I said before the series started that it would go 5, but I was pleasantly surprised how close it ended up being. The Sixers were in every game but one, and even stole a win, which heading toward the future is very promising. The two future franchise players were excellent in their first playoff series ever, Holiday and Turner. No Sixer fan should be disappointed with their effort, as they battled hard with a much more talented team, and it just feels good to be out of the Eddie Jordan years.

Elton Brand was awesome, battling inside, and doing all he could, even had a game winning block on LeBron one game. The Sixers showed a lot of promise and there are 4 crucial offseason moves they have to make.

1. Resign Thad Young. He is a key player for the 76ers, and really made a big stride offensively this year, causing many matchup problems. My fear is that a team that saw him will offer him big money to be a starter, something the Sixers can’t afford to do. Hopefully he has some loyalty and knows that he will get extended minutes next year.

2. Trade Andre Iguodala. It is time for the longest tenured Sixer to part ways. The city has turned on him because of his mediocre offensive game. He is a very good player but is being paid like a great one. Turner proved this playoff series that he can fill in immediately to replace Iggy. It will be sort of sad to see him go but it is definitely necessary, as Turner and Andre can’t coexist.  Not really sure what 76ers could get for him but he be great on a contender, hes like a better Ron Artest.

3 and 4. Get a center and pure scorer. Since the Sixers don’t have any superstars, although Jrue Holiday at 20 looks like he could be on his way. They need to shape their team like the 2000′s Detroit Pistons. All very good players, that played great defense, and had amazing chemisty. Right now Spencer Hawes isn’t the type of center that benefits the Sixers. They need someone like a Tyson Chandler/Ben Wallace type, that will rebound, shots and be happy with a few dunks here and there. The other thing they need is somebody that can score. Think Danny Granger, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be as good as DG because Holiday and Turner can create. The Pistons used Rip Hamilton to get them easy, automatic points, the Sixers need something like this. If they can address one of these two positions as well as the top 2 issues I mentioned then it will be a great offseason. With the 16th pick in the draft there won’t be amazing talent, so they have to get lucky and hope the pick pans out. Somebody like Tyler Honeycutt or Jordan Hamilton can be that scorer they could use. Both are big at 6’7 and can shoot. If the Sixers run Holiday one of those two, Turner, Brand, and find a center, with Young, Williams, and Meeks coming off the bench they could be dangerous.

The Sixers really faded down the stretch, and at one time were four games over the .500 mark and in the 6th place, before ending up 42-42 and becoming the 7th seed where they will see the Miami Heat in the first round.

If you take a step back and look at their season as a whole, any Sixer fan has to be happy. After an awful season last year under Eddie Jordan, the expectations were low, and after a 3-13 start to this season, they were even lower.

However, they bounced back after the poor start and were playing as well as any team for a while. The end of the season leaves a bitter taste but some injuries forced the downfall.

Here are the Sixer awards and the report card for each player.

Elton Brand:  Team MVP and A minus rating. After a few injury plagued lack luster years under Eddie Jordan, Brand bounced back with his best year as a 76er. He was Mr. Consistent. Every time he takes his mid-range jump shot I expect it to go in, unlike another player on the team. The reason i couldn’t go A plus or straight A is because of how big his contract is, and his numbers weren’t spectacular, but for his age and after what he has done in the past I couldn’t be happier with Brand.

Andre Iguodala: Defensive Player of the Year and B+. If it wasn’t for Dwight Howard he might be the NBA’s DPOY, but his shooting and his contract always seems to leave a bad after taste. He is the quiet leader, hes an athletic freak and his defense is spectacular, but if he takes one more end of game shot I want him traded. But, in all seriousness, this was one of Iggy’s best years statistically, and despite some injury problems helped the Sixers get back in the playoffs.

