Are the Sixers a worthy Valentine?
Ah, the power of young love. It can make your palms sweat, your heart race, and your mind wander to flights of fancy. In my youth I was something of a hopeless romantic. Like most foolish kids I gave my heart away too easily, in this case to the mid-1980’s Philadelphia 76ers. We had a good thing going for a while there and I thought we were both happy until out of nowhere the Sixers told me that they wanted to see other people. And just like that they traded away Moses Malone and the number one pick in the draft (Future All-star Brad Daugherty) for a bag of useless magic beans. I was heartbroken.
It took me a while to trust again after that, but in 2001 I was ready to love again. And wow, that team was hot. You couldn’t take your eyes off them. But you know how it is, the ones that are wild and crazy burn too quickly and in the end they fizzle out if the team doesn’t have enough substance. Fun will only take you so far. Thanks for the memories, A.I. and company, but I had to move on. I had a few flings with the Sixers here and there after that but nothing serious until 2019. I really thought I had found The One. But their lack of depth and maturity began to rear its head and eventually, after four horrible bounces on the rim, it was over. What’s that, you want me to tell you more about them? Oh, you wouldn’t know them; it happened in Canada.
Last year the Sixers actually got off to a great start, jumping out to a 20-7 record but it just never felt right. That team was always a little dead behind the eyes, and you know the eyes are the windows to the soul. When that season was over, I wasn’t even sad, just mad at myself for wasting time on them. I’m ready for a serious relationship now. I missed out on the ‘82-83 Sixers and have to settle for watching old highlights, but it’s not the same. I want to commit to a team with all my heart until they finally put a ring on it. A championship ring. That would be a team that I could remember proudly for the rest of my life and it would make all the seasons chasing the Sixers totally worth it. When you finally find your own Championship team it’s worth all the suffering. That team will live in your heart forever.
I’m starting to get warm feelings about this year’s Sixers team but I’ve been hurt before. How can I give my love away again and risk more heartache? Since I get all of my romantic advice from Hollywood sitcoms, I decided to make a list of pros and cons to decide if this team was “the one”.
Sixers Pros
1. Joel Embiid is in the best condition of his life and posting up lower than ever before. When I used to imagine Joel’s ceiling as a player, this is what it looked like. I never thought he would ever play this well, and now the question is, how much better can he get? This window of awesomeness is open for a limited time, Daryl Morey will not let it go to waste.
2. I have faith in Morey. I don’t think he will trade away the stars on this team and I don’t think he’s finished making tweaks to improve the bench. Trust the… ummm… trust in Morey.
3. The bench is better and deeper than it has been in years, possibly decades. Dwight “I love to hit people” Howard is the best backup Embiid has ever had, Shake Milton is a future Sixth Man of the Year (not this year, but he’s coming), Furkan is not only shooting, but really giving effort on defense, Thybulle is taking his D to a new level and hitting a few shots along the way, and Tyrese Maxey has future star written all over him. Let’s get a better backup 4 in here and things will really sizzle.
4. Danny Green is the perfect veteran for this team. He can still contribute on the court and he only knows how to win. Championships in college and at three different stops in the pros make him a voice that everyone will listen to.
5. Seth Curry is the best perimeter teammate that Ben Simmons and Joel have ever had. He is a sheer force of gravity, pulling defenders with him as he moves.
6. Ben and Tobias are finally playing consistently and aggressively on both sides of the ball. Ben is proving that if you surround him with shooters he doesn’t need to shoot jumpers, he just needs to be forcefully assertive every second that he is on the court.
7. Doc Rivers.
Sixers Cons
1. This team has everything it needs, but it needs everything it has. If all of the players are healthy, this team is ready. If even one player is out, the whole thing feels like it could tumble like a house of cards. It’s a tenuous tightrope.
2. No other Sixers team has ever been “the one” for me.
The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t won a Championship since ‘82-83, which means the majority of us fans have never known how amazing that would feel. But the thing is, true love only has to happen once. I believe that it will happen, not just for me, but for all of us long-suffering fans. We deserve to find love and have a relationship with a team that we can discuss proudly for the rest of our lives. Maybe, just maybe, this is that team. I’m taking a chance again and casting my hopes to the wind. If it ends in heartbreak, it will still have been a memorable ride.
Have a terrific holiday, all you hopeless romantics out there. I hope you all find happiness either with this Sixers team or in the arms of that special someone. But there’s no reason it can’t be both! Happy Valentine’s Day!