A Salute to Sixers

After a roller coaster of a season that began with a lockout and ended with the Sixers nearly making the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, I would like to send my salute to a great season. As a big Sixers fan and regular attendee of a lot of home games, I am proud of the effort, the confidence and the never surrender attitude that this young and talented team brought to the court every single night. At the beginning of the season, I did not know what to expect. The team retained most of the same lineup as the prior year. While a playoff team in the 2011 season, they were quickly sent home by the Miami Heat. The new year had arrived with a very tight schedule and a shortened season due to the lockout. The team got off to a great start. There were some solid runs and a few dips. By the end of the season, Philly had dropped in the seeding, barely making the playoffs. I thought this was typical as the past few years had been similar. The playoffs rolled around and Philly matched up against Chicago, whom they had played well against all year. Despite the Rose injury, the series was still competitive. This team showed up to the big stage. In the next round, they proved that they could play with the best in the league by taking Boston to seven games. The great thing about this team is that most of the core pieces were homegrown and built through the draft. I believe that last year was the true beginning to the new era of greatness in Philadelphia. This season was the proving ground to show that this team means business. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the next season and beyond. Thank you for an entertaining and competitive season.