Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2009, 8:20 PM | 43 comments |
 

Sixers steal Game 1
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The Sixers arrived in Orlando feeling pretty decent  about themselves. They felt they were better than people gave them credit for being. They thought they had a shot in this series against the Magic.

And now what?

Game 1: Sixers 100, Magic 98.

Andre Iguodala hit the jumper that won it with 2.2 seconds after bricking two free throws with about a minute left. Hedo Turkoglu missed the desperation three-pointer at the end. And now the Sixers lead by a game. They have accompished what they needed to accomplish.

The effort was the story, the gumption the Sixers showed on the road. They were down by 81-68 with 11:10 to go in the fourth quarter and they persisted. Dwight Howard was killing them for three quarters but they endured. An Andre Miller drive to the hoop cut the deficit to 84-81 with 6:26 to go and this was every bit a ballgame. It was tied at 91-91 with less than 4 minutes left. It was 96-95 with 1:07 left when Iguodala bricked two free throws. It was 98-98 when Donyell Marshall bombed in a three-pointer with 34.8 seconds left. It was right there.

Howard had big numbers, 31 points and 16 rebounds. But they weren't enough, as the Sixers won this thing with their bench in the fourth quarter -- Lou Williams, Theo Ratliff and Donyell Marshall all logging big minutes at the end.

And, so:

Surprised?
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 8:20 PM  Permalink | 43 comments
43
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:23 PM, 04/19/2009
    rich, everyone was so negative about this. i had faith all the way! do i think they an win this? well, idk!it will be hard! BUT GO 76ERS
    — Israel is my home
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:30 PM, 04/19/2009
    Just remember the Sixers are in the playoffs WITHOUT Elton Brand. They have young talent with some good veterans. The last game against the CAVS was a big lift. Maybe they can sneak another win or two and keep it competitive and go into the off season with some momentum. 10-9-8-76ers.
    — TodaysPeople
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:37 PM, 04/19/2009
    Philly.com wants us to vote on "which local team had the biggest win today." why try to create competition between the teams? the only team that didn't have a big win was the eagles. sometimes i wonder about philly.com, wake up and report, not speculate and try to cause animosity between our teams.
    — Ricky Gehlhaus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:37 PM, 04/19/2009
    Phils win was big...Sixers win was huge...Hockey is not a sport, so that didn't even register as a blip on the radar screen.
    — thingfish
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:41 PM, 04/19/2009
    Not registering a blip would be the football team signing a ProBowl offensive lineman, that would be huge news in past years. With Phils, Sixers, and Flyers all having solid seasons (plus the death of Harry Kalas) the Eagles have been moved to the 4th page of the paper.
    — Burrell
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:42 PM, 04/19/2009
    GOOOOOO SIXERS!!! I KEEP TELLIN U GUYS THAT WERE GONNA WIN THIS SERIES..REMEMBER MY NAME..IM TELLING YOU..
    — strech215
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:42 PM, 04/19/2009
    Very surprised. Oh shut up ThingFish - just because you dont like Hockey doesnt mean it means nothing.
    — tokar
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:42 PM, 04/19/2009
    Well the bench shot 7 of 9 from 3pt range. Just repeat that for a minute. 7 of 9 from 3pt range. That's Jeri Ryan Hot.
    — dervin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:43 PM, 04/19/2009
    thingfish is a moron. Flyers by far the biggest because it was the most important in terms of the playoffs and a potential 3-0 deficit.
    — brio
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:43 PM, 04/19/2009
    ........................SPEECHLESS!!
    — HO HUM
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:51 PM, 04/19/2009
    DONYELL!
    — Leegles
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:54 PM, 04/19/2009
    Great day for all Philly Teams (including Peters) - but this was the most unexpected joy for us diehards - what a great comeback on the road and especially in the playoffs. No chip on their shoulders, when they work as a team they can make some noise!
    — IGGLES1980
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:56 PM, 04/19/2009
    which win was the biggest....well the Flyers of course. Hockey is the only thing that matters this time of year.
    — cnova000
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:58 PM, 04/19/2009
    today was a great day to be a philadelphia sports fan
    — ConservativePatriot22


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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