So the second coming of AI is officially over.  In all, the man appeared in 25 games.  He averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 assists, and shot 37% from the field.  The Sixers won 10 of those 25 games.  They won 6 of the 11 games he sat out.  Modest numbers for a humbled man.

So, what to make of AI 2k10?  To start, the circumstances involving his return reeked of overwhelming desperation.  The Sixers, on one hand, were desperate to breathe life into a wheezing franchise, and Iverson, on the other, was desperate to reconstruct the unrecognizable remnants of a once stellar career.  The whole thing seemed forced.  Yes it was a reunion, but it wasn’t a reunion of ideal circumstances.  The Sixers and Iverson were exes, reuniting not because of a mutual attraction, but because of the collective rejection and heartache they suffered while apart.  In short, they were both damaged goods.

What followed was a surreal homecoming game against Denver.  On the surface, everything seemed to fit the script of a heroes’ glorious return.  The media and fans arrived in droves.  Pregame introductions were a spectacle.  Iverson knelt to kiss center court and the crowd erupted.  But there was an underlying sadness to the whole thing.  This was a fan base desperate for a reason to cheer, a team desperate to drum up a little interest, and a player desperate to recapture some of that old glory.  The air was thick with delusion.  It just felt sad is all.

Now, a few months later, that night can be looked upon within the scope of the man’s entire career.  It affords one the opportunity to reminisce  on all of it.  The good and the bad.  The MJ crossover, the Tyrone Lue stomp, the hand cupped to the ear, the PRACTICE, the Olympic disappointment, the Jerry Stackhouses and the Glenn Robinsons and the C Webbs, Larry Brown, Pat Croce and on and on.

That night, reality eventually set in.  AI missed a few shots, he was a little slower and a little out of shape.  The Sixers lost and within a few weeks the seats were empty again.

Maybe AI’s return was irrelevant in the present.  But it did allow us one more chance to look into the past.  Remember when AI stole an inbounds pass to lock up a regular season victory?  I do.  He reacted like it was game 7 of the Finals.  He mobbed fans in the front row.  He cupped his hand to his ear and he yelled, guttural and raw.  Real.  He was the man.  He will be missed.  Thanks for the memories AI.  All of them.

Break out the thesaurus.  Depressing.  Pathetic.  Disgusting.  Embarrassing.  Shameful.  Aggravating.  Asinine.  Horrendous.

Take your pick.  The Sixers were all of the above and more Saturday night in a 97-76 drubbing courtesy of the Utah Jazz.  Murphy’s Law truly was in effect.  But it wasn’t just troublesome luck that foiled the Sixers, it was a lack of effort and execution.  Sam Dalembert apparently decided he wanted the night off and proceeded to commit 5 egregious fouls by the start of the 4^th quarter.  Andre Iguodala, after a turnover, collapsed to the floor, clutching his knee.  After failing to get back on defense, he miraculously recovered in time to join his team on the offensive end.  Maurice Speights was 0-8 from the floor.  Elton Brand forced difficult shot after difficult shot, and Eddie Jordan was left helpless, sulking on the sideline as if someone had called him metal mouth in homeroom.

Let’s face it.  If you’re team is on a losing streak, you are praying the Sixers are next on the docket.   A game after helping the Washington Wizards halt a 3 game skid, the Sixers were more than happy to help Utah end a 2 game slide of their own.  That is not to imply that Utah took this game.  The Sixers clearly gift wrapped this one as if they were Old Saint Nick themselves.  After hanging around for most of the contest, the Sixers went 0-12 from the field to begin the 4^th quarter.  They managed a laughable 12 points for the entire quarter, with most of those baskets coming in garbage time.  They played not a shred of discernable defense, allowing open shot after open shot.  It truly was a pathetic effort.

After such a lackluster performance, players should be embarrassed.  Coaches should also be embarrassed for not possessing the ability to inspire or galvanize.  And fans should be embarrassed.  They should feel some tinge of the second hand embarrassment complicit with witnessing a comedian bomb onstage, or someone stutter their way through a terrible story.  Tonight the story was embarrassment itself, and everyone on the Sixers end should go bury their heads in the sand.

