The leaves have changed, the frost is on the lawn, and the air is crisp. It is officially November and with the first week of the eleventh month out of our way, let us take a look at the NBA and the 76ers.
Not sure what to make of the 07-08 edition of the Sixers? You're not alone. But don't doubt they'll do their best to get our hopes up and let us down like a true Philadelphia sports team.
Expressions have their way of telling you the mood of a setting. If you were to ask some business type on Broad, he would tell you the 76ers have a “snowball’s chance in hell.” If you were to ask a 12-year-old in southwest Philly he would tell you “they’re going to the big dance.” If you were to ask someone on 10th and Race, well, he would just look at you and poke the crabs he has in a wicker basket with some tongs. The point is, the Sixers bring a different vibe to different people this year and there is no overall feeling the city has for them.
Any native Philadelphian who has struggled year in and year out with his/her sports teams will be bitter toward the Sixers. But I am one who can give you an outside perspective and maybe some hope. I sat down and watched my second Sixers game of the short season last night and this is what I have figured out.
1) The team has an inside game. Sammy Dalembert will have a tough time working the big men in the East but there is no reason he shouldn’t be among the top 10 centers by the end of the year. Look at his numbers now: He’s averaging 10 points, 9.5 rebounds, and just over 3 blocks. When the team settles down in their offense, it should be run through him. This team is quick enough to move around him and to the basket. Especially Willie Green, just averaging over 11 points a game now; wait until he is in full swing. His cuts to the basket are quick and watch for him to carry the team in close games during the final two minutes. He might be a reminder of a young A.I. As the season goes on, look for his point average to rise along with the Sixers average score.
2) The team can run. This team is quick. Hell, look at the highlight reel that opens every game. There is a clip of the only white guy on a fast break slamming the ball home. This part of the game is huge when playing against teams that are bigger and sloppy. Fast-break points are such a key stat in today’s smaller and quicker game.
3) Defense. This team seems to have it. They have shut down Chicago and Charlotte. Their defense kept them in the game against New Jersey. Through the first four games they average 86 points against. If this keeps up, the team has a good shot of pulling out victories that they need and maybe even spoil some dreams. The team knows how to play defense. Which brings me to my last point.
4) The team plays as a team. There is no superstar on this team. There is no media coverage. This young team’s roster averages under 26 years. They can go out on the court day after day, play basketball as they want and there is going to be no repercussion. Iguodala is the only one that averages around 20 points, which means the bench and the other starting four are contributing greatly. The city won’t watch them until February, and if they are lucky, the city will stop watching them in March (spring training).
Like any other team, the Sixers have their share of their problems too. Let’s face it. There are reasons nobody is talking Sixers in Philly this fall, plenty of them.
1) They play in the East, which got sexier over the summer; kind of like a Desperate Housewives ad when the show is about to return for a new season. A scantily clad Teri Hatcher is paraded around but make-up and plastic surgery can only help you in the short-run. You are still 43. Anyway, the Sixers are nowhere to be seen on the East radar. Chicago is being favored to go to the Finals. Boston seems to be the odds on favorite to win the Atlantic. Toronto is still abusive. The Nets are healthy. Somehow Detroit is being slept on. Indiana is off to a good start and manages to never miss the postseason. Orlando is young and talented. Oh, and then you have super stars carrying their team like Gilbert Arenas and King James.
2) Mo’ Cheeks, probably one of the top five worst coaches in the league – next to Boston’s Doc Rivers, Pat Reilly in Miami (nobody has destroyed a championship team so fast), Eddie Jordan in Washington, Cleveland’s Mike Brown, and George Karl in Denver.
3) They can’t shoot behind the arc. They don’t have anyone who can get them back in a game in a hurry. They have the fast-break points and the defense which got them back in the game against Toronto, but no one can stop and pop to put three on the board in a hurry. Chicks dig the long ball.
4) They’re free throws could end up hurting them. Korver is the only one close to .900, Willie Green is near the top at .858, but outside of these two players no one is around .800. Even the starting five is averaging less than .700. This will kill them in close games.
The season is up in the air and can promise you nothing in return. So no one is buying, literally. But they can turn out to be this year's Golden State. Back into the playoffs and destroy dreams. They can coast all year by hovering around .500 and get hot at the end. Their last ten games of the season (two against Atlanta, games at Washington and Charlotte, two with Cleveland who may be dead by then) are winnable to sneak into the postseason. PLUS, they have the best card anybody needs to get into the playoffs – the dark horse card. Be sure to cheer for the Sixers this year, but not too loud.
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