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Were dropping Sixers knowledge all weekend

Looking to be the smartest in the office on Monday when it comes to Sixers talk?

Why not start on getting up to speed in the aftermath of the teams 121-101 win today ahead of Mondays Game 2 at the Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m., TNT).

David Murphy opines on just how good James Harden was in Game 1 and on Saturday was the Sixers believed was the Harden the Sixers believed they acquired last season.

The Sixers cooked the Nets in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, with a performance our Sixers writer Keith Pompey said Brooklyn had no answers for.

Its the latest Inquirer insight ahead of the Sixers hoping to go two-up in the series when it hosts Brooklyn again in Game 2.

Looking for even more Sixers and NBA playoff coverage? We got you.

Sixers cruise as Nets have no answers

An excerpt from the analysis of Inquirer Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey:

On Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets had no answers for the 76ers balance and depth. And so the Sixers took a 121-101 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series at the Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid had 26 points while going 11-for-11 from the foul line. The MVP finalist also had five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. James Harden had 23 points,13 assists, and four rebounds. Tobias Harris added 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

In all, the Sixers played 10 players all in the first half. Nine of the 10 players scored. And even thats misleading, considering Danuel House Jr., the player who didnt score, was only in for eight seconds in the first quarter.

The Sixers made 21 of 43 three-pointers and were 16-for-16 from the foul line. They also scored 31 points off 20 Brooklyn turnovers.

Brooklyns Mikal Bridges, a Philly native and former Villanova star, led all scorers with 30 points. But the Nets must find a way to overcome the Sixers balance if they expect to win Mondays Game 2 matchup (6:30 p.m., TNT).

The Sixers dominance was far from surprising for Brooklyn.

Read Keiths complete game analysis below.

READ MORE:Sixers cruise to 121-101 win over Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series

Social media shows love to Paul Reed

The Paul Reed love affair on social media came in bunches after his reverse two-handed jam put the Sixers ahead 102-83 with a little over 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Needless to say, a dunk like that, not only had Reed feeling himself but also got the Wells Fargo Center crowd and Twitterverse into a frenzy. Reed dropped 11 off the bench in 13 minutes of play.

It should be noted that the assist from James Harden was his 10th of the game and stamped his double-double performance with authority. Harden was on 20 points and those 10 boards after the jam. He finished the game with 23 points and 13 assists.

Kerith Gabriel

Sixers put clamps on Bridges

The Sixers held Mikal Bridges scoreless for the last 8 minutes of the third, thanks largely to the defense of DeAnthony Melton. Bridges has 25 for the Nets. Sixers lead by 12 entering the fourth. He finished with 30 points.

Marcus Hayes

Playoff duel between friends

Harden leading the way at halftime

The Nets and Mikal Bridges are targeting James Harden, who gave up five points in the matchup. Of course, Harden also scored nine straight, so

And the Sixers happen to have a 67-58 halftime lead behind Hardens 17 points and six assists.

Marcus Hayes

Bridges lead Nets, while Sixers spread the love

The Sixers are having some trouble keeping Mikal Bridges from doing whatever he wants. That said, he might need to finish with 80 points in order for it to matter. Seven different Sixers knocked down a three-pointer in the first 13 minutes of the game. Thats a difficult thing to do.

David Murphy

Rebounds, defense keeping Sixers in game

The Sixers have seven offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes. P.J. Tucker has three of them. They lead by a point, and thats why.

And then theres Joel Embiid, who led the NBA in scoring. He has altered or discouraged three shots in the first nine minutes. Thats why hes the real MVP the past three seasons.

READ MORE:"You need a P.J. on your team: Former teammates, coaches explain what makes P.J. Tucker so special

Marcus Hayes

Bridges gets off to a hot start

Mikal Bridges is 3-for-4 and he probably got fouled on his miss. The Sixers simply dont have an answer for him. The Philly native and Villanova champion isnt shrinking from the moment against his hometown team.

Marcus Hayes

Sixers-Nets Game 1 is underway

It started 15 minutes later than it was scheduled to begin, but the Sixers playoffs are officially underway. Keep it locked here for live updates and analysis throughout Game 1 and head over to Gameday Central for live stats and play-by-play action.

