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The chase is over.
After 81 games of triumph, bad basketball, more bad basketball, Casper Ware, Brandon Davies, and worse basketball, the Sixers will have the second best odds at the number one overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Thanks to a pathetic attempt at mediocre gone horribly awry, the Milwaukee Bucks, with a 110-100 loss to the Raptors, somehow are now three games worse than a team intentionally tanking for a better draft pick and with one game left in the season, that means they have clinched worst record and best draft lottery odds.
Despite the fact that this game featured two of the six worst teams in the NBA in the standings, it really provided some entertaining basketball. On top of that, Michael Carter-Williams had himself a real strong game, making the fun all a bit more funner. MCW was 9-13 from the field with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, and four steals. Jason Wolf notes that this was the 12th game MCW had 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game this season. In the meantime, all other rookies combined have just eight this season.
Today's game was a showcase for two of Liberty Ballers' favorites throughout the season: Brandon Davies and Casper Ware. Ware went 4-6 for 9 points, meanwhile Davies (our beloved Brandon Davies), went 5-6 from the field for 11 points. That's right. Davies dropped an 11-spot on the Celtics. He may not have been allowed to have fun at BYU, but he's having fun on the Sixers. And now he'll be forced to spend the night in Levin's Fun House.
Watching the Celtics, it became clear that they are not that good at basketball. The Celtics with a loss tonight are one step closer to ending the season with the fifth worst record in the NBA. Part of what makes them so bad is they now have Kelly Olynyk on their team which means he is doing Kelly Olynyk things which means this happened.
I could get used to watching that.
The Celtics raced out to an early 10 point lead in the first quarter but the Sixers stormed back culminating in a very entertaining barrage of points and a grand total of 66 points on 45 field goal attempts. The pace was quick, the shots were many, and the point totals were high. The Sixers then roared out to a big halftime lead of 60-57 that would be extended to a 19-point lead early in the 3rd quarter. But, the Sixers through it all are themselves a terrible basketball team and the Celtics came back in the 3rd. The Celtics never saw the lead in the second half, but multiple times found themselves within two or three points of the home side. In the end, the Sixers were able to successfully hold on, led by the aforementioned MCW and Tony Wroten, who managed 20 points himself on an efficient 7-12 shooting.
The victory spread joy throughout the Wells Fargo Center, but perhaps none more so than to these two kids captured by the CSN cameras. Just wait a few years until this team's a playoff contender once again, kids. You'll be celebrating even more. And forgetting the day you ever saw a victory where Elliot Williams's play was among the highlights.
The next time something meaningful Sixers happens will be Tuesday, May 20. But if you want to bid a somber farewell to the on-court product, the Sixers travel to Miami with an attempt to bookend the season with wins versus the Heat.