Third (Fourth) Quarter Collapse I don't even know where to begin. Forgive me if my sentences don't run smoothly or I ramble on -- I'm so amped right now. It's probably going to take me a solid 24 hours to come down to earth. I honestly cannot believe the Sixers pulled it off. I've seen this team do some amazing things this season, but I have to admit, when they were down 18 I had all but given up. This team -- Iggy and Donny-Ice in particular -- continue to impress the heck out of me. As for all the "experts" who said this series was awful and the Sixers had no chance, "What chu gonna say now? What can you say now?" The game started and ended with Andre Iguodala. He played a fantastic game -- fantastic! The box score does not do him justice. Sure, 10-23 looks mediocre, but most of his misses were bunnies that he normally makes or draws the foul. What impressed me most about Iguodala was that he didn't settle for jumpers and he never got discouraged by the non-calls. He was the aggressor for the entire game, and it paid off. His passing and defense were also superb. Did I mention he hit the game-winner with the 6'10'' Turkoglu in his jersey? Besides the two missed free throws I thought Iguodala played a spotless basketball game. There's no other player I would have rather had leading my team. Even though Iguodala made the game-winner, Donny-Ice was the real MVP. The "+18" in the box score says it all. He played underrated defense, he grabbed timely rebounds, and stretched the defense. He also drilled 3 HUGE threes, including the game-tying shot with 35 to go. I don't know how he does it, but every time Donny gets extended minutes he makes a huge difference. Lou Williams and Theophilus Ratliff were also gigantic off the bench. This is nothing new though. They've been ballin' for the past month. One more thing as far as the game itself is concerned. I thought the Sixers had a very nice defensive scheme in place. It looked like they were committed to contesting the three, and content with Dwight getting his. I love it. As long as the Sixers continue to defend the perimeter, they'll have a good chance to win the series, even if Dwight does average 30-20. So where do we go from here? I'll tell you the same thing I told my buddy Alex immediately following the game. No matter what happens from here on out, we'll always have this game. Look at the picture on top of this post. We'll always, always have that. No one can take that away. Iggy showed numerous times this season that he can take and make the big shot. There was still question of whether he can do it in the playoffs. Well, there you have it. I hate to get ahead of myself, but I think it's safe to say, Iggy's on his way. However; I'm not satisfied with just one win. I want more, and I hope the Sixers are as greedy as me. We essentially have home court now, and who knows, a couple calls go our way next game and we could be starring a 2-0 lead in the face. Wednesday night -- be here. Enjoy the next 72 hours guys. We earned it.
Filed under: