Never Though I Would Say This But...

I held off on posting about this because I really wanted to think through the reasons this happened. I tried to tell myself that there were valid reasons for something this ridiculous to occur but I can't get my head around it. The truth that I must admit is that we Philadelphia fans are perhaps getting away with a reputation of dedication that might not be true. I say that as a full blooded fan myself. I say that as someone who attends multiple games across multiple sports each year and lives in the city. I say that as someone who has so much pride in my fanhood that I get genuinely upset when others give up. Game 6 against the Pistons drew a crowd of 14,000. That is a slap in the face to our reputation as being hardcore, dedicated fans. The final game of the season where the Sixers could have pushed it to Game 7 and gone down swinging harder and a lot of people evidently didn't care. The arena was empty and it set the tone for the game. Here is a picture I took toward the end of the game where more people started leaving. I want you to look at that and tell me if you're happy that it was not that much more full for a playoff game.I personally was mad the whole game about this and never expected people to give up on the Sixers like they had. I know the theory that Detroit is one of the worst draws in the league as an opponent because they lack star quality or an exciting type of game. I don't care about THEM, I care about US. I went to 20 games this year starting way back when there were zero expectations. I got to see a lot of exciting games where we fought and guys matured and we made a run. Are we so far removed from 2001 that we don't care about the Sixers anymore? It can't be money. Basketball is the second cheapest ticket to baseball. And I don't want to hear that it's the NBA when the NBA has received huge ratings and is the second most popular game worldwide to soccer. Stop passing the buck. This is about fan dedication. The Knicks, Heat and Bulls were all within the top 10 in attendance figures this season and they had AWFUL years. In fact those three teams combined only had 8 more wins than the Sixers this season. We often like to laugh at cities like Atlanta who can't sell out playoff games in many sports and wonder how that could ever happen. Well apparently it's happening right here in our own city. I knew a lot of people who bought tickets to Game 6 just because there was a buzz about the Sixers and it would be fun to see them win. That's the spirit that apparently a large group of people need to find again.

Sixers Lose To End Season

The Pistons routed the Sixers to win the series last night four games to two. It was sad to see the season end on such an awful game but then again is it better to have it end in a heartbreaker? Tough to tell. Either way, we need to remember that the Sixers overachieved this season in many ways and the positives far outweigh the negatives. Many picked them to finish last in the conference and instead they pushed the 2nd seed to six games. It was a season we didn't expect but certainly one that we enjoyed. After the Sixers won Game 3, it was clear that they "awoke" the Pistons. The Pistons have a reputation for going through the motions because they've been to the conference finals so many years with their core group. They are seemingly arrogant and display a sense of entitlement in that regard. In the end, they have an amazing ability to coax other teams into playing their style of basketball and dictating the flow of the game. This is what happened after Game 3, starting in the second half of Game 4 more precisely. In contrast, the Sixers are young and many haven't been too the playoffs before and if so, don't have that much experience. It was incredibly beneficial for every member of this team who will return next year and beyond to have gotten every minute of that experience. That will only pay off down the road. All in all, I'm happy with the season and maybe the greatest barometer of how far they have come is that we now sincerely are upset when they lose. Here's to looking forward to next year...

Pistons Take Control Of Series With Game 5 Rout Of Sixers

Unfortunately for the Sixers, reality started to creep in last night. That cold reality is that the Pistons are a better basketball team and there is a reason they are heavily favored in the series. The only real thing that surprised me was how they shot the ball SO well last night. They are a team with a lot of offensive weapons but never have been known as an offensive powerhouse. They like to slow the game down and burn the clock and not allow running teams like the Sixers to get into their flow. With the scoring pace last night, you would have thought the Sixers were playing the style they know and would prefer. Tough to see each and every shot fall like that for Detroit. Iguodala showed up for this game, even managing to disrupt Prince a bit, but the Sixers needed more from Miller and he struggled. Not a whole lot else to say.

The good news is that this series is not over just yet. I think the Sixers, possibly the greatest "fighters" in the NBA this season, still have something left in them. I really hope the the fans come out and support tomorrow night and push this series back to Detroit. Amazing I have to wonder about that in a city like Philadelphia but that's a post for another time.

