The700Level.com - Philly Sports & Minutiae

Trendspotting: Iguodala Dresses Up to Welcome Jrue Holiday

As is customary in Philly this summer, existing stars shall wear undershirts to meet the n00bs.*

Previously: Jeff Carter Welcomes Ray Emery to Philly

OMGWTFLOL: Andre Iguodala Guests on 1st & Ten

Never one to shy away from the spotlight, even in the off-season, Andre Iguodala appeared as a special guest on ESPN2's 1st & Ten this morning. 'Dre took on everyone except Mike Missanelli's favorite cantakerous ESPN personality, Skip Bayless, on a not-so-wide variety of topics mostly limited to Iguodala's wheelhouse, NBA ball. We got to hear his thoughts on Kobe Bryant's hot-and-cold performance in the finals last night ("He's a competitor, he wants to make a tough shot...it's kind of a gift and a curse"), how Rafer Alston is making the Lakers pay for their disrespect ("He was our guy we wanted to leave open [in the first round]"), and how Stephen Curry has the basketball IQ to be the best player in his draft ("They're going to draft on potential in this draft, so he might slip to somewhere around #17"--we wish). For good measure, he also shared his thoughts on the requisite Brett Favre topic of the day, comparing him to Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards ("Might be time to wrap it up").

Andre Iguodala Rocks the Geek Chic

To improve on Andre Iguodala's long-range jumper, new Sixers coach Eddie Jordan had him fitted for some Ricky Vaughn specs. Worked for the Wild Thing!

"Andre Iguodala has done it again!"

Sixers Clinch Playoff Spot, Thanks to Season-Best Performances By the Andres

Andrew Unterberger discusses last night's Sixers win over the Pistons.

Andre Miller smiled as he collected the rebound of an errant Rasheed Wallace three-pointer with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Either because he had just collected his tenth rebound, to cap a brilliant 21-point, 12-assist, ten-rebound performance (known in some parts of the world as a Triple-Double, Dre's second this season), or because the Sixers has just clinched a playoff spot and moved a half-game back ahead of the Heat for the fifth seed in the east with their 95-90 defeat of the Detroit Pistons. Both seem like pretty decent reasons to me.

Miller's leading performance did not come without able support, however, as Andre Iguodala also rang up a season-high 31 points against the team that frustrated him so in the '08 post-season, many of which came off of gorgeous alley-oop lobs from his similarly-named running mate. Iggy's full offensive arsenal was on display today, however, as the team's leading scorer also hit on floaters, putbacks, turnaround jumpers and long-range bombs, rising to the spotlight (today's game on ESPN was, sadly enough, the team's first nationally televised contest of the season, besides a couple NBA TV appearances) like we always hoped he would. Sweet Lou also had his second strong performance in a row with 15 off the bench.

Andre Iguodala Does His Best Obama Rejection on Jimmy Fallon Show

Sixers fans have always questioned whether Andre Iguodala can be a big star in the NBA. Well last night he got a chance to shine on a different stage as the Sixers forward made a brief appearance on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The premise of the bit was that Dre represented Obama and his treatment of GM's bailout proposal. Swat city. [Video below]

Sixers Take the West Coast Tour to Phoenix

Our man Saul chips in with tonight's Sixers game thread.

After last night's thrilling win over the Lakers, the Sixers head directly to Arizona tonight to play the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have been an interesting team to watch this year. They began the year with a new coach and hopes for a solid playoff spot in the West. But Terry Porter decided to ask the Suns to play a slow, defensive game. When your starting lineup includes Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, however, that's not necessarily going to be successful - and, indeed, it wasn't. The Suns stumbled through the first half of the season.

But around the All-Star break, they fired Porter and installed Alvin Gentry, the only holdover from the Mike D'Antoni era, as the interim coach. The Suns promptly scored more than 140 or more points in regulation in each of their next three games. Then, this past Sunday, they went insane for a ridiculous 154 points in regulation against Golden State. They currently rank fourth in the league in pace factor (one of ESPN's John Hollinger's stats that measure how quickly a team plays), and haven't scored below 109 against any of the three teams ahead of them. But despite this restored offensive proficiency, they've still been losing a lot of games, including seven straight a couple of weeks ago, and they've fallen solidly into the ninth spot in the West. They seem destined to be the odd team out in the nine-team Western race for eight playoff spots. So that's the Suns: they'll score a lot, but not necessarily win a lot, and certainly not defend a lot.

Philly Vs. The Best of the West Night: Sixers Take Down Lakers, Flyers Panic in Detroit

It was gonna be a long night for Philly sports fans... The Flyers were in Motown, trying to beat the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena for the first time since 1988, and the Sixers were out in LA to face Kobe and the Lakers. Each opponent has the top record in their league's respective Western conference.

