Thrashing by Celtics May Signal Beginning of the End for the Sixers

What, you don’t think an NBA season can end before April? You’re wrong.

There’s no end of damage momentum, or lack thereof, can do to an NBA team over the course of a season if left unchecked.

That’s why, aside from the MLB, no sports league allows nearly as many timeouts as the NBA. After all, several head coaches use the majority of their timeouts with the sole intention of breaking the other team’s momentum.

That’s just how powerful the damn thing is, and right now the Sixers have none of it.

Boston’s a tough team to beat—after compiling a 29-3 record in the Atlantic Division over the last two seasons, that pretty much goes without saying. But there’s no excuse for the 31-point rout the Sixers allowed the Celtics to serve up on their home floor Tuesday.

While the Sixers may not have the raw talent to compete against the league’s elite, they’re going to have to find a way to compete—fast.

Philadelphia isn’t a city known for its tolerance. While Sixers’ management may be content to simply bide their time and uphold their quickly diminishing status quo, it won’t take long for the City of Brotherly Love to show their love isn’t unconditional.

As recently as this time last year, the Sixers’ average attendance numbers were only 12,601, ranking them 28th out of the NBA’s 30 teams. The Sixers’ attendance isn’t a whole lot better now, and there’s nothing more disheartening for a young team than playing in front of a small, uninterested crowd. 

Besides, it's not as though the Sixers’ management doesn’t have enough financial problems as it is. 

Tonight, the Sixers will attempt to defend their home court against the winless New Jersey Nets. Beating them certainly won’t redeem Tuesday’s demoralizing defeat, but it would be a start, and something’s going to need to start changing soon.

The Sixers may be a young team, but they’re running out of time faster than they think.