Magic at Sixers: It Could All End Today

When the Sixers take the court at 3 p.m. for their second-to-last home game I'm not sure how many people will be in attendance at the Wachovia Center, but it should be a sell out.

The Orlando Magic are coming to town with their dominant big man, Dwight Howard, Philly-grown point guard, Jameer Nelson and the number eight seed in their back pocket. The Sixers season can officially end today, they sit 3 games behind Orland for the last post-season ticket. They have 4 games left, including today.

The fans should come out if for no other reason than to applaud the effort this group of players has put forth over the past three months. That’s one reason to go to the game, another is that I think this is going to be a hell of a game.

Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver and Rodney Carney are all game-time decisions. Korver’s injury seems to be the most serious, and he’ll probably miss the game. I don’t have any real information on Carney, but I do think Iguodala is going to play, and honestly, he needs to. He’s been the heart and soul of this team, he’s been the reason to watch and today is a huge opportunity for him to show everyone how far he’s come since Webber and Iverson left town.

The Sixers have shown a resilience no one could have, or should have expected them to possess after the messy A.I. divorce, and I expect today’s game to be the ultimate showcase of that trait. If Iguodala plays, and I have to believe he will, expect him to lead the Sixers to a victory, so they can live to play another day. (Unfortunately, that day is Sunday, and they’ll be playing against their kryptonite, the Detroit Pistons, but one game at a time).

The winner of this game wins the season series 2–1 (and holds the tie breaker).

In the Sixers favor: Orlando is 13–26 on the road.

In Orlando’s favor: In the three games Kyle Korver has missed the Sixers are 2–21 from three-point range. The silver lining is that they’re dominating teams in points in the paint. But that’s going to be hard to duplicate with Dwight Howard in the lane.

Magic blog: Orlando Magic Blog