When reveling in last Wednesday's road blowout of the Hawks, I was trying to think back to the last time I felt as good about the Sixers after a regular-season win. And I realized that to find such a game, I had to go back two seasons, to a Friday night home game in January where absolutely everything was clicking for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young went off for 27 points on 11-15 shooting, Andre Iguodala had a typical 21/5/8 all-around game, and the starters sat for most of the fourth quarter as Philly cruised to a never-in-doubt 109-87 victory, their sixth in a row.
The opponent in that game? The San Antonio Spurs, who the Sixers face again this Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
To predict the outcome of tonight's game to be similar would be downright laughable. As good as the Spurs squad we dispatched in Jan. '09 was (25-12 going into the game), the one we're facing tonight might be the best squad San Antonio has assembled in the Tim Duncan era, going an unfathomable 44-8 to start the season, and looking like the greatest threat to the Lakers' chance of a fourth-straight trip to the NBA finals.
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How they've been doing it seems to be a mystery even to their own fans, as nothing (apart from health and a couple new role players) greatly differentiates this Spurs team from the team that finished a mere 7th in the West standings last year. But the Spurs are indeed humming, with every player knowing their role and filling it to perfection, and proving once again that the Duncan/Popovich axis should never be counted out ahead of time.
As for the Sixers, there's no doubt that a win tonigh against the Spurs would be the most momentous of the season, but fans would be wise to settle for the moral victory tonight against such an elite squad. What should be the most telling portion of the game will be in the beginning of the second and fourth quarters, when the teams second units are squaring off. The Sixers are one of the few teams in the league with depth to match the Spurs, and if we can hang tough with them through those minutes with their starters out, we might have a chance. But Philly's margin for error will be very slim, and if we make some of the mistakes we made against Orlando--the dumb turnovers late, the missed free throws, the stagnant offensive sets--you best believe San Antonio will be ready to capitalize.
7:00 tip from the WFC. Cross your fingers and hope for the best--and remember that a road trip to sunny, 13-39 Minnesota awaits us next.