TAYLORSVILLE-The Philadelphia 76ers’ summer league team got its third-straight win of the Rocky Mountain Revue Monday. The Sixers handed the Bulls an 88-77 loss-a score that was much closer then the game actually was.
The Sixers lead by as many as 21 and completely dominated the Bulls from the get go. The tenacity and aggressive play the Sixers showed seems to be the theme of the summer for Philly.
Philadelphia Guard Louis Williams used his red-hot hand to push the 76ers ahead early. He scored 22 of his game high 31 points in the first half. His game is brewing into a special mix.
Williams was everywhere on the court. He fearlessly drove to the basket and lunged for loose balls all game long. At many points in the game he showed great maturity finding other young teammates open for shots. At others he buoyed Philadelphia’s efforts by himself. His play defiantly could help the Sixers in the regular season.
The Bulls never seemed to find an answer for Williams and it cost them the game.Chicago was doomed from the beginning. The Bulls committed foolish fouls giving up forty-five free throws while only shooting 15 of their own. The free throw disparity crippled the Bulls.
The Bulls never seemed to move with a spark. Frustration boiled over on the sideline when bench coaches began receiving technical fouls for delays of game. Although this was the opening game for the Bulls it did not seem encouraging. On the other hand the Sixers look like they have got a lot of depth to choose from when they compose their rosters for the upcoming season.
–Mandeep Gill
The best seats in the house
When I started planning how I wanted the Sports Staff to cover the Rocky Mountain Revue, I told each writer to try strain for an angle most people wouldn’t think of.During my first game at the Revue I decided to take heed to my own advice. It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for.
Whether by design, or by sheer coincidence, there is a stretch of carpet laid out across the floor on the side opposite to the team benches of the Lifetime Activities Center. This carpet is reserved for people in wheelchairs.
This came as a pleasant surprise to me as I tried to recall any stadium or venue I’d ever been in, where patrons in wheelchairs got to sit so close to the action.
So much more of the game can be absorbed from this perspective. Beside the occasional f-bomb being dropped, fans on the front row get to enjoy more of the conversation of the game, and the players stature come into their truest form. On the front row, the action is tangible, and the player’s sweat can almost be smelled. It’s undoubtedly the way to watch a game if one gets the chance, and for a week that chance is given to a new type of fan.
To the Revue’s credit, they didn’t stash the wheel chair section behind some courtside camera or some other obstruction. Besides sitting on the team bench, these are the best seats in the house.
Not even the working journalists from The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret Morning News have it so good. This area is set at mid-court, and I couldn’t help but notice the awe on many of these people’s faces as many were undoubtedly watching a competition at the pro level for the first time from this angle.
Like I alluded to earlier, this could just be chalked up to coincidence, but I could help the grin that tugged at the corner of my mouth when I saw who had the best seats in the house at the Revue.
–Tony Pizza
Ty CobbPhiladelphia’s Jason Smith moves past Aaron Gray on his way to the basket. The 76ers handed the Bulls an 88-77 opening loss in the Rocky Mountain Revue