Sixers JV Team Smoked By Pistons, Face Chicago in First Round

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Well, this is about as good as we could have hoped. Actually, maybe it
would have been better if the Sixers had beaten the Pistons tonight
(with the Knicks throttling the awfulness-reeling Bobcats to clinch the
seventh seed anyway), but with the Pistons actually playing their A
squad and the Sixers sitting each of their top five scorers, it probably
wasn't going to happen. Spencer Hawes put up a good fight in the first
half, Evan Turner in the second, but even against a team as crappy as
the Pistons, they were out of their depth, and a historical second
quarter shooting the three for Ben Gordon (7-7 from deep—yes, all in one
quarter) ensured that for the second straight year, the Sixers dropped
their season-closer to Detroit.

And so it is that the 76ers sew up the 8th seed and ensure that they
play the Chicago Bulls, not the Miami Heat, in the first round of the
playoffs, which start for Philly on Saturday. In reality, they probably
don't stand a much better chance against the Bulls than the Heat,
but the Sixers did play the Bulls tough in all three regular-season
matchups this year (even winning one of them!), and with MVP Derrick
Rose's health very much in question...it's enough that we can at least
say "you never know," when in fact with the Heat, we very much would
always know. I'd put their chances of winning this series at around 1 in
15. (Maybe 1 in 20.)

More to come on the team's upcoming playoff chances and what to watch
for and such, but in the meantime, pour one out for Fred Carter, Bill
Bridges, Kevin Lougehry and the rest of the 9-72 '73 Sixers, who have
officially been unseated by the 7-59 Bobcats as the worst team of
all-time. And say what you will about the shortened schedule earning the
Bobcats' record an asterisk—unlike the Nets of two years ago, who lost
their first million games and looked like they might break the '73
Sixers' futility record despite actually having a couple good players on
their team, this team was truly deserving of inheriting Fred, Bill and
Kevin's throne. In the most important game of the team's season, Jamario
Moon and DeSagana Diop played a combined 40-plus minutes. Enough said.

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