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ShareDaily Dose - 76ers In the News Archives - May 2005
Sixers Headlines - May 31, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- He can't stop traveling
DEJA VU,
SIXERS FANS... yes, all over again. Larry Brown not commenting on a report
that he's headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as (gulp), team president.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Reports: Pacers' aide offered Cavs' coaching
job
Indiana Pacers assistant coach Mike Brown was offered
Cleveland's head-coaching job, two sources within the NBA told the
Associated Press yesterday.
3.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Distractions loom in Detroit
AUBURN
HILLS, Mich. - Larry Brown made a hasty exit at practice yesterday before
anyone asked him about the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are eager to become
Brown's next employer.
4.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings | Doc Johnson's leaving; condo project
planned
South Philly's Krystal Tini, 21, who wrapped her
fourth season with the Sixers Dance Team, is featured on the new WB series
Beauty and the Geek (premiering tomorrow at 8 p.m. on Channel 17).
5.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Miami's Butler ready when the call comes
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - When he was at one of his lowest points
- out of the Miami Heat's starting lineup and fading out of the rotation -
Rasual Butler was stunned one day to see Shaquille O'Neal walking up to
him.
6.
Delco Daily Times -- The young made King restless
AUBURN
HILLS, Mich. - When he was at one of his lowest points - out of the Miami
Heat's starting lineup and fading out of the rotation - Rasual Butler was
stunned one day to see Shaquille O'Neal walking up to him.
7.
Courier Post -- CELESTE E. WHITTAKER COLUMN: Here's hoping Cheeks' tenure
isn't short-lived
It was a joy to watch the 76ers play during
the days when Maurice Cheeks was running point guard for the team at the
old Spectrum.
8.
The Trenton Times -- Sixers better with Cheeks
PHILADELPHIA -
Remember those five steps we laid out a few weeks ago that might bring the
Sixers a bit closer to heaven?
9.
Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers are paying three head coaches, but are
satisfied with decisions
It's payday for the 76ers, and Ed
Snider begins the mundane task of signing the checks for the members of
his organization.
10.
USA Today -- Reports: Mike Brown to get Cavs job
Barring
last-minute snags, it appears Indiana Pacers associate head coach Mike
Brown will be the next Cleveland Cavaliers coach.
Sixers Headlines - May 27, 2005
1. Philadelphia
Daily News -- My Mo-jo's risin'
HE'S BACK. Who? Darth? Arnold?
MacArthur? Nope. Better. Much better. Mo's back. Maurice Cheeks is coming
back to us and taking his rightful place as head coach of the Philadelphia
76ers.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Name your team
CLOSE YOUR EYES a
sec and imagine these new teams in the NBA: The New York Nike Knicks. The
Chicago Coca-Cola Bulls. Or, the Philadelphia Cream Cheese 76ers? Don't
laugh. As if there's not enough logo/brand marketing on sneakers and
elsewhere, NBA execs reportedly are considering allowing advertiser logos
on player uniforms - if the price is right. (There's a surprise, eh?)
3.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- An older Larry Brown creates another crisis
Our Larry is hurting. Of this there is no doubt. Larry Brown
suddenly looks 65.
4. Philadelphia
Inquirer -- Morning Bytes | City's history meshes perfectly with lacrosse
As an official greeter for the city of Philadelphia, I'd like
to welcome all of you fans here for this weekend's 2005 NCAA lacrosse
championships.
5.
Calkins Newspapers -- Past heroes can't change future of Philly sports
And so, once more in these recent years, a Philadelphia
franchise has reached back into its past to find a savior for its future.
6.
Courier Post -- Barkley breaks rules, but still wins viewers
On TV, Charles Barkley doesn't call Tim Kiely by name. Barkley
calls him "my big fat obnoxious boss." Kiely, lead producer of TNT's
Inside the NBA studio show, has a different take on his role: "The best
description of my job would be `Charles' psychologist.' "
7.
Allentown Morning Call -- One 'Mo' challenge for Cheeks
Given
Jim O'Brien's stubborn personality and his oft-abrasive relationship with
both the media and members of the 76ers organization, it shouldn't be a
surprise that there were a lot of smiling faces Tuesday when Mo Cheeks was
introduced as O'Brien's replacement as the team's head coach.
Sixers Headlines - May 26, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Michael Smerconish | GETTING A FEW THINGS OFF
MY CHEST
Act 72 is a bust That's why most of Pennsylvania's
501 school districts want no part of it.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Kevin Mulligan | Yo, Babe, we could use help
here now
NOW THAT "The Curse of the Bambino" has forever been
exorcised by the Boston Red Sox, Mark Hunter hopes to implore Babe Ruth to
do the same for the Phillies..
3.
Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Linked to Cavs, Brown irked
MIAMI - Fortunately for Larry Brown, there's no large
carnivore lurking in the bushes to devour him, because like the boy who
cried wolf, Brown just can't get anyone to believe what he says anymore.
4.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings | Restaurateur Stein will plead guilty
Neil Stein, the Philly restaurateur whose empire sank like a
hot souffle in a cold breeze, wants to put his federal criminal case
behind him.
5.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Another chance, instead of jail
The
clock is ticking for Nicholas Stakelbeck, a tattooed 23-year-old from
Mayfair who has spent the last two years hanging on by his fingertips to
the second chance a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge held out to him.
6.
Delco Daily Times -- Jack McCaffery: Phillies should take lessons from
Snider
PHILADELPHIA -- Billy King told Jim O'Brien to get out
and to get out now, before Willie Green sat unused for one more
fourth-quarter minute, before Allen Iverson spent one more postseason
watching another team win a championship.
7.
Calkins Newspapers -- Mo learned to turn the other cheek
PHILADELPHIA - Aug. 28, 1989, could have been a day that ended
Maurice Cheeks' relationship with the Sixers. But Cheeks wouldn't let it.
8.
Calkins Newspapers -- Brown leaving Detroit for Cleveland?
Detroit coach Larry Brown would not respond Wednesday to a
published report suggesting he may leave the Pistons after this season and
become Cleveland's president of basketball operations.
9.
USA Today -- Union leader upbeat about labor deal
NBA Players
Association executive director Billy Hunter said Wednesday that he's
optimistic the union and owners can reach a collective bargaining
agreement now that they're returning to the negotiating table.
Sixers Headlines - May 25, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- All on the line
THIS IS THE Maurice
Cheeks that Billy Cunningham, the coach of the 1983 champion 76ers, knows:
"After one of his early seasons with me, in our end-of-the-season meeting,
I told him that, as the point guard, he had to take control, he had to run
the show," Cunningham said yesterday from his home in South Florida.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | Iverson's bond with Cheeks is
evident
MAURICE CHEEKS received his first player endorsement
yesterday, and it was no surprise from whom. Shortly after he was
introduced as the 76ers' fourth head coach in 2 years, Cheeks turned to
the right of the podium and saw the man who holds, in his overactive
hands, the key to his success or failure here.