Matt Mullin

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni rings the bell before Game 1

Which is fitting because of his strong friendship with Doc Rivers. The two have become pen pals, checking in over text and discussing coaching principles, as The Inquirers Gina Mizell noted in our pages and on Twitter.

Rating the Sixers pregame outfits from Game 1

The Sixers are in full postseason mode, and they have the fits too match. PJ Tuckers purple crochet piece is a winner, and Georges Niang makes his mark with an Awake NY x Carhartt active Jacket and Pine Green Jordan 4s.

And now, we rate the fits...

DeAnthony Melton: 6/10

Earl Hopkins

Heres who will start Game 1 for the Sixers

Sixers Game 1 Drip Watch: Tyrese Maxey and Montrezl Harrell

Point guard Tyrese Maxey pulls up to Wells Fargo Center decked out in a matching cotton candy mint fit.

Maxeys rating: 6/10

Meanwhile, backup big man Montrezl Harrell came out strong during pregame warmups. But P.J. Tucker no surprise stole the show with his kicks.

Earl Hopkins

Georges Niang describes the intensity of the NBA playoffs

Steph Curry said it best. I heard it in an interview: The playoffs are like two regular-season games in one. Thats how freaking hard youre playing. Guys minutes may go down. Guys minutes may go up. But thats how hard youre playing. Its super physical. There are not ticky-tack fouls being called. It is very intense. Theres no helping people up off the floor. Its cut-throat. Everybody wants to win it. Its the most intense part of the season. When I first got into the NBA, Kevin Pritchard in Indiana told me theres five stints in the season. Preseason. The beginning of the season, when everybodys kind of feeling each other out. Pre-All-Star break, when everybodys exhausted and cant wait until the break. After All-Star break. And then playoffs. Playoffs are when young boys get exposed, and the men really flourish. Ive always taken that to heart and realized that playoff basketball is just so intense with the attention to detail. Youre going to know everything that they run. Theyre going to know everything that you run. Its just whos going to fight through the crap and all that to come out victorious. Its like going into the room and being like, All right, whos coming out alive?

Down in the bubble with Utah, we were up 3-1 against Denver. Youre thinking were going to beat them, and anything can happen. Then you kind of realize the knockout game is the hardest freaking game. All weve got to do is get one out of the next three, and they come back and we lose three straight because the unexpected happened. So you always have to prepare to cover all your bases. Theres no taking your foot off the gas. Sometimes, in the regular season, you can get away with doing that. Theres no place for that at all in the playoffs.

READ MORE:This is an opportunity that weve all been waiting for: Georges Niangs Inquirer diary lifts curtain on Sixers playoff run

Georges Niang, as told to Gina Mizell

How to profit from a dominant 76ers first-round victory over Brooklyn

FanDuel has assembled a full menu of betting options for how the series might unfold.

All signs point to an easy Sixers win.

But how many games will the series go? Will the Sixers win the series by more than 2 games? Will they win it in four games and award bettors laying +270 odds?

Theres no reason to get overwhelmed by all these betting options, as its best to begin your process by identifying a winner in this series (likely the Sixers) and then assessing how you can extract the best value.

According to our Action Labs database, the Sixers are 24-11 straight up against the Nets in the past 35 meetings. That includes a 4-1 series win in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

Moreover, Philadelphia won all four games against Brooklyn this season.

While backing the Sixers to win the series at -800 odds offers little value, if you like the 76ers to overwhelm the Nets in this series, you can back them on the series spread of -2.5 (-162).

Wed also recommend taking a shot with a 76ers sweep, or the series ending with a Sixers victory in five games.

READ MORE:Is there any value in betting on the series in Sixers vs. Nets? We have a few ideas.

Jeff Neiburg and Michael Arinze, The Action Network

Watch: Franklin jumps out of a plane to get ready for the playoffs

Look up in the sky! Its a bird! Its a plane! Its ... a dog?!

If youve ever been to a Sixers game, youve seen Franklins high-flying antics before. But youve probably never seen him get this high or fall back to earth this quickly.

