mediocreville.

Is anybody even reading this since the Flyers have a playoff game tonight and the Phillies are easily more popular? Didn't think so. Whatever, it's Friday, go party!

If you haven't been paying attention to the world for the past decade, you wouldn't realize that social media is pretty much the only way to communicate with anybody. Personal interaction? HA! You make me and my spanish beagle named Manny giggle with such nonsense. Anyway, for some strange reason our readership has grown this past season (it's from us paying you guys to read) so I thought what better time to remind you guys of all the fun ways you can interact with us! It's really the only fun thing to do now that the Sixers couldn't win a game if Hip-Hop's life depended on it. Oh, wait...

If you're a huge Mark Zuckerberg fan, hit up the Liberty Ballers Facebook page where we occasionally post some articles, ask extremely though provoking hypothetical questions (i.e. If the Sixers had their own Hunger Games, who would win?), and give out a Liberty Ballers Fan of the Week (at one point being given to Spencer Hawes' family member) from time to time. We're about 175 fans away from reaching 1,000 total, at which point Dave will write a Remember This Guy installment about Jamal Mashburn's tenure as a Sixer, so hurry up and tell your friends!

Twitter is where the LB crew is definitely most active. Hit up our main blog account @Philly76ersBlog for all important information regarding the Sixers. Jordan tends to live tweet games from this handle which is great when you're unable to be near a TV.

In addition, each writer on the site has his/her (mostly his) own Twitter account.

@samsjordan (Jordan Sams) - The LB originator tweets about a wide variety of sports subjects most of the time involving his thoughts on the Sixers, Cowboys (Dallas, not Oklahoma State), and Astros. When the new season of Jersey Shore kicks off, expect a bunch of Situation and preggers Snooki inspired tweets as well. Occasionally he'll throw in a Kim Kardashian themed post just to keep things fresh.

@Michael_Levin (Michael Levin) - Louis Williams' biggest fan tweets a ton about his love/hate of the Sixers and the Phillies most of the time. Every now and then he'll name drop a celebrity who he saw on the streets of LA. More often than not the celebrity is Tony Danza or Matthew Lawrence. Lately his thing has been trying to pick a fight with the official Sixers account.

@tsteidel (Tanner Steidel) - Hey, that's me! Most of my tweets are either about the Sixers, rap music, or general statements that make absolutely no sense (case in point, Taco Clouds). I'm sure my rap-inspired tweets turn off a lot of people but oh well. Recently I've been sharing some fun/nonsensical quotables from my co-worker/nursery school classmate Marc Stewart of William Allen High School basketball fame (i.e. I put my crutches down like San Jose).

@derekbodner (Derek Bodner) - This is the guy you're going to want to follow when it comes to well-informed, coherent twattles. Derek uses a lot of numbers and these things called facts in his posts. Like Mike, Derek posts a bunch about the Sixers and Phillies. Derek is credentialed for a bunch of Sixers games and he puts quotes up from pre-game and post-game press conferences very quickly. If you'd been following him, you'd know that he's tired of seeing Johnny Depp only do Tim Burton movies.

@wheresbenrivera (Dave Reuter) - Dave is the newest member of our illustrious/sweaty cult of writers. We recently kidnapped and brainwashed him by making him watch every Air Bud movie (there's hidden messages in those, you'll see). Dave tends to give insights on old Sixers players, what he's currently doing at the bar (sales for Dana Barros Appreciation Day), and why he's so busy (mostly having to do with late 80s/early 90s WWF Pay-Per-View Specials). Dave's our man-on-the-inside in Boston who's just about ready to make our attack against every member of the Celtics. Except Avery Bradley. He's too precious.

As always, our site is just as good as you guys help us make it. We always love to interact with our readers so hit us up on the Twitters or send us love poems on Facebook. We're currently having difficulties with our mySpace and Xanga pages but we'll be sure to update you when those are back up and running.

This past week for the Sixers saw them drop games to the Heat, Raptors, Magic, and Celtics. Those who keep holding out hope that they'll end the season on top of the Atlantic Division are seeing their dream fade away after each game.

During that span we've had reports that players are tuning out Doug Collins and that the coach feels his players are far more sensitive than players of old (when I was your age, wienerschnitzels only cost a nickel I tell ya). There are only 10 games left on the schedule, 8 of which are on the road. Most of these should be winnable but with the way this team has been playing, who knows how many wins they'll end up with. Currently the 8th seed in the East, the Sixers are in danger of dropping out of the playoffs completely with the surge of the Milwaukee Bucks. The metaphorical wheels appear to be as loose as possible, and the power rankings reflect this.

