Jrue Holiday needs to shoot more for Sixers to win, according to Doug Collins (Ball Don't Lie)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 13:15:38 PDT)
The second round hasn't been especially kind to Jrue Holiday. After averaging a sterling 18.2 points per game in the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round win over the Chicago Bulls, he's had a rougher go of it in Round 2, averaging just 12.4 points a night on 43.4 percent shooting against the Boston Celtics. He's far from the only Sixer to struggle — his teammates are shooting a combined 41.7 percent from the floor in the series, which Boston leads 3-2 and can close out in Philly in a pivotal Game 6 on Wednesday night — but what's made Holiday's play particularly noteworthy of late is its passivity. After hitting three of the first four shots he took during Monday's Game 5 and helping Philadelphia jump out to a 27-23 lead after the first quarter, Holiday seemed to recede from view, attempting just two shots in the rest of the game and finishing with a quiet 10 points in Boston's 101-85 win . That Holiday, the team's leading postseason scorer at 15.5 points per game, pulled back when he seemed to have it going gave Doug Collins cause for concern; as the Sixers' head coach told John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer , the team needs more offensive aggression from its lead guard and leading scorer. "He's our leading scorer," Collins said after a team film session Tuesday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "[...] I've got to have him in the mode of looking to shoot the ball." In a perfect world for the Sixers, Holiday plays Wednesday night the way he did in Game 2 of the Chicago series, when he finished with 26 points and six assists in a 109-92 rout. "I have to be more aggressive looking for my shot," Holiday said. Perhaps too often, Holiday exhibits a reluctance to take over games. He has a pure point guard's mind-set in that he would rather set up his teammates — something Boston guard Rajon Rondo, his counterpart, could very well be the best in the league at doing. It's true that Holiday can look tentative at times, and that hesitance can spell problems for a Philadelphia team not blessed with very many players who excel at creating good looks, whether for themselves or others. But it's worth noting that it's not exactly as if the Sixers become a high-flying, explosive winning machine when Holiday starts looking for his own offense.

Reasons to Watch 76ers in Game 6 Against Boston: A Fan's Look (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:31:00 PDT)
The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their second round playoff series on Wednesday, May 23. This could be the final game of the season for the 76ers as they trail in the series 3-2. However, this team has shown that they have a lot of heart. As a fan, I believe they can win at home and force a deciding Game 7 in Boston. No matter what happens, 76ers fans should be excited for this contest. Here are a few reasons why you should watch.

Heat roll over Pacers to lead series
(Wed, 23 May 2012 06:58:57 PDT)
Miami got their swagger back as they scored the opening three points and never trailed to easily beat Indiana 115-83 in game five Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.

76ers coach Collins enjoying renewed rivalry (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:01:17 PDT)
It's not surprising that the Celtics-76ers series will go at least six games and maybe longer. These franchises have seemingly been programmed for such wars as they meet now for the 19th time.

Spurs flirting with history on 18-game streak (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 23:19:06 PDT)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Eighteen wins in a row, and eight more victories to go.

NBA roundup: Orlando fires coach Van Gundy, GM Smith (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:20 PDT)
The Orlando Magic said so long to coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith on Monday.

Ex-NBA star, Olympian Bob Boozer dies at 75 (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 20 May 2012 17:10:05 PDT)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Bob Boozer was a star in college, an Olympic gold medalist and an 11-year professional who finished his playing career with an NBA championship.

Iguodala leading the way in postseason for 76ers (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 19 May 2012 20:00:49 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Andre Iguodala is winning games for the Sixers and winning over Philadelphia with each clutch basket.

76ers stun Celtics 92-83 in Game 4 to even series (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 19 May 2012 02:59:07 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Andre Iguodala squared up for a 3-pointer from the wing like he had hundreds of times in his career.

Philadelphia 76ers rally to beat Celtics in NBA series
(Fri, 18 May 2012 20:36:35 PDT)
Andre Iguodala finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to beat the Boston Celtics 92-83 in game four of their Eastern Conference series.

NBA: Oden having surgery in hopes of reviving career (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 15:50:12 PDT)
Former No. 1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden reportedly has undergone a controversial procedure to try to kick-start his waning basketball career.

Report: Ewing has 'good chance' to be Bobcats coach (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 11:30:11 PDT)
Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing reportedly has a "good chance" of getting the Charlotte Bobcats head coaching job.

Steve Blake, wife receive death threats via Twitter after Lakers’ Game 2 loss (Ball Don't Lie)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 08:00:45 PDT)
After scoring 19 points and hitting five 3-pointers in a huge Game 7 performance to beat the Denver Nuggets, Steve Blake was lauded for shaking off a 12-for-33 mark in the first six games and coming up big when it counted. But after missing an open corner 3-pointer that would have given the Los Angeles Lakers a one-point lead in the closing seconds of Game 2 — a game that the Lakers led by seven with two minutes left, a game they gave away in a manner befitting Santa Claus , according to their center — some fickle fans changed their tune on the backup point guard and, disgustingly, brought his family into the mix. From Dave McMenamin at ESPN Los Angeles : After the game, both the Twitter feeds of Blake and his wife, Kristen, were inundated with criticism ranging from curse word-laden rants to threats. "I hope your family gets murdered," read one tweet that Kristen Blake re-tweeted along with a single comment: "Wow." [...] Steve Blake responded to the troublesome situation after Lakers practice on Thursday. "It's pretty disappointing that there are a lot of hateful people out there, but you move on," Blake said. "I just don't appreciate it when it's toward my family. You can come at me all you want but when you say things about my wife and my kids, that makes me upset." As horrendous and regrettable as this is, it's nothing new; as long as there have been sporting matches to lose, there have been goats blamed for losing them, and pockets of disgruntled, perspective-lacking fandom whose pursuit of doling that blame out ventures far beyond the pale of reason and decency. (And let's be clear about this: "Lakers fans" aren't to be blamed for death threats and hate speech lobbed uncaringly at the Blakes; "awful, lunatic-fringe idiots" are. Several bad apples don't spoil a gigantic, passionate bunch.) What is relatively new, though, is how social media outlets — primarily Twitter, since more pros actually seem to use and manage Twitter accounts themselves than handle, say, their own Facebook pages or write their own blogs — and the immediate connections they afford fans to the objects of their obsession can factor into this mix.

Spurs rip Clippers for 16th win in a row
(Thu, 17 May 2012 22:59:43 PDT)
Tony Parker celebrated his 30th birthday by scoring 22 points to lead San Antonio over the Los Angeles Clippers 105-88, stretching the Spurs' win streak to 16 games.