Jrue Holiday: Most Improved Player and B+. He really made a big stride in his game from last season. In my mind he went from prospect to solid NBA starter in only a year. Hopefully he can take his game up another level next year and be in the same pantheon of the other great NBA point guards right now, he has the ability and potential. It is hard for him to put up eye popping stats since the Sixers used Iguodala and sometimes Turner as a point forward instead of Jrue. I only gave him a B+ because he does have room to improve.

Spencer Hawes: C minus. He has some games where he looks like he can be a starting center for the next decade and others where he barely even plays, and looks awful. He is too Jekyll and Hyde right now. He has nice outside touch, which makes the teams opposing center out of the paint, but on the other end is no threat what so ever to block shots. He could be one of the best backup centers in the NBA but as a starter he doesn’t bring enough to the table.

Jodie Meeks: A. I know this seems like a strange grade but he went from the 10th man til the starter. This is only his second year and he has turned into the Sixers best weapon from the outside and a deadly three point shooter. I gave him an A also because I don’t see him having years any better than this. He is a very good outside shooting role player, who gives great energy and effort, but wouldn’t start for most teams that are good. I applaud everything he has done this year and he deserves this grade.

Lou Williams:  Tied for 6th man of the Year and B plus. He had a great year coming off the bench, and is one of the few players who can isolate to get off his own shot. He made a lot of late big game shots, but he is an awful defensive player, and when hes not shooting well he hinders the team, so I couldn’t give him an A rating. The Sixers went into their slide when Lou got hurt, so you can see how important he is to the team.

Thad Young: Tied for 6th man of the Year and A minus. He also was in the running for Most improved as well. His energy off the bench was amazing. The other amazing part was that his game improved greatly. He stopped settling for outside jumpers and drove the ball to the rack, where his quickness can put him past any power forward. He might have been my favorite player this year, him and Jrue. The Sixers have a tough decision to make with Thad being an upcoming free agent. They can’t afford to let him go, but they can’t afford to over pay him if another team throws a lot of cash at him.

Evan Turner: D. D for disappointing. Being the number 2 overall pick a lot was expected from Turner. In games he showed flashes of greatness, and when Iggy was hurt is when he had his best games. It’s clear that Iguodala and Turner can’t coexist because they essentially play the same position. Turner is naturally a lot more gifted offensively and I guarantee will improve his shooting in the off season, but Iggy is a veteran leader who is superior defensively and more athletic. I am not giving up on Turner in anyway shape or form. He still has a chance to be a great player in the NBA, like a small forward version of Rondo. It all depends on how he progresses in the offseason and what the Sixers decide to do with Iggy. If it is another year of Iggy without being traded, it will only hinder Turner, but the team will probably not be as good. In the long term, with Jrue and Evan together, it has a chance to be greater than what they are now with Iguodala, so they have to take that chance, and hope Turner has the work ethic to progress, and chemistry to coexist with Holiday. That young back court is the future of the Sixers in my opinion. What they need to do is trade Iguodala for a center like Tyson Chandler, a man who will be great on the boards and defend the pain. Then they need to draft a two guard who can get off his own shot. Like a taller, better defensive version of Lou Williams. If they do that, with the core they have now they can compete in the future.

The rest of the players like Andres Nocioni, Mo Speights, Jason Kapono etc. are not important enough to give a grade and will be gone in the off season unless they decide to resign for little money, and the Sixers can’t find anything better.

Playoff Prediction: Miami in a Sweep or at most the Sixers win one of their home games.

It would have been the best comeback of the year and in one of the most important games of the year. Being down the whole game, the Sixers energy level in the 4th quarter was insane. After making an incredible comeback to actually go up by a point thanks to Elton Brand but especially Thaddeus Young, the Sixers then had a wide open 3 to go up for. After Jodie Meeks’ three rattled in and out, Tony Douglas came down to sink a 3 to put the Knicks up for good.

The Sixers were an abysmal 2 for 18 from the three point line and showed no energy in the first 3 quarters. It’s one thing to just have a bad shooting night from behind the three point line but to play so poorly in such a big game for 3 quarters at home is very disappointing.

