Unbelievable. I started watching and the Sixers were playing the most pathetic basketball ever. I mean, they couldn't make a bucket. They had no offense whatsover, and Portland got a lot of easy baskets running down to the other end on the misses.
By halftime the Sixers were down 45-27, and after 3 quarters the score was Portland 73, Phila. 56.
Cheeks had no choice but to put in bench players, (it wasn't as though things could have been any worse) But putting Louis Williams and Josh Smith in along with Thad Young, and all of a sudden the Sixers started to play ball. Igoudala and Green were in with them, and they just started running making all kinds of shots pressuring the Blazers into turnovers and missed shots.
The Sixers outscored Portland 36 - 15 in the final period and took the game away from them.
I was planning on writing about how the Sixers season was over, how they had no shot to play with anyone and that their current path is doomed to failure. Now, I'm not so sure.
Portland is not a great team by any means, but they were a .500 team before last night, even with a couple of road losses under their belt.
But the Sixers really do have some young talent on that team. Louis Williams is destined to be an all-star. Igoudala shot the game winner a dead-eye shot from the top of the key. He is becoming a star in the league and will get an all-star spot if the Sixers manage a .500 record.
Josh Smith is getting a lot of minutes as a rookie (I still don't understand why they had to trade Steven Hunter when they knew they had no backup center) and is playing very well considering.
A win like this was exactly what this team needed. Another loss and an ordinary team would have thrown in the towel on the season. Not this team. For some reason, they do have a lot of fight in them and are determined to scrap to the end. It's a start.
For a fan, there is nothing better than seeing a team building towards a better future the right way. The Sixers aren't quite there yet, but I do see some signs of life.
