Supermen

(I guess Igoudala read my post questioning his ability to lead the Sixers and develop into the star that they need -- see: Andre the (Not So) Giant. But before we hail him as the true successor to the first A.I., keep in mind that before his game-winning shot, his 18-8-8 stat line was actually underwhelming, and more will be required from him if the Sixers hope to actually win the series.)

Parallels are often drawn between the world of sports and that of superheroes, with players often being depicted as having incredible powers, above and beyond those of the average human. If this parallel has any merit than the Sixers must have gotten their collective inner-Superman on, because they sure dodged a bullet in game 1 of the Orlando series. It did not look promising for a while, as the Sixers were flat-out outplayed in the third quarter, giving the Philly faithful that sinking feeling of similarity that they have become so familiar with over the past few years of first round exists. However, thanks to major contributions for the apparently ageless Theo Ratliff and Donyell Marshall, along with some late-game heroics from their star, the Sixers managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and gain the upper hand in the series.

Over 75% of teams that win the first game go on to win the series. However, with that being said, this is already not an ordinary series with the underdog Sixers serving as the kryptonite to Orlando and their own Superman, Dwight Howard, in the first game. The Magic are certainly going to come out determined and focused in game 2, making them very difficult to beat as they have demonstrated all season. But, the Sixers have Orlando on their heels, and should come out on the attack. Overcoming a double-digit, second half deficit against one of the L’s best teams is an extremely difficult task and the Sixers should avoid putting themselves in this position, regardless of their wisdom-defying win in game one. In order to do this, they must take the game a quarter at a time, and not allow themselves to get dominated as they did in the third. This will put them in position to win the game in the fourth, without requiring Iggy to put on a cape and serve as the Sixer’s superhero. Despite his spectacular last shot, slightly more production out of Iguodala will be necessary for the Sixers to win the series. His 20-8-8 resembled his season averages, which need to be bumped up come playoff time, especially considering he is the team’s de-facto star. The surprising offensive output from the aforementioned Marshall and Ratliff were well-appreciated, and their continued contributions will be crucial throughout the series. More production must come from Thaddeus Young, who developed into the team’s second-option in the regular season, and Samuel Dalembert, who added a paltry seven points in seventeen minutes. Lastly, the Sixers must do a better job defensively on Dwight Howard, who had a monster game with 31 points and 16 rebounds (both improvements from his MVP-caliber regular season numbers). Luckily, this responsibility does not fall on one man, but can be diffused between several players. Thus, it will be up to Dalembert, Ratliff, Speights, and Evans to slow the superstar. If the Sixers can successfully make these adjustments, they may just be able to pull the upset in the series and spoil the Magic’s stellar season, which will certainly take a super heroic effort from the squad.