3.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Hitch has advice for Mo
Ken
Hitchcock has been where Maurice Cheeks is right now. Just 3 years ago
Hitchcock was faced with taking over a team that had fired another of a
string of head coaches and he was faced with a situation packed with
turmoil and emotion.
4.
Philadelphia Daily News -- King: Didn't talk with Brown first
Billy King made it clear yesterday that, despite published
reports, he did not discuss the firing of 76ers coach Jim O'Brien and the
hiring of Mauric'e Cheeks with Larry Brown before the fact.
5.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Cheeks is home again
The day that
Maurice Cheeks had dreamed about since he began considering coaching as a
career arrived yesterday.
6.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- To hear Iverson tell it, Cheeks is real answer
Allen Iverson, coming off arguably his best NBA season, showed
yesterday that he hasn't lost anything at the podium, either.
7.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Phil Sheridan | GM King brings in a team player
Somewhere among all the smiles and warm fuzzies at the old
Spectrum yesterday, something became very clear about Billy King and his
basketball team.
8.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- The Bucks, a long shot, gain the NBA's first
draft pick
SECAUCUS, N.J. - The Milwaukee Bucks, who suffered
through a disappointing 30-52 season one year after being a playoff team,
were the big winners last night in the NBA draft lottery.
9.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Two-year ban is proposed in steroid legislation
WASHINGTON - Athletes in the four major U.S. professional
leagues would be subject to two-year bans for a first positive drug test
under legislation proposed yesterday that would put the sports' steroid
policies under the White House drug czar.
10.
Calkins Newspapers -- Mo glad he's back in Philly
Maurice
Cheeks was enjoying a low-key vacation in San Francisco on Saturday when
Sixers president Billy King interrupted the quiet via telephone.
11.
Calkins Newspapers -- Iverson: I can win a ring with Cheeks
Allen Iverson held up his 10 unadorned fingers and displayed
them to the assembled media.
12.
Calkins Newspapers -- Scout: Cheeks has his work cut out
The
best point guards make their teammates better. A generation ago, no NBA
point guard facilitated five-man harmony better than Maurice Cheeks.
13.
Calkins Newspapers -- A.I. needs to be more like Cheeks
Through the crowd of media members who came to the Wachovia
Spectrum on Tuesday to re-meet and re-greet Maurice Cheeks, a murmur began
to build once a few people noticed a spindly guard wearing a backward
baseball cap standing to the side of the stage.
14.
Daily Local News -- Iverson: New coach may be the answer
Two
years ago, Allen Iverson was pulling for Maurice Cheeks to succeed Larry
Brown. When it didn't happen then because Portland wouldn't allow Cheeks
to interview for the job, Iverson told his family and friends it never
would.
15.
Daily Local News -- Sixers introduce Maurice Cheeks as new head coach
Maurice Cheeks was back in the Spectrum on Tuesday afternoon,
back in the building where he put down his Philadelphia roots, back in the
town where he won overa fan base that can be tough to please.
16.
Delco Daily Times -- McCaffery: Cheeks set to make points with Iverson
The standard post-victory analysis when Billy Cunningham
coached the 76ers always ended the same way. After recognizing whatever
spectacular contribution was provided by Julius Erving, praising the
defense, and then crediting Andrew Toney for his precise shooting,
Cunningham would pause, just briefly, refold the boxscore and stash it in
his jacket pocket.
17.
Courier Post -- Cheeks here for a title
Maurice Cheeks knows
what it's like to bring an NBA championship to this city as a player. Now
it is his goal to accomplish that feat as a coach.
18.
Courier Post -- Roberts: Success up to players
"If you don't
like Mo Cheeks, there's something wrong with you." - Allen Iverson
19.
Courier Post -- Iverson: I had no part in O'Brien firing
Allen
Iverson has had problems with coaches in the past. Larry Brown and Chris
Ford are two names that come to mind.
20.
Trenton Times -- Cheeks has A.I.'s respect
For a guy who could
see the floor so well and always anticipate the other guy's next move,
Maurice Cheeks says he never could have visualized this.
21.
Wilmington News Journal -- Sixers old school meets new school
Maurice Cheeks is the coach the 76ers have wanted for two
years. He's the coach an entire region had clamored for, like wishing for
the prodigal son to return home.
22.
Wilmington News Journal -- Iverson praises Cheeks hire
Allen
Iverson saw all the turmoil and discontent among several players with
former 76ers coach Jim O'Brien, and in a perverse way, he laughed.
23.
Wilmington News Journal -- Iverson, Cheeks have to make it work
They're so different in so many ways, on the court and off of
it. And that makes you wonder how the two best point guards in team
history will coexist in what promises to be one of the most entertaining
eras in 76ers history.
24.
Allentown Morning Call -- Cheeks ready to do the 'best I can'
Maurice Cheeks admitted he was ''disappointed'' two years ago
when his bosses at Portland refused to allow him to talk to the 76ers
about their open coaching position.
25.
Allentown Morning Call -- Prodigal son is back to lead his old team
They introduced Maurice Cheeks as the Sixers' new coach
Tuesday afternoon not in the Wachovia Center but in the old Spectrum - a
nice touch, seeing as he had done some of his best work there.
26.
Press of Atlantic City -- Sixers welcome back Cheeks
When
Maurice Cheeks walked into the Wachovia Spectrum on Tuesday, it was likely
the first time he had been in that building since February 1995, when the
Philadelphia 76ers paid tribute to the consummate point guard by raising
his retired No. 10 to the rafters.
27.
Press of Atlantic City -- Iverson wants ring like Cheeks'
Allen Iverson's smile could have illuminated a dark cave. He
was so eager to reunite with his new coach, Maurice Cheeks, he raced over
to the Wachovia Spectrum after a workout without bothering to change his
workout clothes.
Sixers Headlines - May 24, 2005
1. Philadelphia
Daily News -- CHEEKY MOVE
TO PARAPHRASE one of Yogi Berra's
legendary malaprops, it's getting later earlier with the 76ers. Chris
Ford.
2. Philadelphia
Daily News--Rich Hofmann | How many ex's in Sixers? This isn't about the
coaches
MO CHEEKS arrives today, a civic icon coming home to
coach the Sixers. You wonder if he realizes what he is getting himself
into. As the fifth coach employed by this team in the last 24 months, you
wonder about a lot of things. How could you not?
