Empty the Bench

Great scene in Philly last night.

In his first game at the Wachovia Center since being traded to the Denver Nuggets last year, Allen Iverson got a somewhat surprising standing ovation from the home crowd during the starting lineup introductions. With playoff implications for both teams, the game was competitive from start to finish. The two principal components of the big trade—Iverson (32 points, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Andre Miller (28 points, 12 assists)—both turned in high-level performances.

Andre Iguodala Photo Credit: Icon SMI

And there couldn’t have been a more appropriate script written for the end: with the Nuggets trailing by two and back-to-back losses staring them in the face, Iverson spotted up from 20-feet, gunned, and clanged it off the rim. Marcus Camby’s tip-in missed the mark and the ball squirted out of the fray into the hands of Andre Iguodala, who dribbled at a sprint down the floor and celebrated the big win as time expired. It was the Sixers’ fourth win a row, and their eighth victory in the past nine. Suddenly, the team few had pegged as playoff-bound is pushing the Washington Wizards and slumping Toronto Raptors for the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

We went to a preseason game at the Garden between the Sixers and Knicks and left thinking this team had no hope this year, that they were boring and a little depressing, that Iguodala’s one-man assault on the rim would be the only offense this team could muster, that Miller would demand a trade… and that we were definitely selling our tickets to the Philly/Knicks regular-season game included in our eight-game package.

We did unload that game (thank God), but none of those other thoughts have come to pass. As young guys like Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams, and Rodney Carney have started to find their way as the season has worn on, the Sixers have suddenly become a pretty exciting team to watch. They’re athletic, they’re active on defense, they hustle, and when they cause a turnover it’s often an intimidating four-man break going the other way. And they have leapers—Iguodala is one of the league’s most spectacular dunkers, but a few of his teammates know how to finish with pizazz as well.

The Sixers are easy to root for, and it’s going to be interesting seeing just how far they can take themselves up the Eastern standings these last 14 contests… 12 of which are against teams either locked into or fighting for a playoff berth. They’ll face LeBron’s Cavaliers twice, games that could be a preview of a possible first-round pairing if Toronto keeps slipping and Washington chokes. For more on the youth movement in Philly starting to pay off, check out Andrew’s excellent look at the state of the 76ers franchise.

Tags: Andre Iguodala, Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Miller