Observations From the Sixers Home Opener

As I posted last night, Andrew, Enrico, and I went down to the Sixers home opener against the Bucks. Just thought I'd share a few impressions I had from the game, with the disclaimer that I'm not a big NBA fan, but I support the Sixers because they're a Philly team and I've just about always been able to find something I like about every iteration of the club. I think a lot of you may be the same way—that is, a casual fan. At least, that's what last night's attendance might indicate. But what I saw in the opener deserved to be seen by a lot more people. 

It was a pretty good show. A few observations...

Keep in mind, I'm not all that knowledgeable about NBA basketball. Or any basketball really. If you are, then you may have to take these with a grain of salt. Sitting next to Andrew for the whole game, I could tell there was a lot I wasn't seeing. If you're a casual or non-fan, maybe this is in line with what you'd have seen at the game. 

The first thing that was impossible not to notice was that the game wasn't particularly well attended. I saw a few games last year, and they weren't full either, but last night brought the unique challenge of falling in the middle of the Phillies being in the World Series. True, the Phils had the night off, but most people were probably ready to have the same in their sports-viewing lives. Oh, and Pearl Jam was playing night three of their residency at the Spectrum—the penultimate show in the hallowed building. The odds weren't great for a big crowd at the Wach. 

But those of us who were there—and wasn't that sparse all night, it filled in gradually—got a pretty good show. The Bucks aren't much of a team. Other than their kid Brandon Jennings and Michael Redd, I wasn't impressed. Jennings was particularly noticeable though, nearly hitting a triple double. 

The Sixers, on the other hand, had a very balanced attack. There really aren't any Iversonian nights these days, no regular high 20s/low 30s scorer. Instead they had six players in double digits, including all five starters and then Jason Kapono, who had 24 minutes off the bench. More on him in a minute. 

Andre Iguodala looked very solid out there, especially when he turned what was probably the best play of the game. He came up with a huge block that drew a lot of applause, gathered the ball, ran the floor, and converted a sweet contested layup. This would draw the third highest applause of the night. 

Second highest? When they ran a Phillies highlight package on the jumbotron. This happened before the Iguodala play, and I wasn't sure whether we should be happy or disappointed that the loudest the crowd had been all night was for a team that plays across the parking lot. We'll go with happy. These are extraordinary times. 

On Kapono: He's definitely the outside threat the team was lacking last year, hitting two timely 3's and four long 2's. He's going to be popular here. Not to be outdone, center/PF Jason Smith drained a 3 of his own. He's surprisingly fluid for his size. 

At the other end of the popularity spectrum continues to be Sam Dalembert. He heard boos on the first night. Philly's the type of town that could get behind a really nasty big, and Sam isn't that. Problem is, they're not easy to find in the league these days, and Dalembert's contract isn't going anywhere anyway. The situation reminds me of the Flyers need for a nasty blueliner recently, which was met with the acquisition of Chris Pronger.  

J-Rue the Damaja got his first minutes of the season, as well as his first points on a brilliant drive to the hoop. Marreese Speights had a nice line in limited minutes (13)—4 points, 7 rebounds split at both ends of the floor, and he converted both his freebies. But, he somehow managed to earn 5 fouls in that span. Pretty full line for Marreese. 

Elton Brand wasn't bad, but not too dazzling either. He played the least minutes of all the starters (29) but drew calls and seemed to contribute across the board. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen more from Brand. This is Iguodala's team, at least from the untrained eye. And that's fine—I think this will be a big year for #9. 

Overall, there were some stretches of terrible defense by the Sixers, but they ran enough to stay on top and extend some leads on a Bucks team that isn't armed to catch up. How well they'll fare against teams who can, we'll have to see. 

Loudest applause of the night came when the final buzzer sounded with the Sixers on top.  

Even more scattered notes: Hip Hop needs to go, and I don't much like the Hare Raisers either. Meatheady cheerleaders clapping is distracting more than inspiring... The Sixers Dance Team is welcome to stay, and if anything, be more involved, maybe replacing the Raisers... Sitting at the end of the court isn't a very good vantage, just like in hockey and football, but more so, in my opinion. If you're looking at tickets, try to get something in between the free-throw lines... The Wachovia Center continues to need better beer options. There are a few decent taps, but it's in no way a sufficient representation of the best beer city in the US... Stretched incredibly thin with so many events every day and night of this weekend, the Aramark workers were surprisingly pretty friendly anyway... The costumes in the crowd were "okay" but the talent was out in force at McFaddens afterward. We met up with Meech and Tug from TheFightins and 'Duk from Big League Stew. Then, the party was crashed by legions of dudes when the Pearl Jam show let out. The Neeko remix of Empire State was played over the house speakers before giving way to [insert ****** cover band]. 

Under less World Seriesy, Pearl Jammy circumstances, the crowd will hopefully grow over the course of the season. Best way to ensure that though is for the team on the court to be better than average to just-above-average, which is what most Philly sports fans have come to expect lately. Still, my first impression of the team this year is that it's a likable group, and true to their motto, they can and do run a lot. Lots of excitement at the offensive end.