3. Philadelphia
Daily News--John Smallwood | Brown: Happy and sad
MIAMI -
While a lot of 76ers fans didn't like the way Larry Brown left town 2
years ago, there was never that same level of animosity with him and the
team's chairman Ed Snider and general manager Billy King.
4.
Philadelphia Daily News--Blazers' Nash: 'Mo had talked about Philly as his
dream job'
MIAMI - This, John Nash was saying yesterday, is
the profession that coaches and general managers choose.
5.
Philadelphia Daily News--Cheeks a costly change
MIAMI - It is
not Ed Snider's intent to become an updated version of Philip K. Wrigley.
But with yesterday's firing of 76ers coach Jim O'Brien, and the hiring of
Mo Cheeks as the NBA team's fifth coach in since 2002, it does seem like a
bizarre chapter in sports history again is playing itself out, at least
financially.
6.
Philadelphia Daily News--Staley adds honor to impressive resume
Dawn Staley always has been out front in her basketball
career.
7.
Philadelphia Daily News--SIXERS: A GOOD MOVE OR BAD MOVE?
So
the Sixers have fired Jim O'Brien after just one year as coach, and
replaced him with a fan favorite, Maurice Cheeks. What do you think about
the move? A good thing? A bad thing? Can Cheeks change the fortunes of the
Sixers?
8.
The Philadelphia Inquirer--Cheeks returns as Sixers' fixer
Billy King spun the 76ers' head coach revolving door again
yesterday, pushing out Jim O'Brien after just one season and bringing in
Maurice Cheeks, the popular former Sixers player and assistant coach, as
O'Brien's replacement.
9.
The Philadelphia Inquirer--Fans delighted by Cheeks' hiring
Basketball fans across the Philadelphia area said that Sixers
head coach Jim O'Brien's departure will be a welcome change, and many are
looking forward to seeing former Sixer Maurice Cheeks take over.
10.
The Philadelphia Inquirer--A Season to Remember - and Forget - for Jim
O'Brien
In his first and only year as 76ers head coach, Jim
O'Brien made some good moves - including replacing Glenn Robinson in the
starting lineup with rookie Andre Iguodala - and his top player, Allen
Iverson, had an MVP-type season.
11. The
Philadelphia Inquirer--Timing Right for Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks
didn't hide his enthusiasm for the chance to interview for the 76ers' head
coaching job two years ago.
12. The
Philadelphia Inquirer--Phil Sheridan | King to blame for carousel of
coaches
The 76ers will have a news conference today. There's
even a chance Maurice Cheeks will be their head coach long enough to
attend his own introduction.
13. The
Philadelphia Inquirer--Stephen A. Smith | Latest firing puts A.I. back on
hot seat
Now that the inevitable has happened - the coach who
refused to make any friends got his pink slip - we turn our attention away
from Jim O'Brien and back to Allen Iverson, where it always seems to end
up.
14.
The Philadelphia Inquirer--O'Brien joins the list for N.Y. job
He's a natural candidate for the Knicks after improving two
teams, emphasizing defense.
15. The
Philadelphia Inquirer--The circuit
Sixers star Allen Iverson
turns 30 on June 7, and wife Tawanna is said to be planning a bash.
16.
Daily Local News--O'Brien out, Cheeks in as Sixers coach
PHILADELPHIA -- Sixers president Billy King talked about
stability at his postmortem of the team's season.
17.
Delaware County Daily Times--McCaffery: A signal 76ers are looking to
future
PHILADELPHIA -- Another stack of termination papers for
another decent coach crossed Ed Snider's desk Monday, there to be splashed
with his initials and chilly business blood. Before nightfall, as per the
routine, Jim O'Brien was out of a job.
18.
Calkins Newspapers--Sixers Fire O'Brien and Bring Back Cheeks
PHILADELPHIA - Maurice Cheeks is in transition again, trying
to go from popular point guard on the Philadelphia 76ers' last
championship team to popular coach on their next one.
19.
Calkins Newspapers--Gotta go to Mo
PHILADELPHIA - Two years
ago, Billy King asked the Portland Trail Blazers for permission to speak
to Maurice Cheeks three times because Cheeks was under contract in
Portland.
20.
Calkins Newspapers--Q & A on coaching change
Why now?
Despite a 10-game improvement from last season to this season (33 to 43
wins), Sixers president Billy King decided Saturday...
21.
Calkins Newspapers--King, Cheeks have to win now
PHILADELPHIA
- There are a million punch lines just waiting to be delivered about Billy
King and the Sixers now, about a franchise that today will introduce its
fifth head coach in the last 25 months.
22.
Camden Courier Post--O'Brien fired; Cheeks returns to coach Sixers
Jim O'Brien's tenure as the head coach of the Philadelphia
76ers lasted just one season.
23.
Camden Courier Post--Move puts onus on King
The onus is
squarely on Billy King now. The Sixers' president and general manager has
made yet another coaching change - firing Jim O'Brien and replacing him
with Maurice Cheeks on Monday.
24.
Camden Courier Post--Kevin Roberts: Heat now on Cheeks
There's
no guarantees by hiring hometown hero as 76ers' new coach The Sixers'
president and general manager has made yet another coaching change -
firing Jim O'Brien and replacing him with Maurice Cheeks on Monday.
25.
Trenton Times--O'Brien is out, Cheeks in
PHILADELPHIA - Like
Randy Ayers, who was unceremoniously removed just 52 games into a
three-year contract - and to an extent Chris Ford, who did a credible job
filling out the string in his wake - now it's Jim O'Brien who no longer
can "take us in the direction we want to go."
26.
Trenton Times--Consensus declares Cheeks definitely right Sixers hire
PHILADELPHIA - Just over two years since Maurice Cheeks
rescued 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert, who had forgotten the words to the
national anthem before a Portland Trail Blazers playoff game, he's about
to take on a much more challenging mission.
27.Wilmington
News Journal--76ers look for some continuity next year GM King says team
needs to play together
PHILADELPHIA -- There has to be some
continuity for the 76ers now, a way to keep their nucleus of young players
together with Allen Iverson, and an entire training camp to better
incorporate Chris Webber into the system.
28.Wilmington
News Journal--This time, King's call has to be the right call
PHILADELPHIA -- Four 76ers coaches in fewer than two years is
plainly ridiculous.
29.Wilmington
News Journal--Fans OK with return of Cheeks
Longtime 76ers
fans Bob Poppiti and Bryan Abrams thought this offseason would be a quiet
one.
30.Allentown
Morning Call --Sixers fire O'Brien, hire Cheeks
General
manager says the team needs to go in a different direction.
