Sixers Train on Track...Not at Destination

After watching the Sixers lose to the Knicks last night 85-79 at that hole in the wall known as Madison Square Garden, we learned a couple things about this young up and coming team. We learned that Spencer Hawes may be a bigger part of this team than previously thought, we learned that this team, as good as they have been, is still going to have to get used to playing in the spotlight, and we learned a good hard lesson that this is a league of Superstars and unless you have one, you may be out of luck.

You look up to a higher power, but we in Philadelphia look up to only one man... #00

The first one may have been the most obvious here, but the offense looked pretty disappointing without Spencer on the floor. The constant movement, pick and rolls and fluency of the offense just seemed to become null and void. I know you wouldn’t normally associate movement and fluency with the 7 ft Spencer Hawes, but he actually makes a big difference. His skill set allows him to set numerous screens, roll to the basket, or pop out for the open jump shot. He also makes a big difference on the boards. A couple more rebounds here and there, a couple more second chance point opportunities and possibly 6 or 8 more points that could have been possible. It also threw off our substitution rotation that had been working so well. Without Spencer, Battie had more minutes than he was used to, Vucevic was relied on too heavily, and we were forced to go to a lot of smaller lineups because we were tired. Hawes could have made a big difference.

The new 76ers may not be ready for the spotlight quite yet, but talk about a team that took advantage. (We really just needed Matt Geiger in a picture on the blog)

The second truth that we learned was that this was the biggest game of our early season, and we weren’t ready to show up. We looked nervous early and often which lead to a big first half deficit that we had to work too hard to pull ourselves out of. Even small things like our free throws were off last night. Usually, we hit FTs at a 72.4% clip, but last night we only hit 66.7%. We know that could be a lot of things including just a bad night or the wrong guys getting fouled, but it still bears repeating. We also did not have a field goal for almost the last half of the first quarter and Nikola Vucevic, a kid who has looked great in the early season, scored 0 points in 12 minutes off the bench. Vucevic has played so well for him to not score one bucket shows a lack of the offense and a lack of confidence in the big lights. These little things, to us, were a sign of nervousness in a young team who is still getting used to receiving some attention.

Now, before we start our rant on this last topic, we need to admit some things. Carmelo Anthony had a very good game. He took over in the second half, and after his jawing with Iguodala, was motivated and hit some big time shots with defense in his face. The other point we would like to admit is that we are not saying the Sixers cannot win without a superstar. We believe the team atmosphere can work and will work over time with this young team that is molding together. The only thing that will become evident is that it helps to have a superstar on your team.

They get the calls.

We have been civil and admitted some truths, and now it is time for the rant.

One of the major reasons that this team did not win last night was that the NBA is a league of Superstars, and Superstars get all the calls. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will be playing the role of our “superstars” in this rant. The superstars constantly got the 50/50 calls and that gave the Knicks the advantage they needed. Even on the technical foul, where Carmelo Anthony was acting like a baby because he did not get his normal foul call under the basket, he got bailed out by the official calling a DOUBLE TECHNICAL. WHAT DID ANDRE IGUODALA DO TO DESERVE A TECHNICAL? The last time we checked, you had every right to take a ball from the out of bounds position to check it in. However, the referees felt inclined to call a double technical because poor little Carmelo Anthony at his home in MSG couldn’t dare have acted alone. HE WAS PROVOKED. We also missed the new rule where you are allowed to be falling out of bounds and still call a timeout. Doug Collins and our new favorite color analyst, Malik Rose, were livid about this and for good reason.  The refs bailed out the Knicks (yet again) late in the game when they needed another possession. Oh and has anyone ever heard of a clear path foul? Oh, you have? WELL IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED LAST NIGHT. As Malik said, “They must have a different camera angle than we have.” The call was so obvious and the refls blew it. I mean, we probably would have missed one of the foul shots anyway, but you never know. Amare… well we actually like Amare Stoudemire and his wonderful frames, but on numerous occasions it was blatantly obvious that when he goes to the rack and gets bumped is much different than when Brand goes to the rim and gets pumped, or Vucevic, or Battie, it’s just different.  It is a league of superstars and of course they are going to get the extra calls, but when it happens to your team, it puts salt in the wounds. That is why we say that without a true superstar on the floor, the court will always be tilted in favor of the superstar.

Our new favorite thing. Thaddeus is the Janitor or as Malik's Niece pointed out... "Custodian"

Now a couple of good things to leave on.

1.     If it wasn’t for the surprise of the evening, Josh Harrellson, and his completely out of the ordinary 13 points, the Knicks wouldn’t have won. He has blown up on three occasions this season, but most of the games, his point total has ranged between 0-3 points.

2.     Lou Williams had an off night. Now this isn’t a good thing, but when was the last time our beloved LOUUUUU only dropped two points? Expect better from him in future match ups.

