Heard in the Cheap Seats

The human psyche is a funny thing. That is why I am a little worried about tonight’s Sixers game. The Orlando Magic will be without their “Mr. Everything”, Dwight Howard, and with out Courtney Lee, their starting two guard who has played very well in this series. So, on paper, naturally the Sixers should win. The odds say they should win and most fans and experts can’t see how they could lose a home elimination playoff game to a team that is missing two starters. I mean, it has seemed like without Dwight Howard, the Magic wouldn’t be a very formidable opponent, and tonight he will be in street clothes (although it remains to be seen if anyone is injured by his elbow when he is getting in and out of his chair). I am like most people in that when I think about tonight’s game I realize this is a game the Sixers should be able to win. But, my experience in playing and watching sports has me a little worried.

Yesterday, on 950 ESPN Radio, Mike Missanelli referred to what he called “the back up goalie syndrome”. I had the same thought in my mind. Most people, including professional athletes have a hard time controlling their mind. Unfortunately, when the mind isn’t entirely focused, the actions of the body follow suit. You see, everyone expects the Sixers to win tonight. The Sixers have been battling and trying like hell to figure out a way to conquer Dwight Howard, and now they know he won’t be on the floor tonight. They can breathe a little easier. Two things can happen in a scenario like this: 1) The team who is playing short handed and is given no chance to win collectively plays above their heads and out of their minds because they all know they have to at least twice as good as usual to have a chance; 2) The team who is playing with a decided advantage feels too comfortable and confident, expects the other team will just mail it in, and their lack of intensity and focus causes them to play poorly. Like I said, it’s a human nature thing. It isn’t something that can be explained, but we all know it happens. The human psyche works both ways in this scenario because on one side a team fails to play up to its normal capabilities due to an over confidence, and on the other side you have pride. From the time we are young kids, we as people do not like to be told we can’t do something. It fuels our fire. If games were merely about talent, the same team would always win. But, they don’t. That’s why in sports we have phrases like “letdowns”, and “trap games”, and “playing down to the competition”. It is also why there are so many occasions when teams adopt a mantra that “nobody believed in us”. Tonight’s game has all the criteria for any of the above phrases. If the Sixers had Michael Jordan on their roster, I wouldn’t be the least bit worried. But, they don’t, and I am. I think back to games that I played in over the years where what I am talking about took place. I think about the countless times it has happened in every professional sport. How many times have you uttered the phrase, “How the hell did they lose that game?”

I am going to the game tonight, and I, like everyone else, am already thinking about the possibilities of a Game 7. I just hope that the Sixers players have a completely different mindset, because if they don’t, then my worry could become a reality.