Thats because the Sixers mascot teamed up with the Red Bull Air Force on Friday, ahead of Phillys playoff opener against Brooklyn, and decided to dive out of a plane and head-first into the postseason.

Unlike with the Phillies or Eagles, Franklin wasnt able to land on the playing surface prior to the game you know, because of that pesky Wells Fargo Center roof but that doesnt make the feat any less impressive.

Matt Mullin

P.S. Do you have any idea how hard it was to write this without making a raining cats and dogs reference?

The betting value is with Brooklyn in Game 1

The Sixers are a sizable favorite in Saturdays opener, which isnt shocking, given that Philly swept the season series from the Nets and finished nine games ahead of their Atlantic Division rivals in the standings.

What might be a bit of a surprise? Were taking the points with the road underdog in Game 1.

Theres not a lot of head-to-head data to support a hypothesis that Brooklyn will keep it close.

After all, Philadelphia dominated various iterations of the Nets this year, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. That includes one meaningless 19-point victory that kicked off the preseason and one meaningless 29-point victory that concluded the regular season.

It didnt matter if Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons were on the court in Nets uniforms (as was the case to start the season) or not (as will be the case in this series). Philadelphia took care of business each and every time.

So whats the logic for fading the Sixers in Game 1 especially since they finished with the NBAs best overall ATS record (48-34) and fourth-best ATS mark at home (25-16)?

Three words: Inflated point spread.

READ MORE:Nets vs. 76ers prediction: Betting value is with Brooklyn in Game 1 in Philadelphia

Matt Jacob, The Action Network

Almost-Sixer Mikal Bridges leading the way for Nets

The Brooklyn Nets, in just a little more than two months, have gone from a tiresome group of mercenaries to an interesting young team led by a rather amiable Villanova alumnus. They may not have enough firepower to make a deep run as when they had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but with Mikal Bridges leading the way, the Nets definitely are more tolerable. At least until that first hard foul on Joel Embiid.

Of our 25 things to ponder as this first-round series gets under way, several related to Sixers playoff opponents who played in the Big 5 including Bridges, who won big at Villanova before almost becoming a Sixer on draft night ...

Bridges, who helped Villanova win a pair of national titles, exploded after the Nets plucked him away from Phoenix in the Kevin Durant deal in February. Bridges averaged 17.2 points with Phoenix, but 27.2 in his first 26 games with Brooklyn before making a nominal, four-second appearance in the season finale.

Bridges has never missed a game for which he was eligible in his NBA career, which includes the leading active streak of 392 regular-season games, in addition to 35 playoff games. He played in all 116 possible games at Villanova, too. Whew.

Bridges was drafted 10th overall by the Sixers in 2019, but quickly traded to Phoenix for Zhaire Smith (ugh) and a 2021 first-round pick which Philadelphia used to acquire Tobias Harris. Bridges, who attended Great Valley High School, freely admits he was angry when the Sixers traded him. Smith, by the way, hasnt played in the NBA since 2019-20.

Bridges arrival to the Sixers seemed like a natural fit even his mother worked for the teams human resources. But that wasnt the way it played out. Mom, though, was thrilled when Bridges was traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn. Tyneeha Rivers, according to the New York Post, is the Chief People Officer for Curaleaf in New York. When Bridges dropped 45 points on Miami in February, he was able to hand his game-worn jersey to Mom sitting courtside.

READ MORE:25 things to know about Sixers-Nets as Game 1 of their first-round series approaches

Ed Barkowitz

Sixers will have to beat the Nets without Ben Simmons

Read the rest here:
Sixers vs. Nets: Philly wins 121-101 to take Game 1 after clamping down Mikal Bridges in second half - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Welcome to the latest edition of Georges Niangs 2022-23 Sixers diary. Throughout the season, the reserve forward will exclusively share first-person insights about his on-court and off-court life as part of an NBA team with championship aspirations.

In this entry, Niang describes how the Sixers pushed through their grueling stretch-run schedule and looks ahead to a critical postseason.

