The Next to be Crowned?

With Thursday nights Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat in the 1st round of the playoffs it is no secret that the 76ers will NOT be the next to be crowned Champion in the city of Brotherly Love. Unless the impossible becomes possible we have to look to the more viable options in the city, that being the Flyers and Phillies.

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The Miami Heat have made quick work of this young Sixers team quickly putting them in a 3-0 hole in this best of seven series. On their quest for basketball dominance they have made the 76ers feel as if their best efforts are still not good enough to even handle the Heat's okay effort. Quite frankly nobody expected the Sixers to win this series let alone a championship. 

Regardless of how the rest of the series goes for the Sixers you have to mark this season down as a success. Doug Collins has quickly turned around a team decimated by Eddie Jordan into a playoff team with a bright future. 


If any Philadelphia playoff team has a shot at being the next to be crowned in Philly look no further than the Orange and Black. A 1-0 lost to the Sabres in Game 4 Wednesday night evened the series up at two games a piece with a big Game 5 slated for Friday in Philly. The defending Eastern Conference Champs knew it would be a challenge to score goals on Buffalo's goaltender Ryan Miller and that notion hasn't changed. 

Two 1-0 shutouts on this Flyers offense is enough to get my grandma aggrevated! The loss of Jeff Carter for Game 5 is no doubt a concern. He was limping noticeably after Game 4 and it is unsure how much time Carter will miss. A potent goal scorer who has proven to be a dangerous weapon for the Flyers anytime he hits the ice. 

Another huge storyline for the Flyers revolves around the return of defenseman Chris Pronger. Will Pronger provide the much needed spark the Flyers have been searching for? If Pronger does suit up for Game 5 how much of an impact will he make? He has still been limited in practice and all eyes will be on Pronger at the Friday skate around. 

The series has definitely turned into a war of words and Game 5 should prove to be as scrappy as the end of Game 4 showed. With Pronger hopefully back on the ice the Flyers will take Game 5 and control of the series as they look to regain last years playoff form. 

With no football season looking like a real possibility it is hard to even talk about what the Eagles will look like in 2011. Whenever this team takes the field again there is no doubt that Andy Reid will have a Championship contending team assembled. Reid has proven that he can take any team and turn them into a contender, getting over that last hurdle has always been the hardest part. Will 2011 be the Year of the Birds?

The Phillies are fresh into the 2011 season with nothing but High Hopes for another World Series Ring. Already the scrutiny has ensued about whether this offense will be able to sustain runs. It doesn't take much for phans to get excited and antsy at the sign of any trouble. 

With so much firepower it is only right that World Series or bust is the motto. The fact remains that 162-game season is a looooong season and slumps are just a part of the game. It is easy to point back to 2010 and the hitting slump that seemed to last all year. Couple that with no Chase Utley and no Jayson Werth and people will overreact in a hurry. 

With Thursday nights/Friday mornings win over the Padres, 3-0,  the Phigtin Phils have improved to 12-6 which currently gives them the 3rd best winning percentage in all of baseball. It is no secret that this team is poised to run away with the division and  win another title. The question is will the Orange and Black beat them to it?

So the State of Philadelphia sports goes something like this: The Sixers are close to being sunburnt, years away from a title, to Coach Collins they turn. The Eagles seem nested and very well rested, who knows what will come of the next year ahead. The Phillies on their way to a title we see, but the Orange and Black are on a mission for Lord Stanley.



Steve Glick
BrotherlyLoveNation.com 

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