Eddie Jordan wanted this one bad.  He was agitated.  He paced the sidelines.  He snarled at players and referees alike, heavy fluorescent light gleaming off of his braced teeth.  In the end the Sixers couldn’t match their coaches’ intensity, falling 105-98 to Jordan’s former team, the Washington Wizards.  They are now 0-2 against the Wizards this year.

After a thrilling win against Boston Friday night, the Sixers appear to have reverted back to form; dropping an OT heartbreaker to the Clippers Saturday night, and fading fast down the stretch against Washington on Tuesday.

Trailing by 3 at halftime, the Sixers opened the 3^rd quarter playing inspired ball.  They quickly forced 3 turnovers and built a 4 point lead.  The surge led Washington coach Flip Saunders to go hockey on his team, line-changing all five of his starters for reserves simultaneously.  The move was moot however, as the Sixers maintained their advantage and entered the 4^th quarter with a 7 point lead.

In the 4^th the Sixers crumbled.  Porous defense and migraine inducing turnovers led to an evaporation of the lead.  Eddie Jordan coiled tighter than a Manny Pacquiao fist, and the Wizards took over.

Gilbert Arenas did his part as well, scoring 31 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.  Down the stretch he was continually allowed a clear path to the basket and he took advantage.

The Sixers face the Wizards once more this season.  Eddie Jordan will be desperate for a victory.  Hopefully his players will oblige.

Lebron James did what he does; namely, stuff a stat sheet and take the game over in the closing minutes.  The Sixers did what they do: lose.  All in all it was a predictable night.  Everything is in order.  The world goes on spinning.

One game after ending a 12 game losing streak with a 117-101 shellacking of the Golden State Warriors, the Sixers reverted back to form Wednesday night.  They played the Cavs tough, hung with them the entire game, but ultimately succumbed.  The loss drops the Sixers to 0-12 against teams with winning records.

The Sixers led 96-93 with 4:45 remaining in the fourth quarter when Lebron decided to be Lebron.  He promptly stepped in front of an Allen Iverson pass and buried a three in transition.  With the game knotted, he found Mo Williams on consecutive possessions out of the pick and roll.  Williams knocked down the open shots, Lebron got the assists, the Cavs took a five point lead.  With 1:17 remaining James knocked down a contested 18 footer to seal the Sixers fate.  Lebron’s final line: 36 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds.  Pretty standard for the King.

This loss was not without its bright spots however.  Maurice Speights returned after missing nearly 6 weeks and netted 14 points to go with 4 boards in limited minutes.  Rookie Jrue Holiday continues to impress.  His game is still developing (at 19, he is the youngest player in the league), but his court awareness is improving rapidly and his tenacious defense kept Mo Williams in irons all night.  Elton Brand, coming off the bench for the second straight game, added some desperately needed scoring and stability to the reserve unit.

Despite the positives, ultimately the Sixers failed to extend their win streak beyond one game, although it is difficult to crucify them, considering they did run into Lebron.  Things look similarly bleak Friday night, as Boston is slated to roll into town.  One of these days the Sixers will piece together a few wins…one of these days.

3 minutes to go…Allen Iverson enters a deadlocked game…

1 minute to go…Iverson buries a 15 footer  to tie the game at 86

8 seconds to go…trailing by 2…

AI recieves the inbounds pass at half court…he approaches the top of the key…he finds Andre Iguodala open beyond the arc…he dishes…Iguaodala releases for the win…CLANG!  Iguodala is heavy with it.  The Sixers lose their 11^th straight game.

Just two nights ago Allen Iverson’s re-debut jolted the Wachovia Center back to life.  Media swarmed the arena; fans arrived early and stayed late. Iverson kissed center court during pre-game intros, and the Sixers were relevant for the first time in years.  They then proceeded to lose their 10^th straight game.

