It's time to get back to work. Last night's win was nothing short of spectacular, but the Sixers have another task at hand tonight -- a date with "The Big Cactus" and the Phoenix Suns.
I can't emphasize enough how important it is for the Sixers to come out with massive energy tonight. They cannot afford to have an emotional letdown. Starting the west coast trip with two wins against the Lakers and Suns would be much more than anyone expected. Last night's win was a little taste of the "March magic" the Sixers had last year, but last year they carried it with them all the way to the playoffs. One game is not enough.
The Suns are coming off a pretty nice win of their own, dropping 154 points on the Golden State Warriors. They like to run, and so do the Sixers. I expect a barn-burner.
The Suns shoot the three decently, but not nearly as well as they have in year's past. As a matter of fact, they haven't even shot as well as they did earlier this season. The loss of Raja Bell has hurt that aspect of their game.
Other than the fact that the Suns can score 140 on any given night, the only other thing that frightens me about tonight is Shaquille O'Neal. I hope Theo's ready to get some burn, because I think it's unfair to expect Sammy, Reggie and Marresse handle The Diesel alone. I'm contemplating whether it's better for the Sixers to have Shaq on the court, or off the court. Would I rather see the Suns go small, and shoot more threes? Or would I rather see Shaq eat our big men alive?
3 Keys
- Energy, energy, energy.
- Stop the three's.
- Play Donny-Ice!
Whatever happens tonight, I think it'll be a fun one. There's nothing like a good-old fashioned shootout. We'll see a lot of dunks, and a lot of fast breaks and that bodes well for the Sixers. How about Iguodala throws down a monster facial on Shaq for an encore? Please?