3.     No matter how much we scored, we still held the Knicks to 85 points. That is amazing. For a team of SUPERSTARS who average 95 points per game, consider that a big win for the team, regardless of it being a win or loss.

No matter what, in our eyes, relevancy in Sixers’ basketball is back, and it is exciting.

WHAT THE HELL?!?

Incase you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven't... the Sixers have managed to win a game or two. 

                                         Well Harry we disagree, people are starting to listen.

Let us rephrase... the Sixers are now 7-2 on the season (assuming we hang on in this nail biter versus the Kings tonight) and in first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. 

To be clear: this could be the first time since the early 2000s that we could actually be a relevant team in the NBA and some people in "the media" are even beginning to notice the Sixers. We may still be a couple steps behind the Heat and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference (Debatable) but we are looking like we could be right up there with some of the best talents in the Association. John Hollinger has even marked the Sixers as #1 in his latest power rankings... Yeah, we said right #1. If you read SI.com, Doug Collins' boys  are #4 in the entire league. Let's average the two different rankings... we become 2.5 in the NBA... WOW. In the past 5 or 6 years, actually, ever since we lost the 'Iverson Era' if we were in the top 15 teams in the NBA, we were ecstatic. The PTI guys even mentioned us on "The Big Finish". They were gracious enough to give the Sixers 15 seconds so that Wilbon could tell Cornheiser and Realli that he called at the beginning of the year this team would win the Atlantic Division. The team has done so many things right up to this point in the season and in the recent past that it is paying dividends in a big way on the court.

                                 The first thing that this team did right was hire Doug Collins. 

They should make him wear these shorts after every loss. Talk about motivation.

This is obvious, but this guy brings so much passion and excitement to the team. He has the young guys buying into his system. That system includes constant defense (As poor Marreese Speights learned) and a team first offensive approach in which our leading scorer is a sixth man and our team MVP is a bench player. A team in which every player has the availability to drop double digits on any given night. This is the team that Ed Snider envisioned a couple years ago when he started cleaning house and bringing in the best coach in the game: Doug Collins. Thanks to his leadership, the 76ers are right where they are supposed to be.

Another characteristic that has helped this team is the development of its young talent. With all of the high draft picks we had over numerous years, you had to assume that at some point, some of it was going to come around. The only thing the GMs didn't anticipate was it all coming together at the exact same time. Jrue Holiday is starting to become one hell of a young PG in the league. He knows how to dish it, and the more shots he takes, the more confidence he is gaining as they start to fall. He has been taking good care of the ball which is something he is learning well from his ole ball coach. Lou Williams could always score, but he found his niche with this team as the sixth man. He comes in the game, drops a ton of points, and leads his team each night. There are numerous examples such as Evan Turner who early last year was thought to be a waste of a 2nd overall pick, but since Collins started molding him to the NBA game, he looks like a guy that may have been worth that pick after all. Finally, the most important development with this team has been in the man of Spencer Hawes. It is almost as though the Sixers signed a new player in the offseason and he is starting at Center this year. Spencer has been a whole new player this year. He is a monster on the boards, he looks like Vlad Divac with his wonderful assists and he has a post game all of a sudden leading to offense. Spencer at one point in the season was third in the league in rebounds per game, but since his playing time has been slimmed down due to injury, he has dropped to sixth in the NBA. Pretty pathetic, right? Lets run him out of town for only being sixth in the NBA in rebounds per game. Oh, and when Hawes isn't healthy, just insert one of the best rookies in the game, Vucevic. This kid is only a rookie from USC, but man he is smart and looks like a real player early. With a little more practice under this great coaching staff, I am scared to see what he may become. The biggest piece in all this hasn't even been mentioned: Thaddeus Young. His athleticism, hustle, defense, and energy are irreplaceable on the team. Without him coming off the bench, who knows where this team might be. He is a bench player, but he is more important than any starter on the floor. If this team is going to go anywhere, it is up the leadership and talent of Thaddeus Young. That being said, all of these young players are performing above expectations and driving this team to victory.

Yeah, he doesn't look like much, but so far he's getting the job done.

The final change that has really affected the team is the ownership. This ownership group led by Josh Harris has taken over and made our Philadelphia 76ers exciting again. They have done everything to get the fans on board and in the seats to watch this team. The only real mistake that they have made so far is getting rid of Hip Hop, and we may never forgive them for that, but what they have done has been wonderful so far. The team has a sense of pride and the city will hopefully soon follow suit. The ownership group spent a lot of money to improve the conditions for the fans, the city, and its players and the excitement is fueling this young team. 

Jump on the bandwagon early, because it is going to fill up quickly and you don't want to be the one thats left out. This team is built to win and mark our words: We will win the Atlantic Division. 

Tomorrow night is a true test so tune in to the Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks and see where our boys stand on the young season.

We're gonna wipe that smile right off your face you no hack, couldn't cut it in Denver, clown. Even TEBOW can cut it in a small market town like Denver. Well, you guys do have one thing in common, neither of you play defense.