The Sixers are fading very badly down the stretch, and have dropped into 7th place. They look like they’ll be playing the Celtics unless the Heat edge out the C’s for 2nd place. With Lou Williams being out until the playoffs, the scoring has taken a hit but the defense is a little better. However, they have no real inside presence which they need to address in the off season badly. There is only three games left before the playoffs but expect the Sixers to finish in 7th place.

It was a Kyle Lowry homecoming, and he was certainly playing like it was his home court in the first half. The North Philadelphia and Villanova product was raining 3′s and forcing Jrue Holiday to turn the ball over. Then in the second half, specifically the 4th quarter, the Sixers started clamping down on defense and executing on offense.

Jrue Holiday and Thad Young sparked the Sixers and have been the best players on the court in the last three games. Holiday was against the Kings. Young against the Bulls, and both were the best players tonight. Holiday had 24 and 12, and if Iguodala didn’t run the point forward offense, I would expect these type of numbers from Holiday more often, he has that type of talent. Young came off the bench and had 22 and 9, once again causing problems with his speed and energy.

There are a few things I would like the Sixers to do in the offseason. The first would be get a defensive big man who can also rebound, whether or be through draft like John Henson or through free agency. The second is resign Thad Young, he is essential and is one of the top overall talents on the team. The third would be to get rid of Iguodala and have Turner take his place, if he improves his jumper in the off season.

A side note to this game is that Turner was a DNP coach’s decision. I want to know why Nocioni is playing instead of him, and why he didn’t even get a minute this late in the season. As good as Coach Collins has been, his bad late game coaching along with taking Turner’s minutes away are making me start to resent him. Unless he has some type of hidden injury there is no reason for Turner not to be playing.

On a good side note to end, the Sixers are now only a half game away form clinching a playoff spot. Now that isn’t the best news, because they are the 6th seed, and they want to finish there not 8th, but clinching a playoff spot after the past two Eddie Jordan years, which every player and fan would like to forget, feels great.

The last time they played the Bulls in Chicago they suffered their biggest loss of the season by point total. On Sunday they suffered their biggest loss in terms of quality by losing at home to the Kings. So, a day after that despicable L, they show a lot of heart and get biggest W of the season by going into Chicago and pulling it out.

The Sixers came out with more energy in the first quarter of the Bulls game then they showed in the entire Sacramento game, and even led by 23 points at one time. Thaddeus Young was putting on a show in the first half and scored 17 points, to go along with his 3 blocks. It was total team defense, shutting down Rose and pretty much everyone in the first half.

Then the second half came and somebody woke up D-Rose. He started torching everyone that was guarding him, and was scoring at will, and that huge lead got as low as 4 points. However, clutch shots by Spencer Hawes, of all people, allowed the Sixers to hold the lead until the Bulls ran out of gas in the final few minutes.

The 97-85 victory is by far the best of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It looked like the Sixers were starting to fade and go on a losing streak.

The losing streak that I never expected to see since they were playing the Kings at home on Sunday at noon. Some reporters were blaming the fact that a few players went to a Lil Wayne concert the night before in Philly. I blame Iguodala and Doug Collins. Jrue Holiday was having one of the best games of his career, had 28 points and close to a triple double, but on the last 4 possessions Iggy had the ball in his hands and came up with 3 bricks and 1 made free throw to go along with his missed free throw. After that game, Collins still reiterated that he will go to Andre at the end of games, which could be the Sixers downfall.

Tonight, Hawes hit 3 big jumpers to stop the Bulls run, and maybe he could be our new closer? The saddest part of that, is that I’m only half joking. I would literally see almost anyone else on the Sixers take the big shot than Iguodala, it has gotten that bad. I’m not saying he’s not a great player, because his defense is unparalleled and his has great athleticism but some players weren’t born with touch. Jrue should be the one stepping up, in my opinion.

