41-41 is like kissing your sister

The Sixers regular season record 41-41 is like kissing your sister. Yes, it was a kiss … from a girl that wasn’t your mother. But dude … that was your sister. Nothing to brag about. It won’t make you the envy of your peers.

At 41 and 41 the Sixers are not a losing team any more. They are not the last team in the playoffs in basketballs weakest conference. No, they are not losers …. But dude … they are not really winners either. Nothing to brag about. It won’t make you the envy for your peers.

Now we are in the playoffs … the second season. Hey don’t knock it. Half the league cannot say that much. The Sixers were fortunate to pull out a game against the Cavs 2nd unit and the Bulls inexplicably lost … at home … to a Raptor team with nothing to gain. So they match up against the Magic instead of the C’s in the playoffs. Or I should say they don’t match up against them. Both teams accentuate the Sixers weaknesses … defending the 3 …. shooting the 3 …. half court offense.

I’m having a hard time convincing my friends to go to next week. One and done is the prognosis. The late season swoon has killed any momentum the fan base had. Nobody saves their worst for last. The 6 game slide was not just a matter of missing Thaddeus Young or late season fatigue.

To coin the often quoted sports cliché … you are what your record is. 41-41. The middle of the pack. Not half bad, but not so great either. To be a real contender they need to improve by 15 games. That’s a lot of games in the NBA. If they where more fortunate this season … if they won more of those close games … it would still not amount to 15 more wins. Just keepin’ real.

But would you rather they not make they playoffs? Yes, I would rather them make greater strides this season. A 1 game improvement in the regular season and a 1 slot improvement in the playoffs is not a GREAT stride, but it’s still a step in the right direction. Forget about the would of … could of … should of! It’s the second season!
 
No one expected them to raise an eyebrow versus Detroit last year. They still have a chance to improve their stature this season. I don’t know if they can beat the Magic … but I expect the Sixers to gain greater respect than they have been given.

Yeah … I said it. But you gotta watch to see if I’m right.