At least they finished the week on a good note

The week didn't start so good for the Sixers. Watchin' them getting spanked by the Hornets . They actually got spanked by the Hornets twice ... bracketing a forgettable performance against the Dallas Mavericks. Their weaknesses were exposed and exploited this week. Those weakness seemed insurmountable during the first have of Friday nite's Blazers game at Wac center.

But they finished the week on a good note with a performance that has to be considered the most incredible comeback 1 will ever see. My only guess is that the 11,000 in attendance stayed for the second half was because it was a Friday nite. Come to think of it Friday nite was the only reason there was 11,000 there in the first place.

The basketball was so horrible in the first half even the casual fan knew it was bad. The crowd began to cringe after every missed shot attempt (14) and cheered sarcastically when the Sixers finally made a basket. I was really hoping for a win against a young team on the road. Eagles offensive linemen William Thomas and Sean Andrews did not return to their court side seats for the second half. I stayed anyway.

The 2nd half was electric. The law of averages says they would have to shoot better that the 1st half, right? The Sixers went toe to toe with the Blazers in the 3rd period. Winning it 29-28. The crowd was rejuvenated at the start if the the 4th .... down by 17. Cheeks abandoned the hard trap from the top of the key and switched to challenging the Blazers with a full court pressure. Watching the young bucks fuel the comeback mat it all the sweeter. At one point Iggy , Sweet Lou, Jason Smith and Thaddeus Young where on the floor at the same time. Young got a chance to flex his wings. We got a chance to see some of the defensive skills he has demonstrated in practice ( according to the Sixers coaching staff). His wingspan clearly made a difference defensively ... closing the distance from the post to the shooter at the 3 point charity stripe much faster than any Sixer has display so far this season ... disrupting the passing lanes ... REBOUNDING (5)!

Some props are due to the old heads too. Miller and Evans were the reason the halftime deficit was only 18. They just got mad and started pushing the Blazers around. On one possession Miller pushed a Blazer just before an in bounds play under the Blazers basket. Then the duo bated the player into running into Evans for an offensive foul. Reggie did a nice job on the flop to boot!

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Hornets beat Sixers again

Mo Pete Hits Six 3's as Hornets Sting 76ers Again | The current losing streak is a little disconcerting. The Sixers are working hard, but at what? Not defending the 3 ... the Hornets shot 11-20 from the 3 point line. Not scoring ... 11 points in the 4th period. Mo is making line-up changes, but the result seems the same each nite.

We need a win tonite against the T-blazers. They were a lottery pick past year. How good can they be?

Sixers spanked by the Hornets

The Sixers got spanked by the hornets Sunday nite. As an eye witness on the scene there was nothing you could take from this game as positive. This Sixers were flat and the sparse crowd was bored into submission. They stop playing after the 1st period. By the 4th period we just wanted it to be over.

Mama said there would be days like these ....

Marc Narducci sums up the game accurately ... The Sixers have played enuff games to allow other teams to have an accurate scouting report; 1) Can't defend the 3 ball, 2) Can't shoot the 3 ball, 3) Plays well in the open court, 4 ) No interior defense. The Hornets read the scouting report and took it to heart. They shot 50% from the 3 point line (10-20). The Sixers shot 13% (2-15). The Hornets forced the Sixers to play in the half court. Turnovers ensued (18). And whenever they needed a basket the Hornets just drove the lane.

sigh ...

Sweet Lou Sparks the comeback ... but the Sixers fall short to the Raptors ... again

Sweet Lou .. that all people are talking about after last nite's game. I dare to say it was Iverson-like the way he took over the game in the 4th period. His outside shooting opened the floor and the 4 point play was spectacular. You could make a case for starting him at the 2 over Green and Carney. Iggy has no room to maneuver when the 2-headed-2-guard can't hit shots early. Teams with talented bigs like Toronto can just pack it in. But I think Mo is handling Williams the right way. It's not just about shoring up the shooting position. It's about developing the skills that will allow him to play many years in the NBA. That's means playing point guard. He's not getting any taller and that will always limit him defensively as a 2.

The Raptors are truly a scary team to watch. Everyone can shoot the 3. Bargnani has an awesome touch from beyond the arc. It's better to force him to drive to the basket rather than let 'em stand outside. Chris Bosh is a beast. His play down the stretch gave the Raptors the edge. But it was their 3 point shooting that won the game (9-18). But I can see how they have struggled for a few games. They are a little to eager to shoot the 3 and negate their size. If the 3 ball doesn't fall ... box 'em out or play a zone and they can be beaten. The Sixers could not do that last nite. But they were in the game at the end. As they have all season. So the game was worth watchin.

Lou ... Lou ... Lou cheers the crowd .... Lou shoots ... he scores ... the Wach center went wild!

If the Sixers win ... will anybody be watching?

Myself and 11 other people watched the Sixers blow out the Bobcats Wednesday nite. Okay the official attendance was 9,317, but the real number was more like 6,800 fans. Trust me ... I was there. The Bobcat's game was a schedule opportunity game. Bad team ... on the back side of a back-to-back ... and blown out the nite before. The Sixers need to win as many "schedule opportunities" they can and make strides early to take advantage of a favorable home schedule.

But with no scheduled national broadcasts there will be few eye balls focused on the Sixers from afar. And we all know the Sixers are 4th in popularity in major Philly sports. So you really have to wonder ... If the Sixers win ... will anybody be watching?
The Nets spoiled the Sixers home opener Saturday nite. The official attendance was 19,706, but it was not a full house. And what made a bad situation worse was all the friggin' Nets fans at the game. They were all over the place. I'm sure the Saturday game made it attractive for the rats to cross the river. There were more than a few chants of "Korver Suxs" that rang out. Once when K wasn't on the floor. Remember these were Nets fans. Cheering for a team that plays the NBA's most boring brand of basketball.

The Sixers did get into the W column early. Winning their 2nd regular season game versus the Bulls Friday nite. But nobody saw it. At least I couldn't find it on TV. And I didn't see any replays on sportscenter (not even a ticker update). The Bulls game was a another example of the kind of opportunity game the Sixers need to take advantage of.

So the Sixers are .500 after 4 games. I'm sure many would have expected a slow O-fer start. And for some the Sixers could be 0-4 for all they know. Nobody's watchin'.