Another negative aspect that Coach Collins is displaying besides giving Iggy the ball in crunch time, is that Turner is hardly playing at all anymore. He has either hit the rookie wall or Collins doesn’t like him. They are the only two options I can think of. Hopefully both of those dilemmas change come playoff time, but let’s end on a good note and congratulate them for their biggest win of the year.

In case you missed what happened in the past week, like me, because everyday blurred together with drinking, eating greasy food, and 12 hours of college basketball for four days straight, then you missed the Knicks faltering and the Sixers getting some separation. Tonight, a game I actually had the fortune to see in person, the Sixers were down the whole game and then something clicked in the 4th quarter. They realized the Hawks were tired and amped up their defense along with getting quality shots on offense and it helped them go on a 22 to 6 run to start the 4th. It seemed in a few moments the 6 point deficit became a 10 point lead.

They were able to fend off the late run Atlanta tried to make because of the poor free throw doing the Sixers had down the stretch, but in the end a win is a win. Jodie Meeks had a great game, making big 3′s when they needed it most. He is having a much better year than I ever thought he would have, and I’m a big Jodie Meeks supporter. He has to thank Doug Collins for his playing time and probably his next contract, no matter what team that may be.

The Sixers are actually pretty fun to see in person because of their style of play.The Knicks on the other hand have a very fun style of play as well but they can’t buy a win right now. Like I said before, in case you missed it, the Sixers are now two games up on the Knicks for 6th place. More surprising than that is the fact that they are only 2 and 1/2 behind Atlanta after that win.

Right now they are scheduled to play the Heat in the first round, but there is a lot of basketball left to be played and it could very well be Magic, Heat or Celtics in the first round. I personally am hoping for the older Celtics team who are fading down the stretch, and the Sixers seem to match up well with.

I’m not sure how to perceive this game. Should I applaud them for being down 18 at half but then showing heart on the road and coming back to send it into overtime? Should I be angry that the Sixers actually took a lead and had a shot to win it before going to overtime?

I’ll take both sides and be happy with their effort because against the Bucks they fell apart, but the Jazz they showed real life. But, in the end the Sixers main problem reared its ugly face. No go to player in crunch time. Iguodala after hitting a clutch scoop layup to beat the Celtics, tries a step back 20 footer and bricks it. In overtime down three he tries to hit a 3 to tie the game back up with a minute left and hits the top of the backboard.

I’m not the biggest Lou Williams fan in the world because he is so bad on the defensive end but if the Sixers need one shot to win the game it should to be the hottest player on the floor not named Iguodala, and tonight Williams was the hottest shooter. It is a major fear in the playoffs that the Sixers will be down a point or two, or even tied, and Iguodala will shoot, and everyone in Philly knows how that story will end. Iggy could be a major factor on a championship winning team one day because of his defense and athleticism, but he can’t be the primary player if that team is going to have any chance, it’s a simple fact.

The other fear is that a good big man will eat the Sixers alive like Al Jefferson did tonight with 30 and 17. Every time the 76ers are ready to make a push to steal the 6th seed from the Knicks, who have been faltering lately, they seem to blow the game and drop. After the Celtics victory fans were starting to get pumped, but these back to back losses hurt the momentum. The Sixers need to regroup and get back to the winning ways at home.

Coming down the stretch I thought “here we go again”. This game was different though, the Sixers defense was unbelievable. Not just in the last 5 minutes but the whole game. Combine that with the lucky running finger-roll that Andre Iguodala threw in to ice the game, and that is a perfect recipe for an upset.

Ray Allen only had 5 points and didn’t hit his first bucket til the 4th quarter. Rajon Rondo only had 5 assists, well under his 12 per game average. Jrue Holiday played Rondo to a standstill, and the same can be said for Brand vs Garnett, while Meeks outplayed Allen and Iguodala outplayed Pierce. The only frustrating part of the entire game was watching Kristic and Jeff Green have their best games in their new Celtic uniform.

