| 06 February 2010
.. that is the worst nightmare for every Sixers fan with half a brain.
The 94-101 win at New Orleans, third straight (a season 'best'...), was far from exciting but pushed Sixers to a 18-31 record (.367), which is still way below "mediocrity".
But I just checked and with thirty-three games remaining Sixers have really good chances to end the season in that "no playoffs-no lottery" territory that would be horrible for the future of this already troubled franchise.
If Sixers go 17-16 the rest of the way, something I think they are very capable of doing (unfortunately ?), they'll close with a 35-47 record.
That guarantees you NOT making the post season, NOT getting a high pick and, therefore, another couple of years of sucking. I don't think I can sustain that.
By the way Sixers finished 35-47 in 2006/2007, the year Iverson was traded, with a strong-and-useless push in the final games, carried by Andre Miller and Joe Smith, remember? Well, that effort was "good" for the 9th place in the Conference and pick #12 (=Thaddeus Young)...
While I am not a tanker, I must say I don't want to see that movie - and the movies we saw in the following seasons - again. Thank you.
Back to the Hornets game.
THREE ANSWERS
1) Yes, it would have been difficult to lose this game. Playing without Chris Paul, Hornets looked lost and uninspired. Sixers got a huge lift from the bench and made a nice run in the second quarter: our reserves scored 30 points in the first half (Young 11 on 5/5, Carney 10)
2) No, I don't want to brag but I said many many times that one of the biggest (few?) strenghths of this team is its depth. We might lack true superstars, but we have a bunch of good, versatile players that give the coach many opportunities for specific situations and needings: defense, offense, open court, half court, small lineups, tall lineups etc etc.
That's why I never liked the 7 and 1/2 man rotation Jordan went with for a good stretch (even if it worked a bit, I have to admit), while I am ok with nine-ten men used every night, like at New Orleans. As for distribution of minutes, well, that's another story.
3) Yes, Young (in the pic) was my MVP of the night, even if Iguodala played another excellent all around game. I'll give Thad the nod only because Iguodala was "guarded" by (the statue of) Stojakovic (more after the jump).THREE QUESTIONS
1) Is it me or Collison is a fantastic Jrue Holiday lookalike? First time I see the former Bruin so close (I admittedly don't follow college bball, remember) and the similarity is pretty impressive, they must be cousins at the very least.
2) Aren't all minutes given to Royal Ivey subtracted to Holiday, and therefore completely wasted? Listen, I don't like to be evil with a good guy like Ivey, I have nothing against him and he's being a great professional, performing well after a month of inactivity but... do we really need him out there?
3) Why is Green starting? Why? Why? Why can't we see Jrue AND Lou in at the tip off, when Iverson is out?
REASONS
Why we won the game
Hornets were punished by the hoops gods for their horrible "Mardi Gras" purple/green/yellow unis, something they should really be ashamed of. Brand kept David West in check despite a sub par offensive game (doing his best Nazr Mohammed impersonation, he let a couple of nice dishes slip away just under the rim...). Bench was really great.
To be optimistic
Young's and Carney's aggressiveness was nice, they were in constant attack-mode. Coach was kind enough to leave them on the floor, much appreciated... Sam has reached his 13th consecutive game with at least ten rebounds, and with 83.8 % from the line is Sixers' best free throw shooter (!) - Ivey shoots 85% but has only seven attempts.
To be worried
The title of this post says it all.
Tonight at Houston, will we make it four in a row? Also, who is rooting for this?
