As a die-hard sports fan, I try to watch as many sporting competitions as possible. For the past 8 days and for the next 7 I have become Team America's biggest supporter. From snowboarding, a personal hobby of mine, to curling, to even watching Johnny Weir blow two-fingered kisses to his disturbed, yet somewhat amazed crowd, the Olympics have been tons of fun. It's sports. That word, sports" is all that is needed to draw me in. Unless Goodfellas or Transformers are on an HD channel, it's sports all day, every day. So when my favorite basketball player, DeJuan Blair, came to town with the San Antonio Spurs to face my 76ers, I decided that I had to be there. Putting aside the hustle, power and rebounding dominance that Blair shows on the court, it's going to take a lot for me to go to another 76ers game in the near future. What I experienced on Friday, February 19, 2010 deeply saddened me.
The pre-game warmups for the all-world Spurs included layup drills, catch-and-shoots and rebounding drills. The 76ers though, instead decided to wow the half-full arena with the worst preparation I have ever had the misfortune to watch. Andre Iguodala, the Sixers franchise player, the 80 million dollar man, warmed up by throwing himself alley-oops off the backboard. Rodney Carney (so nice we had to sign him twice) threw down windmills reminiscent of a street-baller. "Slammin" Sammy Dalembert missed a dunk and proceeded to follow up his rebound by air-balling a fadeaway 10-foot jumper. The dichotomy between these two shoot-arounds was really all one would need to know about the state of each franchise.
As a little history lesson, here are some surprising facts about the NBA:
-Just 13 out of 30 current franchises have won a Larry O'Brien Trophy (The NBA's lame championship trophy)
-Just 8 of those 13 teams have won multiple Championships. 8 out of 30 teams. The 76ers are one of them. So are the Spurs.
The Philadelphia 76ers aren't just another franchise searching for an NBA identity. No matter how many Conference Finals the Nuggets or Cavaliers make, they do not have the hardware. There are plenty of teams with continued regular season success such as the Suns or Jazz, but they have repeatedly failed to seal the deal. In a league that is disguisedly dominated by a few teams, it is easy to forget that the Sixers were once a proud member of the select few successful NBA teams.
Attending the Sixers-Spurs game on Friday night truly opened my eyes to what has frankly become a breeding ground of bedlam. The nonstop circus routine that lasts from before tip-off until Willie Green's last contested three is sickening and extremely tiring. Blaring rap music with the heaviest bass imaginable invades my ears and blocks any coherent thoughts from formulating in my head. Having a conversation becomes a game, with constant interruptions to allow Sixers PA Announcer, Matt Cord, scream, "Aaaandreee Eeeeg-ah-dala-dala-dala-(dala)-(dala)." Samuel Dalembert's rare 2-point basket becomes a cause for celebration - "Slllaaaaammmin Sammmmy Dal-um-bear." Slammin? Really? Does 7 points per game constitute a nickname such as "slammin?" Let's wait for some new accomplishments before we start lauding a collective group of losers with nicknames.
Hip-Hop, the 76ers obnoxious, ghetto-themed mascot, is constantly in the crowd's face. With a high-pitched whistling noise attached to his mask, you are guaranteed to hear Hip-Hop from almsot anywhere in the stadium. I put up with 5 minutes of the fake-muscled bunny rabbit spraying silly-string at 3 children. What ensued was the entire section smelling like aerosol for the rest of the quarter.
Through this unceasing noise and mayhem are people that just want to watch a good, competitive game of basketball. A middle-aged man sat alone in front of my friend and I pointing at players, shouting instructions, and throwing his hands up in disbelief as Andre Iguodala settled for in-your-face clankers with 15 seconds left on the shot clock. This poor man, he spends money to come and watch professional basketball on a Friday night and is instead treated to a game lacking planning, defense, or strategy.
In short, this isn't basketball. This is a spectacle, something that can be out-done by most minor league hockey teams and almost any competitive high-school sporting event. If the Sixers want to end up like the Phantoms and move to Adirondack, effectively into obscurity, they need only to continue this never-ending circus. Coach Eddie Jordan gets my vote if the organization is looking towards a ringleader to lead a team of clowns.
If a circus is not the Philadelphia 76ers goal, then drawing families out to witness insufferable acts and stunts needs to end today. Putting a team on the floor to win basketball games should be the goal. Winning brings crowds, winning brings revenue - not bunnies on steroids or cranked up PA systems. Just 9 years ago, a time that feels like an eternity, this was a franchise on the rise. With an inspired season and a crushing loss to the Lakers, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Sixers recaptured the glory days of old.
The Sixers basketball identity isn't gone, it's just lost.
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