As the sun rises on another Easter Sunday morning, it could very well be setting on another Sixers season before you sit down for dinner this evening. The Sixers trail the Miami Heat 3-0 in the best of seven first round series. They have played admirably in two of the three games thus far, only to come up short.
I’m not a believer in moral victories, but the Sixers need to extend this series at least by one game – Jrue Holiday needs it, Thaddeus Young needs it and Evan Turner needs it.
Nothing much was expected from the younger, less experienced Sixers from the get-go, they are where many thought they would be after three games in this series. And even if a victory only punched their tickets back to Miami for a likely elimination, the Sixers need to win this game today at home today for nothing more than pride.
Yesterday, the Indiana Pacers facing elimination dug down deep and held off the Chicago Bulls force a Game 5 in what has been a hard fought series, the Pacers are in a similar position as the Sixers with young players at several positions and even endured a 
coaching change in the midst of their playoff chase.
Friday night the Sixers had a great opening run with a maniacal crowd at their back, they got contributions from Elton Brand, Lou Williams and Holiday – Andre Iguodala handed out 10 assists but his poor shooting hurt the team at key moments and in many situations should have considered passing.
Game plans and diagrams to beat Miami were trashed Thursday night, it all comes down to winning a basketball game today. If the Heat trash the Sixers in Miami in Game 5, so be it -just not on our home floor.
One of the most humiliating moments in Sixers history was when the Knicks swept the Sixers in the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Patrick Ewing & Co. actually swept the floor of the old Philadelphia Spectrum and although I don’t believe any of the Miami Heat staff made visits to Home Depot yesterday, the overall feeling would be just as bad.
Winning Game 5, is only prolonging the inevitable, but for the young players on this team it will go a long way in their careers. Hopefully, the thought of being swept out of the Playoffs puts a damper on what has been a tremendous season – it doesn’t negate the effort but it leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
The Sixers have had some great moments this season, coming back from a 3-13 start, the chase to get to .500, the progression of Jrue Holiday, the emergence of Young and Williams – the grit of Elton Brand.
I would love to add a Playoff victory over the Miami Heat to the list.
