<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><div align="center"></div> It started in April, when the Sixers hired Jim O?Brien to be the 19th head coach in 76ers history. The Philadelphia native came back to his hometown to lead the Sixers, and eventually brought most of his staff with him from his last stop in Boston. The team?s first move of the O?Brien era was to select Iguodala with the ninth overall pick in the draft. A forward who chose to enter the draft after his sophomore season, Iguodala was labeled by some as having Scottie Pippen-type qualities to his game. ?[Draft day] was a great day for the city of Philadelphia and the 76ers because we were able to get a player in Andre that will fit how we want to play,? King said at Iguodala?s introductory press conference. ?We?re excited he was there. We didn?t feel he was going to be there. We were going to try to move up to get him. And this is probably the first time in my eight years that we really liked the player targeted and were able to get him.? After a week-long training camp at Duke University and a three-week, eight-game preseason schedule during which the team went 6-2, the Sixers started playing for keeps at Boston on Nov. 3. In that game, the Sixers went down by 18 in the third quarter before roaring back for a 98-95 win, giving O?Brien his first Sixers coaching victory against his old team. The erasure of a big deficit would develop as a theme for the Sixers throughout the season ? the team erased five more double-digit leads for opposing teams, including another 18-point comeback against Denver on Feb. 14 and a 17-point rally against Indiana on Nov. 12.</div> <div align="center">Full Story</div> It?s a good article if you ask me. But when I take a look back at what happened throughout the season I've realized that we actually had a better season than I thought. I'm just anxious to start the new season; if everything goes according I don't see why we can't be a 50+ win ball club. Adding Webber to this ball club is big and quite frankly I don't see why we can't have a 7+ win improvement. Heck, if we had a definite rotation and we learned how to hold on to a double digit lead with 2 minutes remaining we would probably be a 50 win ball club or real close to it for that matter. As for the season in entirety, it was one hell of a ride and that said, my question to you is? What was the most memorable thing about the 04-05 campaign? (I would post a poll, but I'm sure that I will be leaving many memorable things out.) My most memorable thing this past season has to be either... Iverson 60 point game, his first GW shot or the development of our young guys, particularly Korver and Iguodala. What?s your take on this?
Jolovitz: A Look Back, A Look Ahead <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The weather is warming up, and summer is near. If you are lucky enough to spend a day at Six Flags Over The Wachovia Center with your family, make sure you ride the just completed roller coaster, THE SIXERS' 2004-05 TRIP AROUND THE NBA. It will give you thrills, chills, and you never know when the drops, bends, or rises are coming. As you hurtle through Sixerland, there is one thought that will never come to your mind, and that is 'I am bored'. Let's take a virtual preview trip of this ride, and then I'll give you a sneak peek as to what rides might be coming next season. The 2004-05 season was largely about AI. Both of them. When Sixers' President and General Manager Billy King drafted Arizona's Andre Iguodala with the ninth pick last June, I'll bet even he did not realize that he had just acquired the only player who would start all 82 games for new Head Coach Jim O'Brien. Athletic, savvy, fan-friendly, and coachable, AI did not disappoint. His high flying, rim rattling dunks wowed crowds and players alike, but it was his work ethic and defense that moved Coach O'Brien to let Sixers' PA Announcer Matt Cord and road announcers alike introduce him each and every night. In finishing fourth in Rookie Of The Year voting, as well as making the All-Rookie Team, AI Jr. energized both AI Sr. and the young nucleus alike. NBA drafts are like the curtains on 'Let's Make A Deal'; sometimes there is a shiny new sports car behind the pick, sometimes day-old bread. Billy King struck gold with the Ferrari named Andre. Jim O'Brien came home to coach the team he rooted for during his childhood. Jack Ramsay's son-in-law and Rick Pitino's right hand man for many years, O'Brien was handed the keys to the kingdom by Billy King. Jim was to put an end to the coaching merry-go-round, which in the space of about a year saw Larry Brown, Randy Ayers, and Chris Ford either jump or get pushed off. Intelligent, hard working, thoughtful, and stubborn are just a few words that come to mind when describing the coach. Starting slow, finishing strong, and with many peaks and valleys in between, Jim O'Brien spent the season trying to figure out what he had and how to use it. With one signature move, the ride was off in October. Allen Iverson would be in the front car of this roller coaster, the new point guard. AI was now playing on the ball, which he had done his rookie year. Larry Brown moved him to the off-guard position, and there he played for seven seasons. While in the lexicon of basketball AI was technically called the POINT guard, in my opinion this misses the POINT, literally. Calling AI a point guard is like calling Leonardo Da Vinci a painter. Technically true, but it really misses the point. Allen likes to call himself a BASKETBALL PLAYER, without regard to position. Is he the conductor that John Stockton was and new MVP Steve Nash is? Nope. Is he a walk-it-up general like Eric Snow? Nope. Is he a virtuoso passer a-la Jason Kidd? Nope. Allen is a CREATOR, both for himself and for others. He never was a true off-guard, and he will never be a true point guard. However, just like in Da Vinci's case, this is a good thing.</div> <div align="center">Full Story</div> Similar article to the one posted above, but Paul Jolovitz gives his opinions on certain things that happened during the course of the season and what he sees for the 76ers in the near future.
We all have seen maybe great highlight reels from the 76ers season this year, but what is your favorite? Iggy`s dunk over Jermaine Jones? AI`s back to back 50 point games, or his game winner against Indiana? What is your favorite?