READ MORE:'You need a P.J. on your team': NBA players, coaches explain what makes Sixers forward P.J. Tucker so special

April 12, 2023

This is an opportunity that weve all been waiting for. The older you get, you kind of realize how excited you are to let the regular season pass and have the real, meaningful games start. You just want to be dialed in. I dont think anybodys looking ahead. We want to beat Brooklyn. Thats our main focus right now.

When our schedule came out, I know that we looked at after the All-Star break being like, Damn, that is no joke. You start off with a Memphis team. You start off with the Celtics. You start off with Miami. We lost two out of three, and then we had to go down to Miami and then we kind of went on a roll. I just remember, toward the end of that run in March, it felt like I never got to lay in my bed and be comfortable. I feel like I came home, unpacked my stuff, then packed to leave again. That was a tough stretch, considering we were barely home. The next time that we have two weeks full of home games, Im going to appreciate the [expletive] out of those.

The toughest part about that schedule is the unknowns, whether thats guys missing time or getting guys acclimated after the trade deadline. The theme all year is were finding ways to win games when people arent expecting us to win games, or even be in games. James was out for four games. Joel was out with the calf. Our team has just done such a good job of, with the variables and whatever happens, that we all come together and when we arent full strength, making things happen. Its kind of been a growth for us finding ways to deal with adversity when, in other times, we didnt do such a great job of that. It just goes to show how deep our team is and what we have with the coaching staff. Even when we dont have our top guys out there, we can win games against other teams that are playoff-bound. I thought that was really cool, especially going into the postseason getting everybody confident.

Theres so much to be said about that. Doc doesnt get enough credit for kind of envisioning that. We clinched the third seed. Obviously, you could ride your guys and see how many wins you get and make it about you. But, obviously, getting everybody confident and ready to go before the playoffs starts, youve got to give credit to him. We sat our top six guys in Atlanta, and then you go in there and beat a team that really needed that win. At the end of the day, its crucial that a coach sees that and knows that hes going to need everybody.

We could have gotten beat in Atlanta, but we come back and win. You look at the development of Jaden Springer, everything that hes been through in his two years as a young kid. Coming in as a one-and-done. Most guys ruin their NBA careers within the first two years not being able to play or getting called up or being down in the G League. They start getting discouraged and they start losing focus of the end goal. He stuck with it for two long years, and when his moment came which was probably Game One-hundred-and-freaking-63 of the time that hes been here and he was ready to knock his opportunity out of the park. He can really freaking play, and people see that. Its so cool to see people relish in the opportunities that theyre given, when theyre given. Because you never know when its going to come. You sit there and tell people to be ready, be ready, be ready. You dont understand how hard it is to be ready for five months, but you just consistently stick to your routine and do what you do and it comes along.

I think everybody at this level or everybody in life kind of has that happen to them. You wake up and youre like, Damn, I dont know if I want to do this. Even the small victories. Im struggling for seven or eight games, and I get the opportunity in Atlanta to break out of that, and now Im feeling confident going into the playoffs. Your story is just always being written, and its totally up to you to be mentally and physically prepared to not stress over the little stuff but to focus on your daily routine. Im going to continue to double down on the work thats got me here, and Im just gonna stick to my process and the things that help me go. Knowing that Ive put the work in, so that when the opportunity comes, Im just flowing. Im not putting any pressure on myself. Im just flowing.

Steph Curry said it best. I heard it in an interview: The playoffs are like two regular-season games in one. Thats how freaking hard youre playing. Guys minutes may go down. Guys minutes may go up. But thats how hard youre playing. Its super physical. There are not ticky-tack fouls being called. It is very intense. Theres no helping people up off the floor. Its cut-throat. Everybody wants to win it. Its the most intense part of the season. When I first got into the NBA, Kevin Pritchard in Indiana told me theres five stints in the season. Preseason. The beginning of the season, when everybodys kind of feeling each other out. Pre-All-Star break, when everybodys exhausted and cant wait until the break. After All-Star break. And then playoffs. Playoffs are when young boys get exposed, and the men really flourish. Ive always taken that to heart and realized that playoff basketball is just so intense with the attention to detail. Youre going to know everything that they run. Theyre going to know everything that you run. Its just whos going to fight through the crap and all that to come out victorious. Its like going into the room and being like, All right, whos coming out alive?