It appears the honeymoon is over.  On Wednesday night the buzz was less palpable.  People still donned their AI jerseys and eyes still followed the man as if he were illuminated, but the crowd was thinner; the game less of a spectacle.  And the Sixers lost their 11^th straight game.

In the 2 games since his return, Iverson is a combined 7-21 from the floor.  He has clearly lost a step, and clearly is not in basketball shape.  He is deferential on the offensive end.  But he is still a magnetic figure.  He deserves the attention his return has garnered.  Now he needs to find a way to help this team win some games.  If he does that, the spectacle may continue.  If not, the Sixers will again slide into irrelevancy.  Here’s hoping Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets can legitimize Philadelphia’s already waning interest in the spectacle that is AI.

In short this club is ailing.  And the higher ups think they have found a cure in a 34 year old, former league MVP, who was recently handed his walking papers by the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.  But hey, desperate times right?  And when one is ailing, desperate measures must be taken.  When comedian Andy Kaufman was diagnosed with a rare form a lung cancer he flew to the Philippines and underwent psychic surgery; an altogether debunked and crude medical procedure.  When George Costanza came down with tonsillitis he turned to holistic healer Tor Eckman for aide.

So what the hell?  Bring back the Answer.  He is sure to generate a few blips on the LCD.  The Sixers have already been discussed more in the past 48 hours than they have the previous 2 months of the season.  Fans will turn out on Monday; nostalgia will thicken the thinning Wachovia Center air, and, hopefully, AI will give them a show.

But be forewarned, this is merely a Band-Aid on a gash; a desperation stab at revival, a Kaufman, a Costanza. And let us not forget.  Despite their best intentions, Andy Kauffman met a rather unfortunate and painful end, and George Costanza’s face was left looking like a baboon’s ass.

Here’s hoping AI can buck the trend, because no one wants to look like a baboon’s ass.

Four games into this young season the Philadelphia 76ers stand at a benign 2-2.  So far there have been little surprises.  They have defeated who you would expect (New York, Milwaukee), and have been thoroughly handled by who you would expect (Orlando, Boston).  Despite their predictable start, the team has a slightly different look and feel.  Here are some early season observations:

Perimeter Defense: The Sixers perimeter D has more holes than a hobo’s sock.  On opening night they surrendered 16 threes to Orlando.  Against Boston, they allowed Rasheed Wallace to bury 6 threes in a reserve roll; one away from his career high.  In their two losses, opponents have hit 30 threes while shooting 63% from beyond the arc.  It truly is a challenge to conceive of numbers so feeble, but it isn’t as challenging to diagram a source.  Pick and rolls and dribble penetration have forced the defense to collapse, creating open looks.  Poor close outs have created subsequent penetration and open looks.   In this case the word subsequent denotes a cycle.  Unfortunately, this cycle will bury the Sixers if they do not deal with it in the near future.

The Princeton Offense: Despite their defensive struggles, the team has not been devoid of excitement, provided most notably by Coach Eddie Jordan’s implementation of the Princeton Offense.  This offense stresses constant motion, and encourages all 5 players to look for their shot.  With the unproven Louis Williams manning the point, and Andre Iguodala playing out of position at the 2, the Princeton Offense has allowed the Sixers to compensate for these deficiencies, stressing team play and a series of two and three man games in lieu of traditional isolations and catch and shoot scenarios.  With the burden of running the point in a traditional system removed, Williams has thrived.  He currently averages 17 points per game on 56% shooting.  Iguodala also appears invigorated.  He is tallying career highs in field goal percentage, assists, and points.  As a team the Sixers currently average 105 points per game, while shooting 51% from the field.

Overall: The season is still young, but it is not devoid of promise.  It appears that the starters can play with almost anyone in the league.  If the young bench can continue to develop and mesh, this team could be in for an interesting Spring.  As of now they still appear to be a .500 team, although, thankfully, they are slightly more watchable than the Sixers of the previous few seasons.

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