With the Sixers trailing the Celtics by 1.5 games in the Atlantic, they absolutely must win games like tonight's matchup with the Toronto Raptors if they want to have any shot at earning top honors in the division. Allow us to go on a couple of Toronto-related tangents for a minute here.
I'll say this about the FBI-relocated former Sixers' mascot Hip-Hop: if there was one thing I enjoyed about him it was when he sling-shotted himself into a bunch of trashcans or whatever they were and try to knock as many of them over like bowling pins. There was always the believability that he could actually hurt himself.
Alas, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently sans mascot, but the Toronto Raptors still have some monstrosity of a dinosaur that likes to try and rollerblade down steps while wearing an inflatable costume -- likely an even more laughable endeavor than using yourself as a bowling ball.
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You've probably seen the infamous .GIF of him wiping out in tremendous fashion. The National Post uncovered the story behind this famous fall and it's wonderful. The Canadiens over at TBJ have my favorite take, "From the very first 'So he wanted to rollerblade down the stairs in the
inflatable costume' clause (WHY???), this is great. It puts everything
in perspective and finally answers the question of why the Raptor’s head
is so chompy. I had previously assumed it’s just because he is a hungry
dinosaur, but the deflation really makes sense."
...bear with me for a second on this transition here...
You know what doesn't make sense though? If Lou Williams can score so damn easily, why can't he defend at all? He knows what it takes to stop himself on the offensive end, so why can't he just do that to others at the defensive end?
Again via the Canucks at TBJ, from a Sports Illustrated piece on the Sixers' team-first style and their non-superstar star, Andre Iguodala.
News
“I learned from being a go-to guy what I didn’t like,”
Iguodala says. “Coaches tell you, ‘Get to the hole. Don’t settle for
jump shots.’ So when I guard somebody, I want them to settle for
jumpers—outside the paint but inside the three-point line—and then use
my length to contest late.” [...]“It makes no sense to me why so many good scorers can’t defend,”
Iguodala says. “Like Lou Williams. He’s one of the toughest guys to
guard in the league, but he can’t guard anybody. I don’t get that.”
What's the deal with Lou Williams' defense?
7:00 pm tip from the Wells Fargo Center. Reaaally need to beat the Raptors or we're going to start to worry even more. Andre Iguodala, who was poked pretty harshly in the eye last night, is expected to start and wear goggles. Stylin' Dre.