Daaaamn Kobe! Who stepped on your face? Andre IIIIgg-gwwaaa-DALA-Dala-dala?

Andre Iguodala just out-Kobed Kobe Bryant, hitting the game winning 3-pointer as time ran out in the 4th quarter.

The 76ers pulled out a close win tonight, 94-93 against the Lakers to maintain the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

After coming out old soda flat early in the game, the Sixers stuck around with the lethargic Lakers.  The line-up of Iggy, Miller, Reggie Evans, Lou Williams and Donyell Marshall closed out the game, and Marshall’s 3 for 3 3’s were key.  Scoring was pretty spread out, and DiLeo did a nice job of rotating in players in situations and got the most out of everyone.

Iguodala really showed me something in the final minute of the game.  With under a minute left, Lou Williams declined the check back to Andre Miller with a fresh shot clock on offense and he and took it to the rim only to get blocked by Gasol.  As the Sixers ran back to defend, Andre was visibility upset with Lou, clapping in his face.  Kobe then hit a long 2 in right in front of AI with six seconds remaining.  AI D’ed up tough, but Kobe will hit that clutch shot regardless, whether he had 9 points in the game prior to that or 59.

But for the last shot of the game, Iggy was able to get open to get the inbound pass, dribble twice, and knock down the game winning three pointer right in Trevor Ariza’s eye.

After the game, Iguodala said “coach told me to get to the lane, and I said NO.  I want to win this game right now” in his immediate post-game interview.  And he was right, who wants to go into overtime in LA?  The man stepped up, and proved once again why he is the core of the franchise.

I’m enjoying this late-night basketball and there is more in store, as this was the first game in a five game west coast road trip.

Last night’s 98-96 last-second loss to the average-to-poor New Jersey Nets exemplifies the way the 2008 - 2009 season has gone thus far for the Sixers.  Ups and Downs, we’re a team that isn’t quite there.

The Nets did thieve Dallas in the Jason Kidd for Devon Harris trade last year though.

No 76er players were selected to this year’s All-Star game, and that time off allowed the Sixers sit back and view their situation from afar.  That’s the last thing the team needed, and they have come out 0-4 after the break.

The reality that the Sixers saw is that they are a very mediocre team that wins off effort.  It’s hustle plays on defense and on the boards that spring those enjoyable Andre Miller outlet pass to out-of-control Iduodala fast breaks.  The 76ers are nothing short of bad in the half court offense, and if they didn’t have their explosive transitional offense the team wouldn’t be as close to .500 as they currently are (27-28).

The Sixers will turn it around down the stretch, and the next two games against the Wizards and Knicks will help it start (the following two against ORL and NO will bring us back to .500).  The recent late-game meltdowns/missed free throws/inconsistent play won’t stop the Sixers from reaching expectations this year; a playoff entrance and first round exit.

Not only did Andre Miller’s fight through the calf strain he suffered on Wednesday night, but he did it with style, posting 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists in 40 minutes.  Unfortunately, Miller’s heroics wasn’t enough to lift the Sixers over Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat.

Andre Miller was just about the only Sixer to show up on Saturday afternoon in Miami

Miller did everything he could, although the same can’t be said for many other Sixers.  AI was only able to put up 14 points, hitting only 4 of his 16 shot attempts.  Willie Green, who I’ve been disappointed with all year, started the game but was a cold as ice 0-9 from the field.  Addressing the glaring need at scoring guard is looking like a top priority for next season. Speaking of glaring needs, Samuel Dalembert put up another gem of a game, playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble en route to a 2 point, 7 rebound outburst.  Ugh.

This is their third consecutive loss coming out of the All Star break, and the Sixers clearly struggling to find consistency both offensively and defensively.  As we continue to dig ourselves deeper into our hole, the Heat currently stand at fifth overall in the East.  Miami’s trade of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon is looking like a pretty great move for the Heat at the moment, as the two players put up a combined 29 points and 12 rebounds in their second game with their new team.  An SOB salute goes out to Heat General Manage Pat Riley for swinging the deal.