Down in the bubble with Utah, we were up 3-1 against Denver. Youre thinking were going to beat them, and anything can happen. Then you kind of realize the knockout game is the hardest freaking game. All weve got to do is get one out of the next three, and they come back and we lose three straight because the unexpected happened. So you always have to prepare to cover all your bases. Theres no taking your foot off the gas. Sometimes, in the regular season, you can get away with doing that. Theres no place for that at all in the playoffs.

We only got to play this version of the Nets once. Theyre a very good team. They do a good job of really spacing you out and moving the ball and making a crap-ton of threes and driving the ball and just shifting the defense. And theyre really good in transition, so were going to have to do a good job of taking care of the ball, not having careless turnovers, closing out possessions, but then getting our guys to our spots. I feel like if we can continuously do that and make it hard for them to be successful with their junk defenses or their switching and punish them for the switching, I think well be in a good spot. They do a really good job and have a lot of good players, but were definitely going to try to limit them with their transition and easy baskets, because I feel like thats kind of what gets their guys going.

READ MORE:Nets vs. 76ers prediction: Betting value is with Brooklyn in Game 1 in Philadelphia

Its just so crucial having guys that have been there before. P.J. is great because hes been there and hes friggin not afraid to open his mouth and tell people what it is and what they need to do. You have a guy like Tobias Harris, who completely bought into his role, where in other instances there may be some guys in the NBA that are like, I dont like what I do on a day-to-day basis. Hes all-in on defending, making shots, taking advantage of mismatches. Thats been huge for us. The rest of it is we all genuinely like each other and enjoy being around each other.

And, in the playoffs, you really realize, if you dont win, this is it. Quin Snyder, when I was in Utah, he was like, Every season is a life. You will never have the same team twice in a row. Doc even says it all the time, Some of you may go on and have a better deal somewhere else, but you dont know how many times youll actually have a team that has a chance to win. So take advantage of these opportunities. I think that all hit home with us. We started 12-12, he made that speech, and youre like, Shoot, we have a chance to make this happen. Im not getting any younger. We need to relish in those opportunities and continue to grow and be better, and I think thats what weve done.

I dont think we feel any pressure. One, because were confident in what we do and its proven it works. Theres no point in us being like, Oh, this is too much to handle, because I think all of us realize, if we do our job, it has a proven success rate. I think thats the most exciting thing for us right now. Obviously, playing in Philly has its own pressures. You dont want to lose, because you better not be going out to eat after that. But at the same time, if you win, you know how well youll be taken care of. Thats another thing that I think most of us look at: Winning and being beloved by this great fan base.

Georges Niang, as told to Gina Mizell

See original here:
This is an opportunity that weve all been waiting for: Georges Niangs Inquirer diary lifts curtain on Sixers playoff run - The Philadelphia Inquirer

20:05, UK, Tuesday 18 April 2023

Chelsea are not a broken team and the club's co-owner Todd Boehly had every right to address the squad he has invested in, manager Frank Lampard said on Monday ahead of their Champions League quarter-final return leg against holders Real Madrid.

Chelsea, who trail 2-0 from the first game at the Santiago Bernabeu, are on a six-match winless run, with interim boss Lampard losing his first three games in charge.

With Chelsea 17 points off the Premier League top four despite spending more than 530m on players, winning the Champions League is their only realistic chance of qualifying for the elite competition next season.

The situation is similar to when Chelsea finished sixth in the league in 2011-12 when Lampard was a player at the club and they qualified for the Champions League by winning the trophy.

The 44-year-old said: "We are not where we want to be. I think broken is a bit much. League position is a reality and we are 2-0 down in this game. We have to work against that.

"I don't think anything tomorrow will be better than winning the Champions League in my opinion because we had many moments of that run of difficulties against Barcelona and Napoli.

"But because of the moment we are in, we have to fight very hard to get through, so winning it would be special."

Lampard also issued a rallying cry to the Stamford Bridge support to create a real atmosphere on Tuesday night.

"I think anything is possible in football," he said. "There is no doubt that we are competitive and we deserve to be here. The opponent is a really high-level.