This is by far the biggest win for the Sixers this year, including the Spurs win at home recently, because this shows them that they can play with the big boys in the eastern conference at home. This win moves the Sixers an inch closer to catching the Knicks for the 6th spot in the east, only a 1/2 game back now. This loss for the Celtics also puts them only a 1/2 game up on Chicago if Chicago wins tonight at home vs the Hawks which they will.

This win makes up for the sour end of game loss the Sixers had against the Thunder the other night. My only criticism for the game is the bad end of game offense the Sixers showed again. They failed time after time to convert, until Iggy took Pavlovic 1-on-1 and hit a running, awkward lay-up over Garnett to seal the deal. Like I said earlier however, was they didn’t let up on the defensive end and let Boston hit clutch shots. The Sixers have to travel to Milwaukee tomorrow for what will be a tough road game.

With a 5 point lead and under 1:30, I said the Sixers just have to score once to win this game. Their next four possessions went like this: Shot clock violation, Lou Williams tough-shot fade-away miss, Iguodala air ball, and Iguodala charging call with 2 seconds left. Meanwhile, the Thunder run a play for Durant and he hits a 3 pointer with 6 seconds left to tie the game, even though everyone and their grandmother knew OKC was going to run a Durant screen for three.

I always give major respect to Doug Collins for the job he has done this season but he is not a good late game coach, the Sixers have lost so many games thanks to pathetic execution down the stretch. I don’t usually like blaming the coach for this because players make plays not coaches, but he needed to run one play for Jrue who was having a great game, and 22 points, against Westbrook. He also should have said everyone deny Durant the ball down three, but that is just the way it goes sometimes.

I was almost counting this game as a win for the 76ers and hoping for their fourth straight win before playing Boston Friday and most likely losing. After another blown game, it doesn’t leave me feeling good come playoff time because they rarely ever execute at the end of games and almost find ways to lose games.

Durant and Westbrook killed the 76ers tonight. The number one issue right now is they lack a player who can protect the rim and give them easy garbage points, the Sixers need to find that next year, either by draft, trade or free agency.

As good as Iggy has been playing lately, and as great as a defender he is, he is that equally bad trying to score the ball. The air ball and charge to end regulation, and seal the Sixers fate, leaves a worse taste in my mouth than the garlic fries I ate tonight. Obviously, they failed in overtime, if you couldn’t tell, and most likely they will lose Friday to the Celtics and continue to lose ground vs the Knicks.

How many more close games can the Sixers blow? Do they think they are the Heat?

The Sixers under Doug Collins kind of remind me of the Pistons teams that were good for all those years, but everyone on the team is young instead of a solid veteran. They play good defense, they hustle like they are still playing college basketball, and they just continue winning. The main difference besides the age is they don’t have the one guy who can make the big shot when they need it like Billups used to do.

Before you go to crazy, I’m not saying they are as good as the Pistons team that won it, they are just similar. Everyone on the team can score double figures and they can really defend the perimeter, if only they had a really good Center to patrol the paint and rebound. Tonight the Sixers had 7 guys reach double figures and not including Lou Williams who  averages over 10 for the year.

If you take away that abysmal start of the season, where the Sixers were still trying to forget everything that Eddie Jordan taught them, and they went 3-13, they are one of the hottest teams since, and are 30-17. They are only a 1/2 game behind the New Look Knicks for the 6th seed, and the way Miami is playing, I wouldn’t count out the Sixers in that series, although I don’t think they match up particularly well with the Heat.

Speaking of the Heat and their struggles. In the offseason and after the start I wanted Iggy gone so we could rebuild with this young squad. Now, there is no way I would ever trade Iguodala for Chris Bosh, who not only is a fraud of an all star, but resembles a power forward who I wouldn’t even start on my team. It is funny how much changes during a season.

The Sixers play the scary Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow at home. This is going to be a true test of what the Sixers playoff hopes are going to be. If they can beat a very good team at home, then the Bulls or Heat are going to be in for quite a series.