Sixers Outclass Class-less Celts

I know some of you Sixers fans out there wish the Sixers had taken a nose dive this season. You desperately wanted Greg Oden, and I can’t say that I blame you, but after sitting through the Sixers/Celts game tonight (final: Sixers 102, Celtics 94), I can honestly say: Thank God they didn’t.

What the Celtics and Bucks are doing right now is an absolute disgrace. The Grizzlies have locked down the worst record in the league (congratulations) but the #2 slot, or the second-most ping pong balls in the draft, is still up for grabs. Tonight, the Celts officially shut Paul Pierce down for the rest of the season with a sore elbow. Al Jefferson is out with a phantom injury. They’re holding off on Delonte West, just to be safe. Do you think their young players are growing by losing games like this? I don’t care if they draft Bill Russell next year, this is going to be a team full of losers and Danny Ainge has no one to blame for that but himself. If there is such a thing as karma, the Celts will wind up with Joekim Noah.

That’s enough of that. The Sixers didn’t dress Iguodala, Korver and Carney again, and they still won, again. Lou Williams was great (16 points, 8 assists), Andre Miller took care of the ball, and the clutch scoring down the stretch, Samuel Dalembert had a quadruple cinco (11 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 6 turnovers) and Stephen Hunter had a career night (20 points, 7 boards). Hunter is your player of the game.

The news today was that Iguodala would see a doctor about his ailing back, and while I don’t want to jeopardize his future, I hope he sucks it up for the final four games. (I hope Mo and Billy King let him suck it up.) The Sixers play host to the Magic on Saturday afternoon. The Magic currently sit in the #8 spot in the Eastern Conference but lost to the Pistons tonight. The Sixers are three games behind the Magic with 4 to go.

Thoughts on the young Sixers: Lou Williams continues to impress, Bobby Jones does not. Jones is little more than a warm body, and I think we’ve seen enough of him to realize that he’s not likely to ever be more than that. Good to find out now, rather than next year though.

Willie Watch: Again, WW is suspended because inexplicably, Green is playing smart basketball. Two games in a row the Sixers have played without their primary scorers, and two games in a row Willie hasn’t tried to monopolize the ball. Probably not a coincidence that the Sixers won both games.