"I've been here too many times at Stamford Bridge for a midweek Champions League knockout game to understand the atmosphere will be great.

"We need to engage the fans throughout because they can help us. It's why this two-legged competition is one of the best out there. I'm confident in that - we just need to play our part."

Lampard said he would have no problem should Chelsea fail to advance as he was proud to manage the club.

"What will be, will be after tomorrow," he added. "Every game is an opportunity to win games... an opportunity to get back to winning. Every game is and should be a huge game."

The Daily Telegraph claimed Boehly entered the Chelsea dressing room after the Blues' 2-1 home loss to Brighton at the weekend, which left the club in 11th place in the Premier League and without a win in six.

The report added that Boehly described Chelsea's current form as "embarrassing" as he singled out one senior player signed in the summer for not performing well enough.

Speaking before Lampard's press conference, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalga claimed Boehly comes into the changing room after "every game" - something which the caretaker boss is happy with.

Speaking on the eve of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, with the Blues trailing 2-0 in the tie, Lampard said of Boehly's post-game behaviour: "I am comfortable with that.

"For me, there was some criticism of our old owner about not coming and being around - and that wasn't always true, to be fair. When an owner is very invested in the team and wants to help and improve, it's his prerogative to have the input that they want.

"I remember, as a player, the moments of when owners came into dressing rooms. It happened first here at Chelsea and it never really happened here before. I remember being happy that you could touch them and high-five them, you could listen to them and feel them. I don't think that's a bad thing in terms of the identity of the club and where you want to get to.

"I have no problems with it. I have my things I want to say after the game. If an owner wants to be positive and wants to speak to the players, then it's his part to do that.

"As Kepa said, it can be very regular in the modern day. In fact, it shows passion. That's what I like."

Pictures emerged of Boehly speaking with an angry Chelsea fan during the game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and Lampard continued to insist that the passion at the club - however disgruntled it may be - is not a problem.

"Passion goes both ways," he added. "Fans show passion. I don't think the ownership would come in and be involved at Chelsea and expect anything other than complete passion for wanting this club to do well.

"We've been fortunate to have been very successful for a lot of years, the last 20 years, which means you want more of it. So I don't think anyone is schooling on that.

"Passionate owners want to make a difference and have a real vision for the club. We're in the early stages of the process on those terms.

"When you look at processes in the Premier League, we know we're off that, as we know. People always question everything at the beginning and in the early part of the process. We have to get our heads down with what is in front of us.

"Passion is normal, I think. I don't find it as a problem. We can all work with passion to work in the same direction to get where we want to be."

Carlo Ancelotti warned Chelsea will see their Champions League quarter-final second-leg meeting against his Real Madrid side as a "great opportunity" to turn a disappointing season around.

European champions Real lead 2-0 from last week's first leg at the Bernabeu after a dominant display against Lampard's side, who played the final 30 minutes with 10 men and were outclassed.

Victory would see Ancelotti's team move a step closer to retaining the trophy they won for the 14th time last season, when they knocked out the Blues in the last eight after a thrilling tie that saw Chelsea fight back from two goals down and still lose.

Fortunes have altered dramatically for the west London club in the 12 months since.

They are currently 11th in the Premier League having been eliminated early from both domestic cup competitions, with hopes of returning to the Champions League next season resting on winning the competition in June.

First they will need to give Stamford Bridge another memorable European night if they are to overturn the first-leg deficit and eliminate the holders.

"Chelsea has a difficult moment," said Ancelotti, who won a league and FA Cup double as Blues manager in 2010.

"I'm thinking the game tomorrow can be a great opportunity for them to move from this situation. We're aware of this, we take it into consideration. We will try to play at our best.

"We're good. We're motivated as always. These are all important games. We have to have a very complete game. Ninety minutes remain and in this type of competition anything can happen. We'll be ready to play at our best.

"We're not thinking that it's easy. That's the opposite of what we think. I know this competition well. I know what can happen in football.

"Last year, we thought [the quarter-final second leg against Chelsea] would be the most difficult game, and we had the advantage [Real won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg]. Then what happened, happened. We want to struggle less [on Tuesday]."

