- My take on the Sixers' heartbreaking loss to Toronto in game 7 last night..
The game was lost in the 4th quarter with 3:13 remaining. The Sixers had three consecutive trips down the floor without getitng a shot off. Shot-clock violations and turnovers doomed the team. Blame the players for not executing and the coach for not drawing up precise plays.
The series was lost in Game 4 in Philly. The 76ers had a chance to go up 3-1 in the series and allowed the Raptors to steal the game. The Sixers took Game 2 in Canada after a long losing streak north of the border. I couldn't expect the squad to win another game in Toronto.
Give the game Sixers credit to keeping it close on the road. A lucky shot by the awesome Kahwi Leonard sealed their fate. The ball bounced four times on the rim before dropping in. It reminded me of the "double-doink" kick in the NFC playoffs last season when the bears' kicker blew a field goal to beat the Eagles by clanking the football off the upright and crossbar of the goalpost. Philly fans got a taste of what Bear fans felt that cold January day.
Leonard hit the game-winning shot but he never should've gotten the ball. The Sixers needed to double-team him and allow someone else to beat them. Leonard ended with 41 points and torched the defenseless Sixers all series. Philadelphia should rue the day they could not woo him to play at least one season with the Sixers. Blame Brett Brown for that ( he used to coach Leonard in San Antonio) and for not denying Leonard the fatal in-bounds pass.
NBA history was made on Sunday night when the lucky shot went in. 135 Game 7's have been played in NBA history and it was the first time a buzzer-beater decided the game and series.
Why was Joel Embiid ( who came up small and cried like an immature baby after the game) not down in the blocks more? He settled for the 3-point shot too often through-out the season. He should dominate more near the basket. Another coaching bad decision.
Needless to say, Ben Simmons needs to hit the gym and work on a medium jump shot and improves his free throw shooting. He needs to be more aggressive and improve his shooting so teams play him more honestly.
Questions abound for the future of the franchise. Will Brown be fired? I think so. Will the team resign Reddick, Harris and Butler? Butler, yes.. Harris no and Reddick no. If Reddick leaves who will be the outside shooters? GM Elton Brand needs to add depth to the roster.
With the Raptors shooting even more poorly in the first half, the 76ers blew their chance to steal the win. Not getting Toronto into foul trouble sooner was a mistake. The Sixers had their chances. They only had themselves to blame.
Not only was the weeping Embiid pretty much a no-show, Jimmy Butler was invisible as well. He scores the Philadelphia final basket with an aggressive drive with 4.2 seconds remaining.
The series may have been different if Embiid had been healthy. Can't help getting sick, but in his case, he needs to take care of his body better, such as eating healthier and getting more rest. Peaking at playoff team should be the goal, not in meaningless January,
- The Phillies won their weekend series with the Royals, also took 4 of 6 on the road trip. The are 23-16 and still 3 games ahead of Atlanta in NL East.
Rookie Cole Irvin, making his big league debut, was impressive in his outing, going up seven innings and only surrendering one run ( on a broken bat single). Irvin pitches to contact, works fast and rarely walks a batter. He gives the rotation the lefty starter it desperately needed. If he continues to pitch well Vince Valasquez will be sent to the bullpen where he probably belonged anyway.
Rumor has it that Valasquez isn't hurt after all with his "strained right forearm." He has been at odds with catcher J.T. Realmuto about pitch selection and has annoyed management with his constant high pitch count and lack of going deep into ballgames. He had one brilliant game several years ago when he came to the Phillies from Houston and struck out 16 Padres. Otherwise if Velasquez gives you five innings the team is lucky. He sure doesn't "quality innings" very often.
My answer is to keep Vinny in the bullpen. That way he doesn't have to pace himself, He can throw all the fastballs he wants and not have to stress about pitch counts or what to throw.
Very nice to see Irvin's family in Kansas City, rooting on the kid. Most were in tears, crying even when he did well. Irvin worked hard to get his chance yesterday and found success in the minors. He was a combined 16-4 the last two season down on the farm and was named International League Pitcher of the Year in 2018. Let's hope he is here to stay, giving the Phils a nice trio of young hurlers along with Zach Eflin and Jared Eichoff .
The team continues to win, even though Bryce Harper has yet to get hot. Odubel Herrera failed to run hard on a single yesterday, in what should have been a double. He had two hits, and the lack of hustle and episodes of going brain-dead are part of the Herrera package. If he gets hot the Phillies should trade him for pitching. If Roman Quinn comes back healthy let him play center field along with Andrew McCuthen. Adam Heasley is on the horizon for the future. It won't happen because management is in love with Herrera's "potential" but we have seen the best and worst of Odubel.
Looking forward to Scott Kingery returning soon. Even if he doesn't start somewhere on the field ( with Cesar Hernandez suddenly playing well at second base), Kingery adds to the bench depth. and brings speed and energy to the team.
The Phillies come home tonight (weather permitting)) to play the very good Milwaukee Brewers for four games. I'll be at the Thursday afternoon game when Eflin pitches, going for his sixth win of the young season. The club hosts Colorado next weekend before embarking on a road trip to Chicago and Milwaukee. A brief three-game home series with St. Louis then is on tap before their first West Coast trip to Los Angeles and San Diego. Not an easy road ahead!
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