31.Press
of Atlantic City --Sixers Fire O'Brien
The Philadelphia 76ers
improved by 10 wins under coach Jim O'Brien. They finished strong, winning
eight of their final 10. After not making the postseason the season before
O'Brien arrived, the 76ers under O'Brien went 43-29 and were good enough
to reach the NBA playoffs.
32.Wilmington
News Journal --Cheeks in, O'Brien out
PHILADELPHIA -- It is
almost becoming an annual rite of passage, these spring days when the
76ers change coaches.
33.Reading
Eagle --Sixers change coaches again
PHILADELPHIA In what is
fast becoming a tragicomic rite of spring, the Philadelphia 76ers switched
coaches
34.The
Oregonian --Cheeks lands 'dream job'
A little more than two
months after he was fired by the Blazers, he will return to Philadelphia
as coach of the 76ers
Sixers Headlines - May 21-23, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- On the NBA | Portland's Nash still has hope
John Nash has experienced a lot in his 17 years as a general
manager in the NBA, but he probably saw nothing close to what he lived
through in the final two months of the Portland Trail Blazers' season.
2.
Calkins Newspapers -- Webber must be utilized
Chris Webber
released a statement Monday in which he called a published report saying
he told an unnamed friend he couldn't play with Allen Iverson "a total
lie."
3.
Courier Post -- CELESTE E. WHITTAKER COLUMN: Sixers need to examine all
possibilities
Chris Webber may not have told his friends that
he can't play with Allen Iverson or that he'd be willing to take a pay cut
to get out of Philadelphia, but Webber didn't appear to be thrilled with
playing with Iverson this season.
Sixers Headlines - May 20, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Dunking and dishing with Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins, the former slam-dunking 76ers center known as
Chocolate Thunder, the first NBA player ever drafted out of high school
(in 1975), the man who said he was an alien from Planet Lovetron - yep,
that Darryl Dawkins - was back in town this week promoting a great new DVD
boxed set, 76ers: The Complete History.
2.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA's policy on steroids 'pathetic,' House panel
says
The NBA and its players' union took their turn in the
stirrups yesterday, facing grilling on Capitol Hill about the league's
drug-testing policy for steroids - a policy that was shredded as
ineffective at every turn by one representative after another on the House
Government Reform Committee.
3.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Another round of posturing in NBA talks
Ah, the sounds of spring. The NBA, playing divide and conquer.
The players' union, invoking race. High-profile agents, sticking their
snouts into the middle of negotiations. I feel right at home.
Sixers Headlines - May 19, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- For third time, Iverson named All-NBA first
team honors
Sixers star guard Allen Iverson received All-NBA
first-team honors yesterday, the third time he has been so recognized.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Henderson says Duke will be the best fit
SOME FATHER-SON car rides produce less stress than others.
3.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Worries about lockout increase as talks on a
new deal break off
Labor talks between the NBA and the
players' union broke off yesterday, increasing the chance of a lockout
starting in the offseason.
4.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Iverson named 1st-team all-star
The
Sixers' star, the NBA's scoring champion again, made the first team for
the third time in his career.
5.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Henderson makes his choice official: It's Duke
The Episcopal Academy star had dreamed of playing for the Blue
Devils since childhood.
6.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Rob Parent | Young stars, NBA's lure, and choices
Decades after Moses Malone broke the mold, years after Darryl
Dawkins shattered the backboard, Kevin Garnett made it a popular option
for the extraordinary high school basketball player to jump right to the
NBA.
7.
Press of Atlantic City -- Report: Magic interested in Ford
The
Orlando Magic has contacted the Philadelphia 76ers asking permission to
speak to Atlantic City native Chris Ford about its vacant head coaching
position, according to a story in The Philadelphia Daily News on
Wednesday.
Sixers Headlines - May 18, 2005
1. Philadelphia
Daily News -- Source: Magic asks to talk with Sixers' Ford
The
Orlando Magic's search for a new head coach has led someone in that
organization to place a call to the 76ers about... Chris Ford.
2.
USA Today--Union president sure labor deal will be struck
NBA
Players Association President Michael Curry remains optimistic that the
union and the league can reach a settlement on a collective bargaining
agreement and avoid a lockout, even though the league canceled a
negotiation session that was scheduled for Tuesday. (Related item: Meeting
between owners, players fails to materialize).
Sixers Headlines - May 17, 2005
1. The
Daily News -- Webber denies report that he wants out
Chris
Webber denied a report that he told a close friend after the 76ers'
first-round playoff loss that he was unhappy in Philadelphia and couldn't
play with Allen Iverson.
2.Stephen
A. Smith | Webber puts blame on himself, not A.I.
If it's true
that Chris Webber resorted to old form, running his mouth much better than
we saw him running the floor in the last 21 games of the 76ers' regular
season and in the playoffs, mere criticism is too good for him.
3.Mourning
won't apologize for pursuing a title
Alonzo Mourning has never
suffered fools gladly.
4.Delaware
County Daily Times -- 76ers: Webber denies remarks about A.I.
Chris Webber Monday denied a report in a New York newspaper
over the weekend that he was unable and unwilling to play with Allen
Iverson.
5.Webber
denies wanting out of Philly
Don't always believe what you
read.
6.Whining,
not race part of ring hunt
PHILADELPHIA - Let's start off with
a memo to the Miami columnist whose name is being withheld, since he's
gotten too much notoriety already: There's nothing in the record books to
tell you how high Steve Nash's 48-point explosion Sunday ranks among white
players in NBA playoff history."
7.Webber
denies anti-Iverson comments
PHILADELPHIA | Chris Webber on
Monday denied a published report that he was unhappy playing for the
Philadelphia 76ers and could not get along with Allen Iverson.
Sixers Headlines - May 14-16, 2005
1. The Daily News -- Report: Sixers' Webber says he doesn't
want to play with Iverson
The Sixers
aren't in the playoffs but they are in the news, thanks to Chris Webber's
published comments regarding playing with Allen Iverson.
2.Delaware County Daily Times -- Kaufmann: League, players
aren't making progress
NBA
commissioner David Stern continued his playoff tour the other day and said
the same thing he said in Philadelphia a few weeks ago about the ongoing
labor talks. Stern told reporters he remains optimistic, but will
downgrade that to hopeful if talks this Tuesday don't bring the league and
the players union closer to an agreement.
3.Calkins Newspaper -- Readers sound off on state of Sixers
Readers' e-mail has been steadily
gracing my inbox since the Pistons eliminated the Sixers 12 days ago.
