Break The Superstitions, The Streak Is Over

As the Sixers kept racking up wins, I thought I needed to settle into superstitions to keep the streak alive. I wore my retro Chamberlain jersey to basically every home game in that run. I even stopped posting since I didn't want to wreck anything (ok, truthfully I took a few days off to catch Metallica in a couple cities...they rocked as always). Alas, all good things must come to an end. Actually, I'll take the blame personally because I did not attend the game due to it being at 1pm on a day not everyone gets off from work. In a way, it mirrored the Eagles game the day before but the Sixers left you with a vastly different feeling. Them coming back and tying up that game was important. It was important for the psyche of a relatively young team who is developing. It was important for Iguodala to step up and carry them on his back when it mattered most. Those are the lessons that can be taken from this loss. Now, Brand should return on Saturday and we will see if he can fit into the system they are clearly subscribing to as of late. Can he give the same commitment to defense? I feel good about that. Can he contribute positively to the offense? Two factors here: he needs to trail the fastbreak and allow to be the spot up shooter from mid-range should they not convert and he needs to be ready to set up in the halfcourt game down low if need be. Maybe the most important issue is can the rest of the team continue how they have been playing even when he returns? This means they cannot dip into the mentality of relying on Brand for more than they should. They all need to keep that hunger. They also cannot stunt the fastbreak and decide they will now consciously involve him on every play. No, take it to the basket just the same. Brand is a bonus to add back into the mix right now. The Sixers are 20-21 at the midway point of the year. They need to continue the good play and make their run from here on out. And oh yeah, try to score 100 points each game because they are 14-3 when that happens.