Sixers Blow Out Pistons in Game 3

Many people may wonder where I have been for the first couple games of the playoffs. Well here's the truth, I've been in Jamaica in the warm sun cheering the Sixers on from afar yet not able to post. What we have going on right now is something amazing. The same Sixers that scrapped their way back from 12 games under .500 to make the playoffs, the same ones that people said would lose in 4 or 5 games to Detroit and who "didn't have a prayer" are suddenly up 2 games to 1. Not only that, last night they completely dominated the Pistons and crushed them. Now four members of this Pistons squad have played 85 playoff games TOGETHER. The Sixers have significantly less than that from most of their whole team. The key in this series so far has been the second half defense exhibited by the Sixers when it is needed. Dalembert has stepped up and contributed more so than expected as have players like Young and Evans. With Iguodala struggling from the field, they need a total team effort and that's what we're seeing here.

It's KILLING me to not be at the actual games since I have been to so many during the course of the year and watched this team grow but I will be at every one possible once I arrive home late tomorrow night. The question of course is: can the Sixers maintain this level of play and perhaps win this series? The answer is not certain but we need to remind ourselves, as has been stated several times toward the end of the year, that anything is possible with this team....anything.

Refs Give Sixers the 7th Seed

Now before everyone gets up in arms, I must start off by admitting that I really think the refs made the correct call at the end of the Cleveland game. It was tough to accept from a Sixers' perspective but the call was correct. Dalembert knew he fouled Brown, even though it was a light foul. We just have to live with that. Miller and the rest of the players were clearly frustrated but they have to accept it and move on. The real concern, and thankfully it was addressed by Cheeks, was that the Sixers clearly have not been playing good basketball over the past few games. The losses to Indiana and Washington were killer for their playoff positioning. Now they are sitting at 2-4 over the important final seven games with one more left to play. They know they will face Detroit in the first round but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. The Sixers in the 4th against the Cavs finally found that fight that they know so well and made it a game again. They turned up the defense, got steals, rebounded, and got on the break. That's their strength and that's the style we need to see from them every night if they expect to make any kind of noise in the postseason of an already overachieving regular season. We need Dalembert to be a rock, Iguodala to be consistent, Miller to be himself, and the bench to be capable of entering and maintaining the momentum in a game. We did not see that in the past few losses but we saw it late in 4th the other night. Let's hope we build on that against the Bobcats (just don't get hurt!) and roll into the playoffs looking to prove something.

For The Stat Lovers

I'm a big fan of stats and I had to share this one that I read courtesy of Marc Stein's ESPN Power Rankings: the Sixers are one of only two teams in the last 20 years to go from 12 games under .500 to a record over .500 in the same season. It's interesting where they might be if the Korver trade didn't set them back so far when it happened. They lost 7 in a row and were looking lost before the turnaround. Was it growing pains of acclimating the young guys? Was it a tough Western road swing? Was it perhaps that losing streak that gave this team the mentality to step it up and play better? We don't really know the answer but that defines this season. There wasn't one exact turning point or factor for success but rather a combination of many things (i.e. Cheek's coaching, overall team play, Miller, Dalembert's defense, etc) that has them where they are now.

Five To Go

The Sixers have 5 games left in the schedule and they figure to be important until the end. It always amazes me how people can say that certain games, especially toward the beginning of the season, don't matter as much because there are plenty left. Untrue. The Sixers will need every win to solidify a possible 5 seed. I previously said they needed to win 8 of their last 11 to do that. Well, they better win out because they already have those 3 losses. Hosting Detroit will figure to be the toughest win but the most important game is the Wizards one. We need to beat them head to head to take the tiebreaker and move up. The loss to Atlanta was a rough one they need to bounce back from if they are going to finish strong. They must take care of business against Indiana, Charlotte and probably Cleveland. The possible saving grace is the fact that the Wizards play Boston on Wednesday and then at Detroit the night before they play us. We will be coming off hosting Indiana. I love this time of year and we haven't felt this in a few years. Isn't it great when you actually take each game individually and truly care about the outcome? Should be a great 10 days here.