4.USA Today -- ABC producer can relate to underdog stories
WASHINGTON - ABC's Al Michaels, in an
arena backroom, gulps a banana and sandwich. "It's fascinating," says
Michaels, minutes away from calling the second half of Saturday night's
Miami Heat-Washington Wizards NBA playoff game. "They really should make a
movie about his life."
Sixers Headlines - May 12, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Time for Sixers' King to face
off-season work and critics
The man who is King did not sit
near the tunnel, visible to all at Sixers games this season.
Sixers Headlines - May 11, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Phil Jasner | Decent season, but much more is
needed
THIS WAS the 76ers season of my discontent. This was
their season of 43 victories, 10 more than the previous season.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News-- Snider says he will extend King's contract
Ed Snider made Billy King's continuing status with the 76ers
as official as possible without formally signing a new contract.
3. Philadelphia
Daily News -- SIXERS FANS DIDN'T RISE TO THE OCCASION
THE NBA
playoffs arrived in Philly just over a week ago, and the rush for tickets
was met with the swiftness of Hollis Thomas running the 40-yard dash or
Mike Lieberthal busting to first on a 6-4-3 double play.
4. Philadelphia
Daily News -- Dan Gross|Tini Dancer
Sixers dancer Krystal Tini
is one of the beauties in the pilot episode of "Beauty and the Geek."
5.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- From Wilt's big night, a tale of the tape
"Here's the big fourth quarter and everybody's thinking, 'How
many is Wilt going to get?' He's got 69 going in. Here's the pass to him.
[The crowd roars.] He's got another one!"
6.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Proposed age limit intriguing
If NBA
commissioner David Stern has his way in the next collective-bargaining
agreement, college players will be barred from entering the league until
they are 20 years old, ending an era in which teenagers make the leap from
high school to the pros.
7.
Delco Daily Times -- McCaffery: No quick end in sight for Philly's title
slump
No one may ever know exactly what Larry Brown whispered
into Allen Iverson's pierced ear at the end of the Pistons-Sixers playoff
series, but if he had any grasp of Philadelphia sports history, it would
have been this: "That's 0-for-87 ... just 13 to go ... go for it."
8.
Allentown Morning Call -- Nash was just more valuable this season
In the days leading up to the 2001 NBA Finals, certain members
of the Lakers tried to peddle the notion that they should be underdogs to
the Sixers, their alleged logic being that the Sixers had the MVP (Allen
Iverson), the Coach of the Year (Larry Brown) and even the Sixth Man of
the Year (Aaron McKie).
9.
Baltimore Sun -- MVP talk tunes out Iverson
JUST WHEN you
thought the NBA season was finally getting down to something that actually
mattered - the playoffs - a controversy has brought us together to discuss
and dissect a more relevant topic.
Sixers Headlines - May 10, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Give me 5
SO WHAT DO THESE former
players - the 76ers' Scott Skiles, the Flyers' Serge Lajeunesse, the
Eagles' Tom Skladany and the Phillies' Roy Sievers - all have in common?
2.
Trenton Times -- Five moves the Sixers must make
The favorites
in the NBA Playoffs - Miami and Detroit in the East, Phoenix, San Antonio
and Seattle in the West - are playing in the next round, along with a few
upstarts.
Sixers Headlines - May 7-9, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | WAILING AND NASHING
WILT CHAMBERLAIN once said that nobody roots for Goliath.
Apparently they don't often vote for him, either.
2.
Philadelphia Inquirer-- On the NBA | Webber says plenty by not saying much
Fans of old-time television game shows might recall the motto
of one such chestnut, which went, "It's not what you say that counts, it's
what you don't say."
3.
Calkins Newspapers -- Wait till next year
By improving from 33
wins to 43 and making the playoffs after a one-year drought, the Sixers
took a significant step forward in 2004-05.
4.
Courier Post -- CELESTE E. WHITTAKER COLUMN: Coach O'Brien met his
expectations, but not mine
Jim O'Brien feels that he fulfilled
the expectations for his team. The 76ers' coach mentioned that his team
won 10 more games than last season and made the playoffs.
5. Reading
Eagle -- A season of progress
The Philadelphia 76ers stopped
short of declaring all their demons conquered, all their troubles
trounced.
6. Reading
Eagle -- Sixers face to-do list in offseason
Trade for a true
second fiddle to Allen Iverson. Check. Increase the victory total by
double digits over last season. Check. Make the playoffs after a one-year
hiccup in the lottery. Check.
Sixers Headlines - May 6, 2005
1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Iguodala on All-Rookie first team
Andre Iguodala, the only Sixers player to start every game this season, was named to the NBA All-Rookie team yesterday in voting by the league's coaches.
2. Philadelphia Inquirer -- 76ers' Iguodala makes NBA
all-rookie team
The 76ers' Andre Iguodala was named to the NBA
all-rookie team, the league announced yesterday.
3. Daily Local News -- First playoff series a rough one for
Korver
The day after the 76ers were eliminated from the
playoffs, Kyle Korver was trying to put the best face on it possible.
4. Courier Post -- Iguodala named to All-Rookie team
The play of rookie Andre Iguodala was one of the highlights of
the 76ers' season.
5. Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers' Iguodala joins Okafor
and Gordon on all-rookie team
The Philadelphia 76ers' Andre
Iguodala was named to the 2004-05 NBA all-rookie team, joining rookie of
the year Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and the Sixth Man Award
recipient Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls, the NBA announced Thursday.
6. Calkins Newspapers -- Iguodala given rookie honor
Andre Iguodala might have been the ninth pick in last June's
draft, but he played well enough to be named one of the league's top five
rookies.
Sixers Headlines - May 5, 2005
1. Philadelphia Daily News -- ALL THE KING'S MEN
THIS IS Billy King's time. This is when the 76ers president/general manager has to, so to speak, make the doughnuts.
2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Sixers
cannot afford an unhappy Webber
There was little to like about
Chris Webber's demeanor, little in the glassy stare in his eyes, little in
his monotone voice, little in the pregnant pauses before each answer.
3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | New, and
improved?
AND SO WHAT do we now know? Do we know Kyle Korver's
struggles are that of a young player with his first playoff taste, or an
indication that he is, at best, an NBA role player? Do we know that Samuel
Dalembert will be the star many of us projected him to be after his
breakout season a year ago, or the cometlike player of this season?
4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Wonder year for the young
guys
ALLEN IVERSON is the cornerstone. Chris Webber is the
building block. Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green are the
foundation. That trio holds the key to the Sixers' future, or at least the
folks in charge believe that.
5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers try to measure their
progress
It's easy to come to the end of the 76ers' 2004-05
season and be encouraged. It's just as easy to look back on the season and
be discouraged.
