It's fun being a Sixers fan, isn't it?

Just when the team starts playing well and is looking like it could be on the cusp of a playoff appearance, a division rival goes ahead and trades for a guy in Carmelo Anthony who could very well be the fourth-best player in the NBA.

Now I know what it's like to be a New York Mets fan and watch the Phillies.

The deal isn't official just yet, but ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard is reporting it's a done deal.

According to Broussard, the often-annoying "MeloDrama" is coming to an end via a three-team deal that involved 11 players, multiple draft picks, and a heavy amount of cash changing hands.


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Holiday is a rising star for the Sixers and the league.


Although Sunday's Eagles-Vikings was canceled due to blizzard-like conditions at Lincoln Financial Field, there was still one Philadelphia team that was victorious last night.

Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young combined for 42 points as the Sixers overcame a 12-point 4th quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 95-89 at the Pepsi Center.

The Sixers started the game as cold as the drifts of snow currently piling up around the Philadelphia region. They came out of the gate shooting 3-for-17 from the field, finishing the first quarter on the wrong side of a 25-13 margin.

Andre Iguodala (9 points) was especially off last night, finishing the game 3-for-12 from the field and 3-for-10 from the foul line. Truth be told, the whole team struggled at the charity stripe, shooting only 20-for-32 (63 percent) against the Nuggets.

Despite missing the services of Carmelo Anthony, who was away for the third straight game due to personal reasons, the Nuggets appeared to be well on their way to their 13th win at home this season.

Enter Thaddeus Young.

Due to the absence of backup guard Lou Williams (who is currently in Philadelphia, awaiting the birth of his first child), Young was counted on against Denver to deliver off of the bench, and he came through in spades. He was the most active player on the court for either team, scoring 20 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to compliment his solid defensive effort.

Point guard Jrue Holiday was excellent as well, scoring 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, despite playing less than 26 minutes due to foul trouble. But even with the superb play of Young and Holiday, the Sixers still found themselves down 82-70 with 8:11 left in the 4th quarter.

As fate would have it, while the Nuggets would struggle to score from that point on, the Sixers ripped off an impressive 24-4 run to put the game away. The burst was capped off by Jodie Meeks who was 2-for-11 before hitting a crucial 3-pointer to make the score 92-86 with 47.1 seconds to go.

"Needless to say, this was a great win," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins, who was all smiles once the buzzer sounded at the end of the game.

The Sixers took advantage of Denver's lack of size, scoring 48 points in the paint. They dominated the glass as well, pulling down 49 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end.

With Nuggets' Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen getting only limited minutes last night, Elton Brand had his way around the basket, scoring 16 points to go along with 17 rebounds.

And once again, the Sixers were extremely careful with the basketball, only turning it over 7 times on the night. For what it's worth, Doug Collins's team is doing a good job of not beating itself - they're currently averaging only 13.3 turnovers per game, tied for 2nd in the NBA.

With Williams missing and Holiday with foul difficulties, Evan Turner took advantage of his chance at extended minutes, scoring 8 points and filling the box score with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Despite his ability to play the 2 (shooting guard) and 3 (small forward) positions, Turner continues to look the most comfortable when he's running the point for the Sixers. Unfortunately, with both Holiday and Williams on the roster, there aren't too many minutes at the 1 for Turner, who will need to learn how to play without the ball in his hands.

The Sixers are now 2-2 on their infamous 8-game road trip, improving to 4-12 away from the Wells Fargo Center. Visits to Golden State, Phoenix, Los Angeles and New Orleans round out the trip before they return home January 5 to face the Washington Wizards.

"This is a great overall victory for the team," said Young after the game. "We haven't been finishing games well, and we finished this one. And it was great tonight to just come in here and get a win."
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The Sixers were outclassed by the superior Celtics.


The Boston Celtics had won 13 in a row coming their game Wednesday night at the TD Garden. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers were only one night removed from a 45-point destruction at the hand of the Chicago Bulls, the worst loss in the NBA this season.

And while the Sixers wound up losing to the Celtics last night 84-80, their effort was commendable, given the circumstances. So although they're far past the point where moral victories count for anything, Wednesday's performance in Boston was, at the very least, encouraging.

"That's more what our team is like," said Sixers' forward Elton Brand, who led the Sixers with 16 points. "It's disappointing we didn't come with it [against Chicago] and it's disappointing we didn't close out this win [Wednesday]. But we played strong and we played well."

The Sixers, who are now 11-18 on the season, played exceptionally well on the defensive end: On Wednesday, they held Boston - owners of the best field goal percentage in the league at 50.7 percent - to 38.8 percent from the field.

Most of the time in the NBA, when a team holds its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting, it results in a win. Then again, there aren't too many teams that close out games like the Boston Celtics.

In the 4th quarter, Boston converted on 12 of their 14 free throw attempts while the Sixers were only 1-for-2. As a veteran team, the Celtics are well aware that the more aggressive team gets the calls, and they took every opportunity to force the issue with the game in the balance.

The last 12 minutes were a sharp contrast to the first half, when the Sixers were 14-for-17 from the charity stripe, while the Celtics only attempted three free throws in the opening two quarters.

"Against this team you have to be aggressive," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins. "This is a team that's very physical. You sort of have to hit them before they hit you."

To their credit, the Sixers did their fair share of hitting, due in large part to the play of Tony Battie. Battie logged more than 25 minutes last night, scoring a season-high 10 points, to go along 6 rebounds and with his solid defensive effort against Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the Boston front line.

But when it mattered the most, Ray Allen - who led all scorers with 22 points - and the rest of the Celtics were too much to handle down the stretch. In Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (who finished with 11 after going scoreless in the first half), the Celtics have three battle-tested closers willing and able to hit a game-winning shot.

The Sixers are well aware of the Celtics' ability to finish games. In their previous meeting on December 9, the Sixers had Boston dead to rights until Rajon Rondo found a cutting Garnett for a game-winning layup with less than two seconds left - the decisive basket in a 102-101 Celtics' victory.

Conversely, the Sixers lack of any sort of go-to player is what separates them from the class of the Eastern Conference. Andre Iguodala wanted to be the hero last night, but he turned the ball over twice in crucial situations down the stretch.

Wednesday's game against the Celtics was the third of the Sixers' 8-game road trip. After a 97-89 victory against the Orlando Magic last Saturday, the Sixers followed that up three days later with the aforementioned 121-76 loss to the Bulls on Tuesday.

With a few days off to enjoy the holidays, the Sixers have some time to sit back and reflect before they turn it on again Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets. Hopefully, the extended break will allow them time to regain the form that has been missing over the past couple of games.
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