Read more here:
Frank Lampard: Chelsea caretaker boss insists team is not broken with 'anything possible' against Real Madrid - Sky Sports

April 9, 2023 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) - Florida Tropics SC News Release

TOWSON, Maryland -- The Florida Tropics forced a third and final game in their Major Arena Soccer League Eastern Conference semi-finals, but fell to the Baltimore Blast 3-2 in the 15-minute "knockout" game to end their 2022-23 season.

Florida, which fell at home Friday night 5-4, took Saturday's game two by a 14-1 score as the Blast elected to rest some of their regulars to keep them fresh for the knockout game.

Thiago Freitas had five goals to lead the Florida offense in Game Two.

"We fought, and when you have a knockout game, anything can happen," Florida Coach Clay Roberts said. "We were confident going into Baltimore, having had a lot of success there, but we just didn't get the result we wanted in the end."

Baltimore will move on to face either Milwaukee, Kansas City or Utica in the MASL East Conference finals.

Discuss this story on the Major Arena Soccer League message board...

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Originally posted here:
Tropics Force "Knockout" Game, But Fall to Blast 3-2 to End 2022-23 ... - OurSports Central

The Raptors missed 18 free throw to end their season. Diar DeRozans shrieking did that.

Everyone watching the Toronto Raptors vs. the Chicago Bulls in the 2023 NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night noticed the same thing early in the game. It was impossible not to notice it. Whenever the Raptors stepped to the foul line, a woman started loudly shrieking as they attempted their free throws.

The person in question did not stop the making the high-pitched, piercing cry all night. If the Raptors shot a free throw, she was doing her best to distract them. It was working: even as Toronto built a 19-point lead against Chicago in the elimination game, the Raps were missing a bunch of the line.

ESPN eventually identified the shrieker as Diar DeRozan, the young daughter of Bulls star DeMar DeRozan. Eventually, all those missed free throws caught up to the Raptors and ended their season.

The Bulls beat Toronto, 109-105, in the play-in game. Torontos season is over, and it happened in large part because they shot 18-of-36 from the free throw line. Diar DeRozan legitimately made a huge contribution to her dads team winning a knockout game.

Heres the video of ESPN finally identifying the screamer as DeRozans daughter.

Heres Diar forcing the Raptors into one of their 18 misses on the night.

Toronto had a chance to tie the game late when Pascal Siakam stepped to the line for three free throws with the Raptors down three. There was only one thing standing in his way: a shrieking Diar DeRozan.

Siakam missed.

She really put in a full 48 minute performance. She was screaming to distract the Raptors at the foul line from the start of the game to the very end of it.

The Raptors made 78.4 percent of their free throws on the year as a team. In their biggest game of the season, they shot 50 percent from the foul line and missed 18 free throws. Unbelievable.

The context here makes the whole story even better. According to one source, Diar DeRozan was born in May 2013, which means shes about to turn 10. In 2013, her father DeMar was the star player for the Raptors. DeRozan turned the Raptors into a winning team they won 50+ games three seasons in a row, and made one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals but they could never breakthrough to the Finals.

Heres a photo of DeMar and Diar during their Toronto years together:

Toronto then traded DeRozan to San Antonio in 2018 for Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors famously won the championship the very next year, and then Leonard left for LA.

DeRozan has always been very open about his struggles with mental health, and has admitted how hard that trade was for him. Toronto loves DeMar and DeMar loves Toronto, but getting traded from the team that drafted him and watching them win a title the next season with his replacement was the low point of his professional career.

For one night, DeRozans daughter helped him get some revenge and end the Raptors season.

Next up, the Bulls play the Miami Heat, and the winner gets the No. 8 seed in the NBA Playoffs which means a first round matchup with the mighty Milwaukee Bucks. For now, DeMar says Diar cant come to the game because she has to be in school.

Well see if that changes.

The Bulls season would be over if not for Diar DeRozans elite screaming ability. The Bulls know who their real MVP is:

By the way, Zach LaVine scored 39 points in the Bulls win in what was the best game of his career. Thats great, but for one night, Diar DeRozan stole the show.

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DeMar DeRozans screaming daughter was the key to Bulls play-in victory vs. Raptors - SB Nation