[espn]Cassell with the FLU, drops Philly

I hope NBA History ranks this dude as top 10 in players with Heart.
This proves that the Rockets Championships were a TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP.
You can compare them the great TEAMS of the LAKERS, CELTICS, and PISTONS. For those who thought it was just Dream and bunch of nobodies, you drop CASSELL on them. You tell them SAM is 37 and schooling people with the FLU.


Clips nip Sixers for first Philly win in 11 years
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270209020
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- Sam Cassell looked completely spent, towel wrapped his around his shoulders, eating an energy bar and welcoming the lift even a victory couldn't provide.

He missed the Clippers shootaround with the flu and wanted postgame intravenous fluids. The 76ers could only wish Cassell had been sick enough to sit out the game.

Cassell scored 22 points and Cuttino Mobley had 17 to lead Los Angeles to a 90-89 victory over the Sixers on Friday night, the Clippers' first win in Philadelphia in 11 years.

"I'm not surprised by anything [Cassell] does," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said.

Chris Kaman added 15 points for the Clippers, who rallied from a 13-point deficit against the invigorated Sixers and improved to 2-3 on a seven-game, 12-day road trip.

The Clippers snapped a nine-game losing streak in Philadelphia and won here for the first time since March 10, 1996.

"Wow, I knew it had been a while, but I didn't realize it had been that long," Elton Brand said. "We just needed the win."

Even with an illness, Cassell played all but 30 seconds in the fourth quarter and scored eight points. He capped a late rally with a jumper that put the Clippers ahead and made two free throws with 14 seconds left for a four-point lead.

"I wanted to do what I could to help us get the win," Cassell said.

Andre Iguodala again carried Philadelphia with 22 points, Kyle Korver had 15 and Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and 15 rebounds.

But the Sixers fumbled away numerous opportunities down the stretch -- missing easy layups, tossing airballs and getting badly boxed out.

With a chance to put the Sixers ahead, Dalembert muffed a layup under the basket with about a minute left. Iguodala blocked Brand from behind, but Shaun Livingston came up with the ball and hit the go-ahead basket for an 85-83 lead with 56 seconds left.

Brand, who scored 12 points, made it 87-83 with 23.7 seconds to go.

The Clippers kept their cushion from the free-throw line with the Sixers forced to foul in the final minute. Kaman missed the second of two free throws, giving the Sixers one last chance. But a rushed 3 was no good and Dalembert put in a meaningless basket at the buzzer.

The Sixers ended a brief two-game winning streak and lost for the fifth time in 12 games.

"Unfortunately for us, Sam missed that layup that could have put us up at the end of the wire," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "But it was entertaining. You could say that."

The Sixers had their chance to make the game entertaining and get a win after using a 15-4 run late in the third to build a 64-51 lead.

The Sixers have been hanging on for some close wins in this recent streak, but not before they usually blow a late double-digit lead. This time, the Sixers couldn't pull it out in the end.

Doug Christie sank a 3 from the baseline, Cassell buried a 3 from the top of the arc and the game was tied at 68 midway through the fourth quarter.

"They hit two big 3s and that was a big part of it," Iguodala said.

Andre Miller's basket with 1:41 to go tied the game at 83, and the Sixers never led again.

While there's been renewed optimism of late in Philly's locker room, this was a reminder they are still the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference.

"I knew we were going to have a shot at the end, and we did," Korver said. "That's a lot different feeling than we had a month ago."

 

they would have lost that game. Livingston's offensive game isn't that polished.

Notice when Cassell was hurt, the Clippers were horrible.
They need to trade Corey Maggette already.