6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Bob Ford | Unloved Phillies can
learn from 76ers
The revolving stage took another turn Tuesday
night and the 76ers were allowed to step off into the half-light of the
impending summer. Theirs was not a triumphant exit from the platform - the
confetti was again for someone else - but it was more satisfying than one
would have thought after a first-round elimination.
7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers Notes | Contract
negotiations will keep King busy
Like front office officials
throughout the NBA, 76ers president and general manager Billy King faces
an uncertain off-season given that the league's collective bargaining
agreement with its players expires June 30, and a replacement deal is not
on the horizon.
8. Delaware County Daily Times -- Sixers: Many questions
abound as the offseason begins
The 76ers, or most of them
anyway, gathered at their practice facility for one last meeting before
commencing their summer vacations.
9. Calkins Newspapers -- What's next for Sixers?
Billy King's top priority is re-signing Sixers restricted free
agents Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green.
10. Courier Post -- Whittaker: Younger Sixers learn
important playoff lesson
The million dollar question is: How
do the 76ers get better next season?
11. Courier Post -- Roberts: Iverson, Webber must mesh
"This is Allen's team . . . I know the pressure of being the
leading scorer. I know it will be fun to look over at him, and when he
tries to pass the ball to kind of turn your back and say: No, you do it
tonight. I'm looking forward to that."
12. Courier Post -- Sixers seek next level
Samuel Dalembert, who emerged as a key part of the Sixers
future in these playoffs, said he wants to return next year - and then
added an emphatic "But."
13. Trenton Times -- Webber is crucial to Sixers' future
The Sixers fought valiantly for five games against the Detroit
Pistons, but were clearly in over their heads.
14. Wilmington News Journal -- Young 76ers want to return
Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green all have said
they want to return to the 76ers.
15. Allentown Morning Call -- Who's staying, who's going?
Billy King looks around the NBA and sees togetherness. In San
Antonio. In Indiana. And, of course, in Detroit.
16. Allentown Morning Call - Webber's lack of contribution
continues
The Sixers gathered one last time Wednesday morning,
in part to rehash a season that had ended only the night before.
17. Press of Atlantic City - What’s next for the 76ers?
The basketballs were stacked neatly on a rack on the side of
the gym at the 76ers' practice facility Wednesday morning, but there were
no basketball players to dribble them.
18. Reading Eagle - Sixers' plan: Limit turnover
He has seen more turnovers lately than he has cared to see.
And not just errant passes from Allen Iverson.
19. Reading Eagle - Obviously, C-Webb no fan of O'Brien's
Sometimes the tacit contempt slipped, via carefully chosen
words, through Chris Webber's lips.
Sixers Headlines - May 4, 2005
1. Philadelphia Daily News -- CEASE FIRE
This was a series that virtually no one outside the 76ers' immediate family expected them to win. But this could turn out to be a series that everyone will eventually remember as a starting point.
2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | On balance,
Pistons clearly had edge
The Motor City star changed each
game, but the script remained the same. The story of this Eastern
Conference playoff series between the Pistons and 76ers was all about
options.
3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Rich Hofmann | Season's
lesson: Don't let A.I. get away
Allen Iverson had been through
the drill before, the one at the end, the very end. And so it went again
last night, with Chauncey Billups dribbling out the clock, with the
Pistons up by 10 points over the Sixers in the series-clinching game. The
end.
4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sixers to extend King's
contract
The 76ers, it turns out, have one fewer free agent
than they could have had. That is because Billy King, the general manager
since May 19, 1998, and the combination president/general manager since
May 26, 2003, has a verbal agreement with chairman Ed Snider to extend his
contract.
5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Iguodala made an impression
His nerves were not frazzled. His confidence was not shaken.
Andre Iguodala was neither overwhelmed nor disrespectful about the first
of what should be many postseason forays for him.
6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Reality
deals closing blow to season
The air-ball debacle occurred
five feet from the basket with just 5 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the
76ers' season.
7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers Notes | Dalembert revels
in rebounds
One of the pleasant surprises for the 76ers in the
first four games of their playoff series was the performance of 6-foot-11
center Samuel Dalembert, a postseason novice.
8. Daily Local News -- Fourth-quarter burst decisive as
Pistons eliminate Sixers
Leading by slim margins through most
of the first three quarters, the Sixers gave up an 8-2 run midway through
the fourth quarter and the Pistons cruised to an 88-78 win, eliminating
the Sixers from the NBA playoffs four games to one.
9. Daily Local News -- Dalembert’s been doing his thing
If the playoffs have been disappointing for the 76ers from a
team perspective, they have been pretty darn good for Samuel Dalembert.
10. Calkins Newspapers -- Final answer
The
Sixers played their best game of their three at The Palace of Auburn
Hills.
11. Calkins Newspapers -- Dalembert gets playoff boost
Prior to the Sixers' regular-season finale two weeks ago,
Samuel Dalembert said he wasn't happy with the way coach Jim O'Brien
limited his minutes. Partly for that reason, Dalembert didn't think he had
made sufficient progress in his fourth NBA season.
12. Calkins Newspapers -- Gutty Iverson still falls short
The Sixers' season was bleeding down to its end, and the
Detroit Pistons' putting them away in the fourth quarter Tuesday night,
and Allen Iverson was smiling.
13. Courier Post -- Sixers' season ends
The
76ers battled right until the bitter end. But Detroit was the superior
team. Period.
14. Courier Post -- Brown feels bad for Van Gundy after
fine
Pistons coach Larry Brown has been fined before for
making comments about NBA officiating, but nothing close to the $100,000
Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was fined for his recent comments.
15. Wilmington News Journal -- 76ers' battle comes to end
As valiantly as they tried, the 76ers just didn't have enough.
Their season ended Tuesday night with a measure of satisfaction and pride
in fighting for everything and not going out meekly.
16. Wilmington News Journal - Iverson optimistic about 76er
future
When the 76ers' had officially ended, Allen Iverson
gathered the Sixers' young players in the locker room, and told them how
bright their future is, and how much they will grow from this playoff
experience.
17. Press of Atlantic City - A.I. has no answer: Detroit
wins series 4-1 over 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers season
18. Reading Eagle - Sixers' valiant effort falls short
After the formidable disappointment of three days before, the
Philadelphia 76ers promised they'd spend all their sweat Tuesday night.
Sixers Headlines - May 3, 2005
1.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Sixers hope to construct comeback
There is some irony to the maze of construction and repair
work on the highways leading from Detroit Metro Airport to the Palace of
Auburn Hills, where Game 5 of the 76ers' first-round playoff series
against the Pistons will be played tonight.
2.
