First Road Win = First Quality Win

Last night the Sixers beat Toronto 106-96 on the road. This was significant for several reasons. Number one was obviously the fact that they need to start winning games with consistency. Number two is that they played the night before and lost to Utah at home. It is extremely difficult to win on the second night of a back-to-back in the NBA especially when that second game is on the road. Last night they had a few things click for them which were important. Foremost was the fact that Elton Brand was asserting himself more on the offensive end. Right now, Elton needs to play like the player we signed, not try to find the way he fits into the lineup as it existed at the end of last season. Our glaring weakness at the end of last season was the lack of a low-post player who excelled in the halfcourt set. Elton was the exact type of player to fit in that hole. It's best right now if he plays his game and other guys like Miller and Iguodala work off him. Last night, he chose his shots better and was hitting his jumper. Also a very nice game for Iguodala who usually plays well in Toronto and torments the fans there since the Raptors opted to draft Rafael Araujo right before him. Look up Araujo's career stats and you will understand the frustration. Bonus points if you can tell where he is playing now (answer at the end).

The importance of the win last night was that the Sixers started to form an identity for themselves. They will not be able to really get rolling until they clearly know where their strengths and weaknesses are and address those as such. They are also turning over the ball WAY too much which is a little out of character for these players and also not consistent with a Maurice Cheeks coached team. With the offense getting in sync and also fending off the runs made by Toronto (as well as defending the 3-ball), they were able to get a real confidence win. Let's hope this breeds further immediate success and they are back at .500 after tomorrow and Saturday's game.

Rafael Araujo signed a one-year contract worth $500,000 to play for Spartek St. Petersburg in Russia this offseason. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala signed a 6-year, $80 million contract this same offseason.