The Flyers started the night strong, despite being penalized a lot early. I can't say to what degree the calls were legit, because Versus isn't fond of ya know, showing any replays of them. But the Flyers PK unit was up to the task, holding the Wings power play scoreless. Still, you have to wonder about the late-game impact of spending a few stretches down a man or two. Scott Hartnell put the Flyers up early, followed by a laser rocket shot from Joffrey Lupul. Up 2-0, all was looking well.

But then wheels came off, and the plane crashed into the mountain. And what have you.

Sixers Win Tight One In Spectrum's Encore

America's Showplace was a venue known for it's ability to entertain. In one last gesture to honor its history, the Sixers and Bulls left fans feeling like they got their money's worth Friday evening. Sure, there was plenty of ugly play and poor officiating (We're looking at you Joey!) but the excitement of a game coming down to the wire spiced up by a few high flying slams by the likes of Speights and Iguodala and the venue was feeling electric, like it hadn't missed a beat.

At times, like when walking through the extremely jam packed hallways, the venue felt totally dated. But when the action on the floor was going on, the intimate building had that amazing Philadelphia sports vibe that runs through the pipes of all the venues and the veins of all the fans. It was a great evening to pay some last respects and create one last memory.

Andre Iguodala to Yao Ming: Ni Hao Ma!

The Sixers looked pretty bad at times last night but they found a way to pull out a win in Houston. Andre Iguodala hit the key shot with 30 seconds left but the below video of Dre facializing Yao Ming was the standout highlight.

This team is heading back to the Wachovia Center, where they play a bit better, for seven straight games and Tony DiLeo is liking what he's seeing, "I really like coaching this team. Great attitude, great effort every night."

Disney On Ice Booted by Thad & the Andres

Is this that turnaround point the Sixers have been shooting for? Maybe that's a tad premature, but they are making a little noise lately and the offense has been clicking much better than it was. After beating the Clips in LA, they dropped a clunker to the Mavs, but then damn near came way back to take down the Spurs. Last night, they faced the Rockets in their first game back from the Disney On Ice trip, and the homecoming served 'em well.

Thad Young and Andre Iguodala led the way, looking great in tandem. Wait til you see the ThadYo dunk in the highlights, after the jump. Try not to choke on the obligatory cheesesteak reference that kicks it off though. 

Some Philly Hoops Stories

Fresh off inking an $80 million dollar contract to stay with the Sixers, Andre Iguodala is making news again.

Up first, on his official blog, Iguodala discusses his new deal and offers a positive reaction to the team's off-season transactions.  It's great to see the enthusiasm among the Sixers, but he's not making many new friends in this town by admitting he is a huge T.O. fan.  Seriously, just keep the man crush to yourself next time.  Why must our athletes antagonize us like this?

Report: Iguodala Signs

ESPN.com is reporting the Sixers and Andre Iguodala have agreed to a six-year contract worth $80 million, working out to an average of $13.3 mil per season.

Iguodala's future in Philadelphia was far from a certainty.  Last summer, he declined an offer rumored to be worth as much as $55 million, and until now he was the top remaining free agent on the market.

In the end, nobody was willing or had the cap space to meet A.I.'s demands, and he will remain a Sixer for the long haul.  I'm not completely convinced this was in the team's best interests, but let the excitement for the 08-09 season continue to mount.

Lou Williams Thinks Iguodala Deal Will Get Done

The Sixers are having one of their most exciting and productive off-seasons ever that does not involve a high lottery pick, but with the resigning of Sweet Lou comes questions about the team's progress on a new deal for Andre Iguodala. Williams believes it's only a matter of time before an agreement is reached, while Ed Stefanski only explains the negotiations are ongoing.

Regular reader and commenter GreggyD openly considers life without A.I.2 over at View from the Bottom, which could be a reality many fans so far have refused to face. Last year, Iguodala declined a deal that was rumored to be worth as much as $55 million, and the asking price has almost certainly increased after the Sixers improbable playoff run, along with the high-priced contracts recently signed by some of his peers.

The fact is, whether you like Iggy or not, the cap space may not exist for a deal of that magnitude.

Andre Iguodala Working On His Jumper, Talks Contract

Andre Iguodala is spending much of his summer living in Chicago, working on his game, watching Run's House, and listening to N.E.R.D. In his latest blog post, Dre tells of how he was impressed with Marreese Speights' game and of how he's been working on improving his jumper. Then, of course, he talks contract:

"Everything is kinda in slow motion right now, which is for the most part normal for all restricted free agents. Teams come in and out of play each day and my agent and I are taking our time to see how things develop with the Sixers and around the league. The Elton Brand deal was huge and I feel he will be a huge addition. The opportunity to play with a dominant low post player still in his prime will be exciting."

He finishes up by telling us about how he's heading to Vegas to play on USA Basketball Men's Select Team that will play against the USA Olympic squad and help them train for Beijing.