Philadelphia Daily News-- Sixers not upset that Korver is missing in
action
This is a test of the 76ers' support system. Never mind
that they could be eliminated from the NBA playoffs tonight. Never mind
that they lost, 97-92, in overtime at home Sunday afternoon.
3. Philadelphia
Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | Don't worry, be happy
THE GAP
between a rock and a hard place is about to widen. Tonight or Thursday
night, the Detroit Pistons and their borrowed-but-always-blue coach will
advance past the 76ers, forcing us to turn our attention to the world's
most torturous baseball franchise, at least until Eagles training camp
starts.
4.
Philadelphia Daily News -- Prince: Sprained ankle won't keep him on bench
The 76ers are limping, down 3-1 to the Detroit Pistons.
Tayshaun Prince, the Pistons' starting forward, is limping, up 3-1. Prince
told reporters yesterday that, despite spraining his right ankle in Game 4
Sunday, he expects to play tonight in Game 5 at the Palace of Auburn
Hills.
5. Philadelphia
Inquirer -- Sixers missing Korver's threes
Kyle Korver entered
the first playoff series of his NBA career pumped and excited and ready to
play a key role in the 76ers' plan to shock the defending champion Detroit
Pistons.
6.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Phil Sheridan | A Series of Answers
It was an unhappy fact of life for early aviators, from Icarus
up to the Wright brothers. The only way to find out whether something
could fly was to take it up in the air and see if it crashed.
7.
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pistons' Prince says injury won't keep him out
Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince shot a few free throws
yesterday, didn't run on his sprained right ankle, then pronounced himself
ready to play tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals
against the 76ers.
8.
Daily Local News -- Sixers' season on the line tonight
When
the Philadelphia 76ers walk onto the court at The Palace of Auburn Hills
tonight they'll face not just the Pistons, but history.
9.
Calkins Newspapers -- Older and wiser
Five years ago, NBA
commissioner David Stern summoned Allen Iverson to New York. It wasn't a
social call.
10.
Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers have no room for error
The Sixers
turned in their best offensive performance in a Game 3 victory over the
Pistons, but didn't defend particularly well.
11.
Calkins Newspapers -- Baptism by fire good for Sixers
Now
this, they can learn from. This can be a basis for growth. The Sixers flew
back to suburban Detroit on Monday for tonight's Game 5 against the
Pistons, down three games to one when they could have and probably should
have tied the series on Sunday, left with the long-term gain of their
97-92 overtime loss in Game 4 as solace.
13.
Courier Post -- 76ers staring at elimination
One day after a
heartbreaking 97-92 overtime loss to Detroit in Game 4 of their first
round playoff series, the 76ers were back on their practice court,
seemingly loose, preparing to face the Detroit Pistons in an elimination
game tonight.
14.
Courier Post -- Sixers seek complete game
Allen Iverson has
been Allen Iverson in the playoffs. For the most part, Chris Webber has
been Chris Webber. Samuel Dalembert has stepped up his game quite a bit.
15.
Trenton Times -- Focused to stay alive
Tonight, for the first
time, those "Any Game Could be Your Last" TV ads and billboards you've
been seeing all over town featuring Chris Webber, have a ring of truth:
The Sixers have no more margin for error.
16.
Trenton Times -- Stern getting a jump on `Sweeps Month'
Getting the jump on the networks, it appears May Sweeps have
already started in the NBA.
17.
Wilmington News Journal -- 76ers won't concede series
It might
have sounded like a concession speech, when Allen Iverson told everyone
how promising the 76ers' future is, and how proud he was of his teammates
and coaches for fighting through everything during this first-round series
with Detroit.
18.
Wilmington News Journal -- Korver struggles, will keep shooting
The 76ers' loss in Game 4 was disastrous for Kyle Korver, and
the night wasn't much better, when Korver kept blaming himself for missing
the shot that could have forced double-overtime.
19.
Allentown Morning Call -- No time like present to make history
They are one loss away from going home for the summer. And
they're playing the defending world champions.
20.
Press of Atlantic City -- Palace revolt needed Sixers seek win tonight to
avoid ouster by Detroit
The 76ers are one game from
elimination against the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons. Today in
Game 5, they must fight to stay alive on the Pistons' home court, The
Palace of Auburn Hills, where the patrons are just as raucous as the fans
in Philadelphia.
21. Reading
Eagle -- Sixers' Green already healing
Willie Green knows a
thing or two about scars. About how each is born of a painful rip in a
person's flesh.
Sixers Headlines - May 2, 2005
1. Philadelphia Daily News -- What did you expect?
I GUESS IT DEPENDS on what your level of expectation for the
Sixers was.
2. Philadelphia Daily News -- IT'S A STRETCH
SOMEWHERE in the Wachovia Center, the Phantoms were preparing
for an AHL playoff game against the Norfolk Admirals last night.
3. Philadelphia Daily News -- For Korver, it was a cold day
in May
When Marc Jackson looked up from in front of his
locker-room cubicle and said, "Let it rain,'' he wasn't issuing a weather
report.
4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Green not offering any foul
excuses
"It's hard to simulate it in practice. I go through it
in my mind all the time, though. The difference is, I always make both of
them."
5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Despite sprained ankle,
Prince returns to the floor
First, Tayshaun Prince said he
still could go. Just lace his right shoe tighter. Then, it was obvious he
couldn't, and the Detroit Pistons forward went to the locker room.
6. Philadelphia Daily News -- Rasheed: Pistons can seal
deal playing their brand of ball
But for the grace of a
clanked free throw at the end of regulation, Pistons coach Larry Brown
would be going home tonight and smelling more than his kids.
7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Overtime loss leaves Sixers
near elimination
The 76ers fought and scrapped and hustled
yesterday, doing everything they could do to even their first-round
Eastern Conference playoff series.
8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Webber shooting for 'something
extraordinary'
The basketball world probably doesn't give the
76ers much of a chance to keep their series alive against the Detroit
Pistons tomorrow night in Auburn Hills, but Chris Webber would like to
"make a great story."
9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Billups erupts late to lift
Pist
He scored 10 consecutive points in the last 4 minutes to
propel Detroit into OT.
10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Champs right back on track
The defending world champions first had five minutes to fold,
to cave under the mounting pressure, to show basketball pundits that they
were every bit the flukes so many swore they were.
11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Green gets fighting chance
The cut over his left eye was still fresh. It was stitched
well enough, but loose ends of the black thread sprouted here and there
like untended whiskers.
12. Daily Local News -- Sixers blow lead as Pistons escape
with crucial win
There are no moral victories in the playoffs,
just missed opportunities.
