The Starting Five

(Lynne Sladky/AP)

The Sixers have endured an emotionally draining week - an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets followed by a great comeback win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Last night the Sixers were facing the Miami Heat, who were without Dwayne Wade (ankle) and looking to measure themselves against last spring’s first round playoff opponent.

The Sixers were right there with the Heat until the third quarter when the Sixers trouble defending the Heat became evident. Chris Bosh and LeBron James would combine for 58 points along with major contributions from the starters and reserves to defeat the Sixers 113-92. Giving the Heat seven consecutive wins against the Sixers.

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I must say that I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49′ers. For the eighth time in the last 32 years these two will meet in the playoffs. There have been some very memorable games and moments in those matchups.

Tomorrow, a new chapter will be written in this postseason rivalry.

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Our first contest on Championship Sunday takes us to Foxboro, Mass. where the New England Patriots look to avenge their playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens two seasons ago to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLVI. While this may be the last opportunity for future hall of famer Ray Lewis to play for the game’s ultimate prize.

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(H. Rumph Jr)

The Philadelphia 76′ers earned a character win tonight in front of 17,724 that willed them to a second half surge to gain a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Sixers were fortunate to only trail by eight points at the half after struggling mightily in the first 24 minutes of action. Hopefully this victory will silence the skeptics that point out the Sixers haven’t beaten any of the upper echelon teams in the league this season. “The game against Golden State and tonight will be two games thus far in the season that I think are going to be moments that we look back on that could change the course of your whole year.

It was also a historical night for forward Andre Iguodala who recorded his 1,000th steal, placing him in the top five on the 76′ers all-time list joining the likes of Maurice Cheeks, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley.

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(Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

Battle of the planets indeed: Game 1 to LeBron

Charles Barkley is catching mad wreck for his comments (below) regarding LeBron and DWade. A lot of people are disagreeing but honestly, something was suspect about that Finals, so I’d consider LeBron’s failures an aberration. I can’t speak for Chuck but you know damn well something wasn’t right. To be clear, I’m not saying the fix was in but something definitely was going on with LeBron…hence how the narrative has shaped and shifted.

TNT’s NBA coverage continues Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET) followed by the Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)

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Miller torched his former team with 28 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds…off the bench

The return of Andre Miller. A career underrated Andre Miller. The Reticent Alchemist.

No, he doesn’t talk much unless you speak it with him straight. It was good to see him back in town. For the feature linked above, he gave me one of my best interviews…where I got to know his Mom. Being a lifelong Sixers supporter because I’m from the area, Andre Miller represents the Mo Cheeks regime. He represents it well, for Miller averaged 15 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds in his three years here.

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(Brown University)

I’m currently working on a book that chronicles the life of the great Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard. Pollard preceded Jackie Robinson as a pioneer in the integration of team sports in the United States. Pollard was the first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl in 1916 as a player for Brown University. Fritz would later become the first Black quarterback and head coach calling signals and plays for the Akron Pros in the American Professional Football League (Later becoming the NFL) Pollard played in the NFL until 1926, when the league imposed an unwritten rule to segregate the league for the “safety” of Black players. Pollard was an advocate for the advancement of Blacks in the NFL until his passing in 1986. He was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in August, 2005.

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Could he be the best of his draft class?

Covering the 2011 draft, I noticed a different vibe when Paul George was mentioned. There was a distinct buzz. Drafted 10th by the Indiana Pacers, admittedly I didn’t know much of the Fresno State product out of Palmdale, CA. Someone showed me a few highlights and I immediately knew he was the type of player who could become a NBA star. You could tell in his demeanor he’s always on the level…almost like a quarterback…he’s never too high or too low. Some say he is similar to Tracy McGrady (I say Scottie Pippen) and the comparisons are understandable being T-Mac is athletic and skilled. Paul George is a tremendous athlete…one of the best in the game…but there’s something different about him. Before George and I talk, I got some words from Frank Vogel…who himself is a young up and coming coaching talent. The contending Pacers are playing well early and get production from all over the floor. That versatility is something Paul George has a firm grasp of and it’s no question the young player will be fun to watch.

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When Allen Iverson was the King of Philadelphia, the 76′ers won games by simply outworking their opponent. That installment of  Sixers team played tight defense and relied on The Answer’s ability to destroy whomever was in front of him. This is a different team. This team gets its scoring from a myriad of hard workers and up and comers. The defense is similar and Philadelphia is winning games it would have lost in recent past. On the MLK Jr. holiday, the Sixers keep it moving in a positive direction and remain undefeated at home in defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 94-82. The road gets tougher for Philly. The next three opponents are Denver and Atlanta at home and Miami in South Beach.

As you’ll read below, this is far more than a recap. Thad Young and Doug Collins both give insight of MLK. Collins references his college coach Will Robinson. It was a great day to be a reporter because these type of stories don’t happen often. Thanks Coach Collins.

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 (Wifredo Lee/AP)

I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t crazy about the signing of  Doug Collins as the Sixers head coach close to two years ago. It had nothing to do with Doug Collins the man - I knew little about him personally other than his short but productive career as a 76′er, I knew that his family was raised here.  My feeling was that he was a little too far removed from intimate part of the game that dealing with some of today’s players would wear on him and shorten his stay here.

I could’ve never been more wrong.

One the day that we remember a Man for his contribution to humanity through his character, selflessness and love,  let’s look at a team that has adopted the same characteristics.

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There are rumors and scuttlebutt that President Barack Obama on Martin Luther King Day or Muhammad Ali’s birthday, a couple days later on January 17, will convene a covert committee to commence an all inclusive study on race, sex, movies, music, sports and politics to help shape the nation’s future.

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(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Philadelphia 76′ers picked up where they left off on Friday night with another strong defensive performance and another solid effort from the bench. Andre Iguodala was the defensive catalyst again last night as the visiting Sixers completed the weekend home and home matchup with a 103-90 victory over the Washington Wizards.

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AP Photo/ H. Rumph Jr

For the first time in nine seasons the Philadelphia 76′ers have opened the regular season 5-0. Last night ‘s performance was no different from the previous four. The home team played unselfish ball – placing seven players in double figures. The Sixers capitalized on 19 turnovers by the Washington Wizards to win the first half of a weekend home and home with a 120-89 trouncing of the visitors.

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There was a time when the actual athletics was the story…

I am resisting the temptation to write a column about you know who.  As with Charles Barkley, I am sick of hearing about him; I am sick of the celebration and the double standards; I am tired of “the national nightmare” and am ready to wake up to talk about something else within the sports world.

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