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The Philly Sports Report

Ase Sports Staff Writers

What can we say? It's Philadelphia. Thus, the Eagles did not win the Super Bowl, the Sixers lost in the first round of the playoffs. There is no hockey -- we at Ase Today don't follow hockey anyway, so it wasn't a big loss. Baseball season's going now, but again, we don't really do baseball at Ase Today, but since no one's really talking about the Phillies, it's safe to assume that they won't be winning the World Series.

Let's take a closer look at the sports that matter -- football and basketball -- and see what went wrong for the home teams.

The Sixers
The year started off pretty shaky, but it was to be expected given that they had a new coach and a few young core players (Samuel Dalembert, Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver, and Willie Green). Midway through the season, there were still more questions than answers, depsite The Answer (Allen Iverson) having arguably his best season ever. Before the trade deadline, Sixers GM Billy King pulled an apparent magic trick, acquiring Chris Webber for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, and Brian Skinner. Webber was predicted to be an instant impact, but his on court performance, consisting of more jump shots than post moves, raised questions about his knee problems. Still, the Sixers made a strong push at the end of season and reached the playoffs. Unfortunately, they had to square off against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, and lost the series 4-1. Though they didn't get out of the first round, the team seemed to be very upbeat about their future, and the playoffs proved to be a valuable experience. Ase Today predicts that this is a team on the rise.

The Eagles
In the offseason, the Eagles made only a few changes, but they've proved to be monumental. They addressed their need at wide-receiver by bringing in the talented, yet outspoken receiver, Terrell Owens. Jerimiah Trotter returned to the team, providing crucial experience on defense. Duce Staley left the team for Pittsburgh, and while he faired well there, his absence opened the door for Brian Westbrook to display his talents. The season went very well for the team. Donovan McNabb ran the offense smoothly and navigated the team to a 13-3 record. The team was successful in the playoffs, finally getting past the NFC championship game and to the Super Bowl, where they faced the defending champion, New England Patriots. In the game, the Eagles scored first, but had too many costly turnovers and could not seal the deal. Owens turned in a remarkable peformance, returning from a leg injury early and looking as if he had not missed a step. There was a lot of pre-hype and high hopes in the city prior to the game, and afterwards, a severe letdown. Critics and fans talk often about the window of opportunity closing, and unfortunately, with the pending parity of the NFL, you simply don't know when another team may strike. Two seasons ago it was the Carolina Panthers. Next year, it may be the Atlanta Falcolns. We hope that the Eagles can earn another shot, but Terrell Owens' summer contract squabble, along with other key players holding out, isn't a good way to kick off the 2005-06 campaign.