The Sixers now have played four games against their first-round opponent in the NBA Playoffs. The Sixers and Magic stand at 2-2, having split a series in Orlando, as well as one on the Wachovia Center hardwood.
The thing is, the Sixers probably could have won all four of these games.
Last night the Sixers were down by about 10 with seven minutes left in the game. This one’s over, right?
Not exactly.
The Sixers rallied to knot the game with seconds left, only to have a dagger stuck in their chest by Hedo Turkoglu, who drained a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to break the tie and put the Magic up by three.
The Sixers probably deserve better than to be tied in this series. They now head back to Orlando for Game 5 Tuesday night.
You have to wonder how long the Sixers can bottle this magic. They weren’t supposed to be in this series, or any other one, for that matter.
Then you have the Flyers.
What can you say about what happened at the Wachovia Center Saturday afternoon?
The Flyers were down 3-1 and looking at being eliminated when they dominated the Penguins in Pittsburgh to send the series back to Philly.
They could not have scripted a better start on Saturday. The Flyers, in front of a rabid crowd decked out in orange T-shirts, jumped on the Pens and built a 3-0 lead. It looked like the series was headed for a winner-take-all Game 7.
Maybe that’s what the Flyers thought, too. Because at about the halfway point of the second period, they pulled the plug. Then they watched the series – and their season – go down the drain.
The Penguins scored four straight goals to cast a pall over the building, before depositing an empty-netter to put the final nail in the coffin.
The Flyers are now saying they only need to “tweak” their lineup and that coach John Stevens will be back.
One problem with that. What exactly are they going to do about the Penguins? With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in place, the Flyers are looking at a serious roadblock to their playoff hopes every year for the foreseeable future.
Hope the fans stuck around long enough to watch the Flyers, heads hanging, go through the traditional post-series handshake Saturday afternoon.
It’s very likely going to be a familiar scene.
The thing is, the Sixers probably could have won all four of these games.
Last night the Sixers were down by about 10 with seven minutes left in the game. This one’s over, right?
Not exactly.
The Sixers rallied to knot the game with seconds left, only to have a dagger stuck in their chest by Hedo Turkoglu, who drained a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to break the tie and put the Magic up by three.
The Sixers probably deserve better than to be tied in this series. They now head back to Orlando for Game 5 Tuesday night.
You have to wonder how long the Sixers can bottle this magic. They weren’t supposed to be in this series, or any other one, for that matter.
Then you have the Flyers.
What can you say about what happened at the Wachovia Center Saturday afternoon?
The Flyers were down 3-1 and looking at being eliminated when they dominated the Penguins in Pittsburgh to send the series back to Philly.
They could not have scripted a better start on Saturday. The Flyers, in front of a rabid crowd decked out in orange T-shirts, jumped on the Pens and built a 3-0 lead. It looked like the series was headed for a winner-take-all Game 7.
Maybe that’s what the Flyers thought, too. Because at about the halfway point of the second period, they pulled the plug. Then they watched the series – and their season – go down the drain.
The Penguins scored four straight goals to cast a pall over the building, before depositing an empty-netter to put the final nail in the coffin.
The Flyers are now saying they only need to “tweak” their lineup and that coach John Stevens will be back.
One problem with that. What exactly are they going to do about the Penguins? With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in place, the Flyers are looking at a serious roadblock to their playoff hopes every year for the foreseeable future.
Hope the fans stuck around long enough to watch the Flyers, heads hanging, go through the traditional post-series handshake Saturday afternoon.
It’s very likely going to be a familiar scene.
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