Sixers steal Game 1
Sixers steal Game 1.
Sixers steal Game 1
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
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?
Comments (43)
is this acceptable?,,, just wondering?— phillyroni- To Great White Trash,,,,, no place for you here dude, dosen't the KKK have a website for idiots like you to rant in.— phillyroni
- GO SIXERS,,(playoffs), GO FLYERS,,(playoffs) GO PHILLIES,(in season) GOOD MOVE EAGLES,,(I think, 11 sacks in 13 games??) In that order,— phillyroni
- GreatWhiteTruth, ppl like you deserve to drown in gasoline with a lit match in your back pocket. Don't be such an idiot please. Just as well as there are smart whites, there are also smart blacks; just as well as there are lazy whites, there are lazy blacks. It all evens out in the end. Don't turn this into a racial issue you pathetic moron. As far as the Sixers go, great win. I don't understand where this huge bandwagon came from because I could have sworn I was the only optimistic Sixers fan on here. It's too late to hop on the bandwagon we don't need fans who just want you win you win but don't wanna be around for the hard times. You guys really kill me; I really don't get you. Sixers will take this in 6 games is my prediction. Yeah Dwight was a beast last night but how often do you think he'll do that great at the freethrow line? Not to often is my guess. How often do you think Courtney Lee will be on fire like that? Not too often. I think the only person on the Magic that didn't play well and is capable of doing so is Rashard but I think him and Thad's matchup is just as huge as Dwight's and Dalembert's.— deasytrent
- They were all big wins. Phillies end a losing streak, Sixers shock the Magic and the Flyers dig themselves out of a huge hole. The Flyers win is the biggest just because of the dire circumstances they were in.— ozey
- Sixers and Flyers should NOT be acting like they were big wins. Act like you belong and are GOING to win. Otherwise, you set yourself up for a letdown loss next game.— Nezhy
- It doesn't matter which win was the biggest, all three teams represent the greatest fans in professional sports!— WPhillyguy
- yo fish thing? or whatever your name is. If hockey isn't a sport, why do Flyers games sellout more that sixers? even when the Flyers stunk, there games were still almost capacity or soldout. Also, i don't here much talk about the sixers anywhere! For what i was told Luk-Oil gas stations couldn't even give sixers tickets away for there promo they had. Don't hate on Flyers, win or lose Flyers fans are true & very loyal. So shut your mouth thingfish or fishthing. Let's Go FLYERS!— FlyersDan
- Today was great because we now have the perfect opportunity to get rid of Iguodala! His trade value will never be higher! (yes that's a parody of all you ridiculous haters)— sil campusano
- Everybody deserved to win today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— low2behold
- #1) Fightin' Phils comeback win with many dramatic moments (Stairs catch & throw for the DP, Rollins pinch-hit homer, Ryan Howard's defense, Ibanez, etc.). Plus it was the Phanatic's birthday so all of the kids who were there were treated to a great game which they'll probably remember for life. Their love for baseball was doubled today. And how about that kid in the homemade Phanatic costume? That's good stuff. #2) Flyers win over the Penguins. That was a must win at home & they dominated. The game is probably tied with the Phils as the best local win. #3) The Sixers won game 1 but they'll be lucky if they win another game in the series. The Magic are going to play more angry the rest of the way & I think Dwight Howard is going to dominate the next few games to the point that the games aren't even close. If the Sixers had a chance, then it's the game of the day. I agree with Burrell, the Eagles are 4th now. It's where they belong with the heart they have. Remember when people wanted Lurie to buy the Phillies? Thank God that never happened because he never would've thought to do a memorial service at the park for Harry Kalas.— badjake35
- donyell marshall is the new big shot rob horry.— truwarier
- The triple play but the sixers had the best and biggest win.— lacboi
- philadelphia!!!!!!!— SMOOTH
- i honestly had a very good feeling about the Sixers winning today's game. You know they'd come out ready to play and confident, especially coming off of that win in Cleveland. Even though it was against their backups for the most part, a win is a win. I think this was an unbelievable sign of how good this team can be. The fact that they didn't play their basketball, and still came back from down 18 points is incredible. Also, they shot 11/20 from the free throw line and still won the game. If they make their free throws in Tuesday night's game, and can continue to have excellent bench production, Orlando might be in some trouble.
- Thingfish-you lose all cred with your moronic statement about hockey not being a sport. Have ya had a look at the ratings lately on the NBA? Or the rows of empty seats at every Sixers game??? Something didn't register a blip, you're right, but its the basketball team, not the hockey team...nobody cares about the Sixers....they'll get bounced by Orlando and so what???— marley66
The funny thing was just the other morning I was thinking about what a disappointing day it was, after the Phils blew a 7-0 lead and lost, and the Flyers dropped two leads and lost in OT; then today, all three teams come up with big wins! Is there any question why Philly has the best fans in the nation? From cradle to grave, it's gotta be the Birds, Fightins, Flyers, and Sixers for Philadelphians, no matter where you live!— kjuggs77- thingfish once again you prove to be a know nothing about sports, idiot ..maybe you should go back to playing with ken and barbie dolls, maybe they reprisent sports in your undeveloped sports savy mind. maybe you should become pen pals with that other idiot piere from nbc that wants to ban fighting in hockey, but shut up about hockey— peterolcan
- Philly is a Grat city and we are the best fans.....We get down alot but they (teams) keep us excited.....maybe the Flyers and Sixers can win in the 1st round......greatest sports city is Philly!!!!!!— schwike
- SIXERS!— cusoraider
- Sixers. Flyers are toast, we all know this.— Leron
- thingfish = ignorant and stupid. Congrats to all Philly sports today.— John-Michael
- anyone know how many times 3 of the 4 major teams won their games in the same day, let alone two of them playoff wins?— JStrom
- nice job...actually played with some passion. van gundy has the worst voice in the nba like a whiny ny cab driver. with his voice and his brother's classic good looks (straight from the rocky horror show) they make quite a pair.— natedog
- I have to say I am surprised the Sixers won this game. At best I thought they might win one home game, but this is really a shock to most observers. Winning one game is far from winning an entire series, but if the Sexers continue to play inspired ball and give maximum effort, they could take this to six games. I'm still not convinced the Sixers could win the series, but I'll gladly be surprised if they do. Also, I think the Sixers made a huge mistake by not giving Donyell Marshall more minutes this season. What was one of the team's most glaring weaknesses? Three-point shooting, which is exactly what Donyell can give you. Is this not a valid point or am I completely off base?— MrPhillie
- Donyell looks like Sweet Daddy Williams from "Good Times".— brio
- I agree with ThingsFlash, well it is a sport so I differ there, but it is just an unexciting sport. The Sixers win was the biggest because they were on the road and beat Dwight Howard.— wolfburn
- Deff the flyers to avoid going down 3-0 in a playoff series. While the sixers started off on a good foot in the playoffs, that is second most important to the flyers avoiding an almost guarentee elimination. Phillies game is not post season, so takes a back seat to the others. Eagles didnt play they are last.— Buddude
- today was a great day to be a philadelphia sports fan— ConservativePatriot22
- which win was the biggest....well the Flyers of course. Hockey is the only thing that matters this time of year.— cnova000
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!
DONYELL!— Leegles
........................SPEECHLESS!!— HO HUM- 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
- 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
- Very surprised. Oh shut up ThingFish - just because you dont like Hockey doesnt mean it means nothing.— tokar
Comment removed.- GOOOOOO SIXERS!!! I KEEP TELLIN U GUYS THAT WERE GONNA WIN THIS SERIES..REMEMBER MY NAME..IM TELLING YOU..— strech215
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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