13. Daily Local News -- As usual, underrated Billups comes
up huge in the clutch
On a team without any perceived
superstars, Detroit's Chauncey Billups has a habit of playing like a
premier talent when it matters most.
14. Daily Local News -- Rasheed making most of playoffs
The fans at the Wachovia Center booed loudly every time
Rasheed Wallace entered the game.
15. Daily Times -- One way or another, the Sixers will
return
As the 76ers head to Detroit to attempt the basketball
near-impossible, Allen Iverson, for one, is convinced of one thing: They
will be back.
16. Calkins Newspapers -- Korver continues to struggle vs.
Pistons
In the midst of a difficult playoff series, Kyle
Korver had a chance to redeem himself.
17. Calkins Newspapers -- Just in time, Billups takes over
game
With 5:56 left in regulation in Game 4, the Sixers were
up by nine points and, in the timeout huddle, the Pistons looked
emotionally down to coach Larry Brown.
18. Calkins Newspapers -- Eve of elimination
The Sixers were on the verge of tying their playoff series
with the Pistons at two games apiece.
19. Calkins Newspapers -- Green left to ponder 'what' and
'if'
Before and after Sixers games, it's common to find Willie
Green sitting in front of his locker, paging through a copy of the Bible,
searching for a line of Scripture to sustain him.
20. Courier Post -- Sixers on life support
Detroit takes commanding 3-1 lead after Game 4 OT win
21. Courier Post -- No moral victory in this loss
Allen Iverson found some good in Sunday's loss. He must have
really been looking.
22. Courier Post -- Korver's shot again off mark vs. the
Pistons
For the most part, Kyle Korver has struggled on both
ends of the floor in the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons.
23. Wilmington News Journal -- 76ers on brink after OT loss
Here was the difference: When the Detroit Pistons needed a
basket, they could go to any number of players with playoff experience,
whether it be Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace or Richard Hamilton.
24. Trenton Times -- Sixers show they have fight
It seemed like such a familiar story line. Chauncey Billups
sticking a fork into the Sixers in overtime.
25. Allentown Morning Call -- Detroit 'D' halts Sixers in
crunch time
Philly is handcuffed down the stretch, falls 97-92
in overtime. Forget the Friday night offensive fireworks.
26. Detroit News -- Pistons poised to clinch series on home
turf
These are the ones you've got to win, when the opposing
crowd is going crazy and the opposing superstar is brilliant and the
danger is growing and the deficit is large, but not too large.
27. Detroit News -- Pistons show magic touch
Billups leads late charge in regulation, and defense denies
Philadelphia in OT.
28. Detroit News -- Prince hurts ankle but vows to play
Tayshaun Prince winced slightly as he walked, his sprained
right ankle starting to stiffen.
29. Detroit Free Press -- Better late ... 'Sheed saves show
for OT
So let's be honest. He wasn't there much of the game.
He wasn't his normal aggressive self. He wasn't making shots or snagging
rebounds.
30. Detroit Free Press -- GREAT ESCAPE
A
visiting team finally won a game in this series, and that team was the
defending champion Pistons.
31. USA Today -- Pistons fire back, win in OT 97-92
A lesser team might have pushed the panic button, but the
Detroit Pistons shifted into overdrive Sunday to beat the Philadelphia
76ers 97-92 in overtime and take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven NBA
first-round playoff series.
Sixers Headlines - May 1, 2005
1. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Unassuming Green grateful for a shot at helping Sixers
Willie Green could have stared down the reporters, broadcasters and camera operators yesterday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, thrust out his chest, pointed his finger and shouted: "I told you so!"
2. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pistons give 76ers credit, expect to make them pay
They weren't exactly shell-shocked, but the Detroit Pistons acknowledged that they had witnessed one of the 76ers' best efforts of the season.
3. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pistons don't expect repeat performance
The Hall of Fame coach, still coaching like a Hall of Famer, turned around and starting laughing as defeat seemed imminent. Larry Brown may not be in Philadelphia any longer, nearly two years removed from a once-moribund franchise he resurrected to near-championship prominence, but he isn't blind to what occurs in the city he once loved.
4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Labor talks' pace making Stern sound less confident
As he makes the rounds during the NBA playoffs, commissioner David Stern knows he will be peppered with questions at each stop about the chance that the age limit for incoming players will be raised from 18 to 20 in the next collective-bargaining agreement between the league and its players' union.
5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stern: NBA wants tighter drug-testing policy
Amidst the clamor of public and congressional interest in performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports, the NBA is continuing to push hard for a significant change in its drug-testing policy with its players.
6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Shooting Their Way Back
When sizing up the playoff series between the 76ers and Detroit Pistons, the popular theory was that Allen Iverson would will the Sixers to one victory and help his team avoid an embarrassing sweep.
7. Daily Local News -- Sixers look to even up series with defending champions
For a team that had lost a playoff game the night before, the Detroit Pistons sure didn’t sound worried Saturday afternoon.
8. Courier Post -- Sixers aim to improve defense
The 76ers can't play any better than they did - at least on the offensive end - in Friday's 115-104 Game 3 victory over the Detroit Pistons in their first-round playoff series.
9. Courier Post -- Rogers, Green were key off bench in Game 3
Sixers reserve forward Rodney Rogers has more playoff experience than anyone on his team.
10. Wilmington News Journal -- Sixers hope to continue hot shooting
The euphoria was over quickly for Jim O'Brien and the 76ers, driven back to reality by the fact that the defense still hasn't stopped the Pistons and that the Sixers can't rely on shooting 55 percent every game in order to win this series.
11. Wilmington News Journal -- Green, Rogers eye more playing time
Willie Green and Rodney Rogers at least know one thing going into Game 4 today of the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Pistons: They will get another chance to play a significant role.
12. Trenton Times -- Don't expect a Sixers repeat
While it's true the only "must" game in an NBA playoff series is the last one, for the Sixers and Detroit Pistons today's Game 4 is the one that could set the tone for the rest of the first-round series.
13. Detroit News -- Pistons remain calm
It was the last thing Pistons coach Larry Brown wanted to hear, and it came from the last person he would have expected to hear it from.
14. Detroit News -- Champs endure a rough night in Philly, where defense rests
Publicly, they were shrugging. That's what champs do. One loss? Hey, it happens.
15. Detroit News -- O'Brien sees need for better defense
As much as he wanted to, coach Jim O'Brien couldn't spend much time enjoying the 76ers' victory in Game 3.
16. Detroit News -- Stern: Pistons handled incident well
NBA commissioner David Stern applauded the Pistons and Palace security for the way they handled the quarter-tossing incident in Game 2 on Tuesday night and said he had no fear or trepidation regarding a potential Pacers-Pistons playoff series.