Check out some rankings after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The Sixers offense came out blazing tonight to the tune of a 58% first-half field goal percentage. They're statistically the best defensive team in the NBA, so it's only fair to assume the Sixers gave themselves a huge cushion going into the second-half, right? Oh, how that assumption couldn't be more wrong. In fact, the Sixers had only a one-point lead when they went back to the locker room for the break. If only they could have maintained that pace.

The second half was absolutely atrocious as the Sixers offensive successes completely vanished, giving way to production that was about as auspicious as the finale for the first season of "The Killing". The Sixers only managed to score 22 points in the entire second half (that means the 3rd and 4th quarter combined). With the lack of any sort of defensive effort whatsoever, this offensive collapse allowed the lowly Raptors to run away with the game in the 4th quarter (a 4th quarter in which the Sixers scored their lowest amount of points since the 1950s), eventually beating the Sixers by 21 points... in Philadelphia... when the Sixers are in the dead heat of a division title race against the Boston Celtics.

Throughout the entire game, there was little to no defensive effort at all. The Sixers were going through screen as lethargically as I've seen them the entire season. Whether it was Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Linas Kleiza, etc (I'll refrain from just naming the entire Raptors roster), just about anyone who wanted to shoot the ball was able to do so uncontested. The Sixers weren't closing out on jump shooters for the entire game and the Raptor wings were able to find their way into the paint relatively easily. When a defense allows the opposition to do those two things, it's about a 96.5% chance they'll be unsuccessful on that side of the floor and it was certainly true tonight.

I understand that the Sixers were on the second half of a back-to-back of which the first part was a hard fought road game against the Miami Heat. They were bound to be at least a little winded and it would even be understandable to see them come out a little flat. But tonight, the Sixers were more than a little flat, they were downright lazy with an extremely uninterested demeanor. The game was as ugly as I've seen this entire season, and brings back the question of what can be done with this team long-term?

A few more things after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

What's up 7-seed? Wanna hang out?

What's up mediocrity? Why do I see you EVERYWHERE?

Raptors vs 76ers coverage
	@
19-35		29-24
Location: Wells Fargo Center
Time: April 4th, 2012, 7:00 PM Eastern
Channel: CSN, NBA League Pass
Probable starters:
Jose Calderon	PG	Jrue Holiday
DeMar DeRozan	SG	Evan Turner
Alan Anderson	SF	Andre Iguodala
Andrea Bargnani	PF	Elton Brand
Aaron Gray (Allentown!)	C	Spencer Hawes
Advanced Stats: (league rankings)
98.9 (24)	Off	101.7 (17)
102.2 (16)	Def	94.9 (1)
47.7% (20)	eFG%	48.1% (17)
48.0% (11)	deFG%	45.2% (2)
14.8% (24)	TOR	10.7% (1)
25.7 (22)	ORR	24.2 (26)
74.9 (5)	DRB	75.1 (2)
28.0 (13)	FTR	21.1 (30)
Mortal Enemies: Raptors HQ

It's the second of a back-to-back and one of the last home games of the season. The Sixers have been taking care of lesser opponents at home all year, and this one certainly looks like it could be another of those turnouts. With the Celtics welcoming the Spurs to town, tonight presents a very real opportunity to pick up a game in the division. While it is the second half of a back-to-back (the first being last night's loss to the Heat), I'm still anticipating the Sixers to come out focused as they can see the division lead wandering off into the sunset after every loss.

According to Mike Preston earlier in the day, Iguodala is available tonight. Hopefully the Sixers won't need too much out of him and put together an easy victory like against Cleveland last week.

Let's hit the thread and keep our division hopes alive! GO SIXERS!

And just for fun:

"It makes no sense to me why so many good scorers can't defend," Iguodala says. "Like Lou Williams. He's one of the toughest guys to guard in the league, but he can't guard anybody. I don't get that."

The Sixers should be looking across the floor seeing a bunch of players that they're better than...

Back-to-back-to-backs are so overrated, right? The Spurs certainly had no problem winning their third game in as many nights, this time against our favorite Sixers. The Spurs were without Tim Duncan, Gary Neal, and Tiago Splitter while the Sixers didn't have their all-star Andre Iguodala.

My mind wandered off during this one on multiple occasions. Some thoughts I had during the game included "I wonder what Vin Baker is up to right now?" and "why were there two graduation episodes of Saved by the Bell?". Yea, it was that kind of game tonight.

Go get your Don Draper on. That's what the money is for!

Did you have any random thoughts?