<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> SHOULDN'T FEEL like this. No matter how disappointed I am in the 76ers' dismal performance this season, things should still matter. It's always better to win than lose. It's better to make the playoffs than to not make the playoffs - even if doing so will only mean a quick one-and-done cameo. Still, I'm not particularly upset by the Sixers' 99-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls last night at the Wachovia Center. It doesn't bother me that Chicago has now moved a half-game ahead of the Sixers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. I mean, really, if the Sixers themselves don't care whether they make the playoffs, why should I? Or, for that matter, anyone else? And let's be clear - the Sixers no longer care. They might say the right things about still fighting and things never being over until they are over, but actions always speak louder than words. And the Sixers' actions over the past several weeks reveal an organization that has done little more than give lip service to the notion that it truly wants to be in the playoffs. From president Billy King's failure to change his obviously flawed roster to head coach Maurice Cheeks' still having a team that makes the same stupid mistakes to, most important, the players not giving a rat's behind about coming to play in supposed must-win situations; this franchise, from top to bottom, has basically thrown in the towel on the 2005-06 season. How can you reach any other conclusion? After Tuesday's pathetic effort in a 124-91 loss in Cleveland, Cheeks told his players he felt some of them didn't show up. If you have any pride as a professional, that's one of the most damning things a coach can tell you. If you care even a little bit about being a competitor, a statement like that should motivate you to play with a little more effort the next time out. Not your 76ers; they were worse last night than the one before. At least Cleveland is a good team. LeBron James & Co. shouldn't have cranked the Sixers, but no one was surprised they lost. Chicago, however, is not a good team. There's a reason this was a battle for the last playoff spot. This was a game you could reasonably expect the Sixers to win. Still, Chicago jumped out to an insurmountable 2-0 advantage and never looked back. The Sixers never led, and tied it only once, at 4-4. They were down, 32-18, after one quarter. How does a team that is really trying to cling to its half-game lead for a playoff spot let that happen? How does a team walk onto its home court and shoot 26.3 percent, while letting a bad opponent shoot 60.9 percent to take a 14-point lead and seize control of a playoff stretch-run game? "It's not about talent," Sixers guard Allen Iverson said after he and his teammates continued their playoff push by losing for the ninth time in 12 games. "Obviously, you have to have talent to make it to the NBA. "But once you are there and on a roster, it takes far more than [talent]. Guys have to be mentally prepared to deal with this, and it's all mostly effort when it comes to this game. "It's effort, determination and wanting to do it." The Sixers haven't shown any of that for a very long time. They made a run against Chicago. With a little more than a minute remaining, Iverson made two free throws to make the score 89-86. It was just a tease to trick the crowd into believing the Sixers actually wanted to win. Bulls forward Andres Nocioni then waltzed through the Sixers' defense to score an uncontested layup; Chris Webber responded by missing a baby hook in the lane. Chris Duhon dropped two free throws for the Bulls. Iverson answered with a miss. End of story. Unfortunately, it's not the end of the season. There are still eight more torturous games for this team to put us through. It should matter. It should matter that this team win as many games as it can down the stretch and make the playoffs - even it means nothing more than a four-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. But if the Sixers don't feel as if it's worth their energy to even try, why should you or I expend our energy to care?</div> Source
I don't even think the 76ers are tanking, they just suck. They play with zero intensity. Especially for how important these games are down the stretch for them to make the playoffs.
From watching the games, it appears that the only players that really care are Iverson, Webber, and definitely Ollie. The rest of the guys aren't helping AI and Webber out enough. They are thinking that those two want it so bad, they could get it done themselves, but that isn't the case.
