Heard in the Cheap Seats

Now that was a weird road trip.  The season is winding down for the Sixers and they couldn’t afford to go out to the west coast and lose 4 of 5 games or even worse all 5.  When the trip started, I was hoping for a 3 – 2 record, and that’s exactly what they are coming back with, after last night’s big overtime victory over the Portland Trailblazers.  The weird part was how they got to that record.  The trip started off with an unlikely buzzer beater by Andre Iguodala to beat the best team in the West, followed by an ugly loss to the Suns the next night, then a bad loss to a Warriors team that looked like they were doing lay up drills, a blow out of the Sacramento Kings (worst team in the NBA), and then last night’s win against the team with the 5^th best home record in the NBA.  So, they lose to a bad Warriors team and a struggling Suns team, but beat the teams with the 2^nd and 5^th best home records in the NBA?  That’s not how I envisioned the trip playing itself out, but I will certainly take it.

The Sixers were led last night by the trio of Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young.  The Sixers played front runners for most of the game, but in the second half Portland was able to knock down their perimeter shots and fight back to take the lead late in the 4^th quarter.  The Sixers fought hard in a game that for awhile seemed to be going against them late.  I rarely criticize officiating, but there was a 5 minute stretch in the 4^th quarter where literally every call went against the Sixers, and they were not all good calls at all.  But, to their credit, the Sixers were able to stay focused on the task at hand.  That is when it is great to have a guy like Andre Miller leading your team.  Miller seemed to take control of the game in the waning minutes and ensure that the Sixers would be flying home with a winning road trip. 

Yeah, it went to overtime, but the Sixers were able to make plays down the stretch to win a big game.  They did the same thing against the Lakers.  Could we be seeing this team starting to understand how to win close games?  It’s possible.  I definitely see a difference in one player in particular: Thaddeus Young.  Thaddeus Young has now scored over 20 points in four straight games for the first time in his career.  It is blatantly obvious that he is more aggressive and confident.  Instead of deferring to his teammates all the time, Young is looking to score.  This can only help the Sixers.  It gives them another reliable option in their offense that they can utilize in their half court sets.  In the previous 4 months of this season, Young took 15 or more shots a total of 13 times.  Already, in the month of March, he has done so 8 times.  He knows he can score, and he is being aggressive with his touches. 

On the negative side, the Sixers gave up 100 or more points in 4 of the 5 games on this road trip.  I know that the Suns and Warriors are high scoring teams, but the Sixers didn’t put up a fight.  They need to tighten up their defense.  You can’t head into the playoffs with bad habits on defense.

So, the Sixers have 13 games remaining in the regular season.  Seven are at home, and 6 on the road.  The goal should be the 5 spot in the Conference.  They are currently 1 ½ games behind the Heat for that spot.  I know the Sixers aren’t winning a title this year, but wouldn’t it be nice to at least have a chance of winning the first round series?  If they don’t catch the Heat, then they have zero chance of advancing past the first round.  I think the Sixers can take that 5^th spot.  They need to set it as a goal and fight for it.  The Heat have 12 games remaining, with 7 of those coming on the road.  The Sixers have the easier of the two schedules.  The battle for the 5^th spot begins tomorrow night against Minnesota.  Will the Sixers be up to the challenge?