Get pumped.
by Jordan Sams on Apr 19, 2009 1:54 AM PDT
in Previews
9 comments
The scoreboard read "51 Pistons, 33 Sixers". I sat motionless in my super-sized LoveSac. Deep down I knew the season was over. The Sixers were simply over-matched. Questions ran through my head. Can the Sixers come back? Should I even bother with the second half? After regrouping and blinking for the first time in 5 minutes, I decided how I was going to handle the final 24 minutes of basketball. I was going to watch it, enjoy it, accept it, and dream of next season.
Well, what do you know? Nearly 12 months later, the moment has arrived. This is what I envisioned on my SuperSac. This is a chance for the Sixers to introduce themselves to the world. No one has given them a chance. Media members *cough* Bill Simmons *cough* have even gone as far as calling them "awful" and "terrible". The only way to change their opinions is win.
We are officially 13 hours away from tip-off and I've previewed everything there is to preview -- stats, injuries, history. Enough with numbers and previews. Let's do the thang already.
We all know the Magic are a thousand times better on paper. We all know they have Dwight Howard. And we all know what the Sixers need to do to win. (3-point differential, defensive rebounding and free throws.) So, instead of polluting your minds with more useless numbers and strategies, I'm simply going to tell you in a couple sentences how excited I am, and leave you with a few YouTube clips to get you pumped!
How excited am I? As excited as I've ever been to watch a basketball game. Need I say more? On the flip side, I'm as nervous as a 6-year old school boy about to ask his secret crush if she wants to share a bag of cheddar fries. I think the game will go one of two ways -- good or bad -- there's no in between.
Don't ask me why I have faith in this 41-win Sixers team who has disappointed me time after time this season, because I won't have an answer. There's just something a special about this group of guys, and the sky's the limit.
God, it's now two in the morning and I don't even know what I'm saying, so I'll stop.
Watch these.
Try and get some rest.
Come hungry.
Come excited.
Expect big things.
THIS IS PLAYOFF BASKETBALL!
LET'S GO SIXERS! CLAP CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!
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As I see it, ALL four of these things must happen for the Sixers to even have a chance:
RUN at every opportunity in every game.
SLASH and PENETRATE every time they’re forced into the half court – must get Dwight in foul trouble.
REBOUND like maniacs. Keep Dwight off the glass, especially the offensive glass
DEFEND the three-point line – the Magic can and will destroy you from out there. The perimeter defense must be elite.
I just don’t see it – Dwight and those shooters are just too good.
I don’t mean to be a downer here, and I’m not trying to depress anyone. I just can’t get behind jsams’ assertion that there’s something special about these guys. This is the same team that has flopped in big games time and time again, and I see no reason why they should stop doing that now, especially against a team as good as the Magic.
I want to be wrong about this. I really, really do. But I’m a realist to a fault, and this is how I see the reality.
I respect that.
The more doubters the better. You’re a realist. I’m a super-biased sports fan — always have been, always will be.
by Jordan Sams on Apr 19, 2009 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree
You said it perfectly. There are realist and fans. And so often on blogs realists try to say they are fans but they are not. And realists rarely act like fans. Why so often blogs are not enjoyable to read.
I hope you're not trying to imply here that I'm not a fan.
Realism and fandom are not mutually exclusive. As I said, I desperately hope I’m wrong. But being a fan doesn’t have to mean that you believe your team will win the championship every year. Being a fan is about who you WANT to win, not who you believe will win. A pure realist in the sense you seem to be describing would be called an objective analyst – the kind that national sports networks employ (or at least claim they employ). But I feel that I am both a realist and a fan.
fan
I think a fan is someone who cheers and roots for a team and wants them to win. They are FOR the team. I agree that Magic should win but that the sixers will win. The ones I meant as realists are ones that consistently criticize the team and fans for being a fan. But, all given, I am not an expert or mean to condemn another. Sorry if that is the impression I gave. Just want to see how to win, not we will not win.
three of four
games yesterday went to the lower (bigger #) seeded team. While Houston was no surprise, the wins by Dallas and Chicago were impressive.
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