Doug Collins #1 pick Overall '73

October 1973 Doug Collins, the first overall pick in the 1973 draft, makes his NBA debut. Collins made 4 all-star teams in his career.

Hal Greer honored by the city

January 1971 Hal Greer is honored by the city of Philadelphia after becoming the sixth player in NBA history to record 20,000 points, a feat he accomplished at the Spectrum. Greer finished his career with 21,586 points.

Swimsuit Calendar just in time for Christmas

Ah yes ... what's the perfect gift for that Sixers Fan that has everything? Well its the first time every release of the Sixers Dance Team swimsuit calendar.

Available on-line for $10 at Sixers.com or $15 for an autographed copy. Of course it available at the Wac center. Word is the calendar will be included in the Sixers Guy Nite out promotions.

Move over SI Swimsuit issues? Hardly ... the location for the shoot was no place exotic like the Caribbean. It was shot locally on the Delaware River waterfront. (Times are hard). Still it's progress. It was a bit of surprise to me that they had never done it before.

Anne at the Swimsuit Calendar launch party.

Life on Mars

So you may have noticed my blog entries have been a little sparse lately. It's not that I have lost any love from my 76ers. It's because I've been away for awhile. Like in another country away. It was like I witnessed the Sixers first two games under the shadow of the Phillies championship and then I was whisked away to the planet Mars.

No one new much about Basketball there. They had ball games on TV, but it was this futbol thing they called it. Where guys run around for hours kicking themselves in the shins. There was no sports center. There was no NBA TV to tune me into what was going on with my beloved team. Just futbol ... futbol ... futbol.

So I had little time to reflect on the Piston's trade for AI or the Knicks finding a sucker for Zack Randolph. All I knew was gleaned from the boxes scores. My Sixers seem to be under achievers. There was no fast start as we had hoped. Different guys seem to lead in scoring every nite. They have crushed a few teams and inexplicable lost to poor teams.

I returned from the planet Mars this Sunday to take in a Sixers home game against the Golden State Warriors. I used to think that was a cool team name ... Golden State ... until I found out they called it golden state, because they didn't want to call it Oakland.

Anyway ... from Life on Mars to the Wac Center, here's what I observed Sunday.

(1) The stands where fairly empty ... perhaps this team does not have a big fan base. (2) That Brand guy is really good, but he not a beast ... not an unstoppable force that must be reckoned with on each possession (3) The team's slogan 'Run with Us' seems greatly at odds with the tempo of play they display (4) That Igoudala guy plays like he got a big fat contract and he couldn't be bothered that his jumper stinks and defenders don't respect his shot (5) Sammy is a beast on the boards (6) Their bench stinks ... how could they let leads evaporate so quickly (7) I'm not sure what a Mo Cheeks is or what he's doing out there (8) Wow that Tad Young guy plays like he came from Mars. Oh .. yeah Steve Jackson suxs.

But the Sixers did beat the GSW's 89-81 and they are above .500 after 13 games. So there is cause for optimism. But help me out here ... can you tell me if life on Mars has changed my prospective of what I'm seeing on the floor?

Billy C. Posts 3rd Consecutive Triple-double

December 1970 Billy Cunningham records back-to-back-to-back triple doubles, the last of which came at the spectrum. In 1970, Cunningham lead the Sixers in FG attempts (1519) FG Made (702), and FT's made (455) to average 23 points per game.

Thad Young Stat Card

Billy C. Scores 50 at the Spectrum

April, 1970 Billy Cunningham set a spectrum playoff record with 50 points vs. Milwaukee.

Sixers score Spectrum Record 159 Points

January 1970 Head Coach Alex Hannum  directs the 76ers to a 159-131 win over San Diego, the most ever scored by the team at the Spectrum.

Andre Miller Stat Card

I hope they update this picture. It's from a 2007-09 preseason photo of Dre.

courtesy of espn

First Playoff Game at the Spectrum

Hal Greer (15) drives against a knick defender.
March 1968 - The 76ers defeat the New York Knicks 118-110 in the first playoff game at the spectrum.

Sixers Drop 1st game then beat up the Knicks

So the new season has begun. But the Phillies championship casts a long shadow ... as it should. I have logged two games already. Jimmy Rollins was in the house Friday nite.

There may have been a bigger crowd outside Citizens Bank Park than in attendance at the Sixers season opener. Everyone seemed distracted. Including the Sixers who started out strong, but suddenly forgot how to shoot or play defense mid way thru the 1st period. The result was a lackluster lose to the Raptors (84-95).

After the game, we wondered over to Citizens Bank Park and joined the budding crowd outside the 3rd base gate listening to the call on the radio. It was pretty cool to watch the whole thing unfold.

Friday nite the sports complex area was still awash in the glow of the Phillies parade. Apparently the Sixers gave away $10 tickets to anyone with Phillies gear. I'm told that 2,000 people took them up on the offer. The official attendance was 11,717. My count was more like 7,000. But the Sixers managed to focus better notch their first win (116-87).

That's the good news. The bad news is that the Knicks are dreadful and not much of a yardstick. The Sixers offense looked better, but the Knicks don't defend. And the Knicks' shooting ... Jeeezze Us. Elton Brand was consistent with his jumper to help the Sixers pull away steadily. But I didn't see that signature up tempo style last nite. Mo Cheeks was constantly urging his team to pick it up. They showed flashes of it, but not what I'd expected.

Anyhow ... a win ... is a win. It will take a dozen or so games, before we really know what to expect. The Sixers are 1-1. Here's looking towards a fast start.