Well, here we are. It took a sloppy victory over a half-power Pistons team which probably should have been a 30-point win at the minimum, but the W nonetheless moved the Sixers to 29-29, the team's first break-even record since they were 0-0. Today, then, the Sixers get push into completely new waters, as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers--they of the 11-47 record and the historic 26-game losing streak not so long ago--with a chance to have more wins than losses in their record for the first time since April of 2009. Can you feel the City of Brothery Love buzzin' like their name was Shwayze? (Don't actually click that link, by the way, the song's terrible.)
Though this game seems like it should be a cakewalk, it does come with something of a catch--the Cavs have actually managed to win three of their last five games, two of the W's coming against quality teams in the Knicks and the Lakers. Not to mention that so far this season, the Cavs have appeared to have the Sixers' number--of the mere eight wins that Cleveland had amassed up until the beginning of February, two of them came against the Liberty Ballers. I'd think that this is a different team now, since those were both in the first month of the season, but suffice to say, the Sixers would be remiss in treating this game too casually.
Of course, it's not just the winning record that the Sixers are playing for now--they actually have a chance to do a little moving in the Eastern Conference standings today. With the Knicks' aforementioned loss to the Cavs on Friday night (combined with the Sixers' win over the Pistons), they stand just one game ahead of Philly for the sixth seed. Since they're playing the 43-16 Heat today in Miami, and since they haven't exactly come off like gangbusters since making the Carmelo Anthony trade, you'd have to think that with a win today, the Sixers would have a pretty good chance of tying the Knicks in the standings. Here's hoping--I'd still much rather play the Bulls than the Heat or Celtics in the playoffs.
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Early-evening 5:00 tip from the Q in Cleveland. "We are looking up, we are not looking down," says Coach Doug Collins. "Our guys feel good about themselves.”