It's the first day of arguably the most exciting event sports has to offer us and I can't help but be depressed.  Why?  Because my favorite NBA team won last night.  How dare they!  They win when I want them to lose and lose when I want them to win.  Anyway I've gathered a few links to share with you and the one that really jumped out to me is the one concerning Lou and Eddie (trouble in paradise opposite of paradise?) that best defines the way this season has turned out.  Best of luck on your brackets, unless you are in the CBS pool that Mike Bourn compiled because I want to win and get the coveted prize of nothing.  Woo-hoo!

Williams Sounds off on Sixers' Tough Season

"I come here every day and play for my teammates, those guys in the locker room. Those are the guys I owe my loyalty to, those are the ones I play for. I just try to play as hard as I can."

Williams made it clear who he shows up for, and by omitting his coach completely, it is evident the two are not on the same page.

More Lou Frustration

"I expected to start," Williams said before the game against the New Jersey Nets. "I didn't see a reason, but we've been changing up the lineup a little bit so I guess this is just another episode of us doing that, seeing if we can find some way to win."

"I would like to see a little more consistency in how we play and the direction we are getting," Williams said. "I don't know - today is a bad day for me."

*Same Article*  But what if only 4,500 Show Up?

The first 5,000 fans at Saturday night's home game against the Chicago Bulls will receive an Andre Iguodala action figure.

Now that's what I can an incentive to go to that game!  Get ready for an extremely valuable item to hit eBay very shortly.

9-73? Say what now?  Sammy and Jrue Can't Fathom That

"Is it possible?" Holiday wondered. "I don't really know, but they're kind of close. I guess I'm experiencing [some of that] in my rookie season. Honestly, you have to have a lot of tough breaks to go 9-73."

"I couldn't comprehend it," he (Dalembert) said of the Sixers' NBA record of futility, set in 1972-73. "In an 82-game season, how can you let that happen? But when I got to the NBA, I realized it's like a snowball. If you don't get it together, before you know it the ball is rolling and rolling."

Quotes (not texts) From Last Night

"I was just trying to get to the basket, trying to be aggressive," Iguodala said. "I was trying to set the tone early, get the guys out to a good start and get that pace that we wanted to the game and carry it over to the rest of the game."

"He's (Jrue's) been playing amazing," Brand said. "Defensively and now offensively he's really stepped up. He's hitting threes, he makes smart decisions. For a guy that wasn't even playing much at the beginning of the season, I'm really proud of his progress. He's got to be one of the top young guards in the league right now the way he's playing."

"We wanted to put them away. Similar to us, we think they're talented, better than what their record indicates, so we wanted to put them away, get a big lead."

When the final horn sounded on the Sixers' second win in 12 games, the remaining fans mustered up the loudest cheer they could. It may have been for the winning effort, or maybe just because the game was finally over. The vote is for the latter.

Completely Un-Sixer-Related News of the Day: Mike Bibby Does Not Like Being Caressed By Josh Smith