Last nIght was the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Finally we got to see Nerlens Noel play on our own home floor. But a lot of things happened before the tip-off. For starters, we got to see the incredible 3-D floor technology in action. I thought it was amazing, but think about seeing that before a huge playoff game. I know its going to be awhile but its all about visualization. Seeing is believing people. MCW also made an appearance on the floor, but in a different fashion. Instead of shooting threes, he instead took the mic to thank all of the fans in attendance for being patient with the team on behalf of the players and the organization. It was a small gesture that went a long way. I thought that this gesture showed that the organization not only cares about the building of the team, but also the building of a fan base. What’s a superhero without its sidekick right?
As for the game, the Sixers hung with the Heat for a solid three quarters. Sure this Heat team no longer has Lebron James, but they were able to plug in a very capable Luol Deng in the offseason. The years of NBA experience between the two teams last night was completely lopsided as it will be for most games. The Sixers have hung with the opposition the previous two games, but I thought it would be a little different against the Heat. It most certainly was not. On the heels of Tony Wroten’s double-double performance the Sixers lost another one in the fourth quarter 114-96. They were outscored 27-13 in the final session, but they were plenty of positives. As I said before, Tony Wroten is playing some very solid basketball. He had 21 points and 10 assists to go along with 4 turnovers. The turnovers are a little concerning, but it ultimately shows that Wroten is not adverse to passing the ball which created some real nice cross court movement. A couple other players that are showing some signs of life are KJ McDaniels and Alexy Shved. McDaniels totaled 8 points, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Shved also contributed on the offensive end with 6 points and 6 assists. Noel’s performance wasn’t great coming off his first double-double finishing with 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. As a team though the Sixers played nicely. Besides the lack of defense the Sixers hung with a team that will be participating in the playoffs, and that’s all you can ask for.
Up next for the Sixers will be the Houston Rockets at home. This game will be a true uphill battle from the beginning, but it will be a great test for young players like Wroten and Noel to go up against Howard and Harden.
