Never Thought 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...