An Abridged Preview

I'm still on vacation so this one is going to be short and sweet.

The big question tonight is not how the Sixers have changed since last season. It's how much they've stayed the same. Does this group of guys have the same drive to go into Boston and take one away from the Celtics? They did it in dramatic fashion late last March. On that night, Iguodala went toe-to-toe with Paul Pierce and outplayed him in every imaginable way. Sam Dalembert picked the fourth quarter as his time to man up against Kevin Garnett and shut him down.

Those Sixers never went into a game thinking they couldn't win. They imposed their will on everyone they faced and beat long odds to take down powerhouse teams. The one question we need an answer to is whether the predictions and expectations have stripped them of that swagger, or if it's still alive. We need to see a game like that out of this group right about now.