Tonight the dream the Sixers were chasing came to end. In a must win game 6, the Pistons showed everything they had in a 100-77 blowout at the Wachovia Center. Detroit will move on in these playoffs as the Sixers season comes to an end. Tonight’s game was a dismal one, there is no denying that. There’s also no denying that the Sixers ran into a better basketball team in the Pistons. But after digesting this loss, with months until camps get started for next season, I felt an immense amount of pride for this basketball team. On a night when everything went wrong, it’s time to give props where they are due to the Sixers; a team nobody believed in, and a team that proved critics wrong time and time again.

It’s been written and spoken about how the Sixers were 18-30 in early February, and how their season was over after a loss to Atlanta. They were written off, forgotten, and eyes turned to next year. But one group of guys never gave up, the Philadelphia 76ers team and staff. It was a frustrating season early to say the least, but to go 18-5 after their 18-30 start is something to marvel at. This team was picked to win 25 games, maybe 30 with luck. What’d they do? They won 40 games and took 2 playoff games from the number 2 seed Detroit Pistons. That’s called never giving up. That’s called determination and finding an identity.

Up to that February date on which the Sixers dropped to 12 games under .500, the season had been a roller coaster of emotion coupled with inconsistency. Long time president Billy King, fired. Sixers long distance shooter Kyle Korver, traded. Talks of Andre Miller being dished to another team. Everything bad that could have happened, did happen. But somehow, someway, Mo Cheeks get through to these kids. Somehow, the message was hammered home, the message every athlete should play with: if you go out there on game night and play to your maximum level of potential, good things are going to happen. It’s very fair to say that good things did happen to this team.

So they were 18-30 and finished with 40 wins, but how’d they get there? How about a comeback win over the Wizards? How about a solid performance to beat the Mavericks? What about that 40 point thrashing of arch rival New York (not as impressive, but just as sweet)? What about wins over Orlando, on the road in Phoenix, on the road at Detroit, coming back from more than 20 down on the road against Chicago, beating the defending champion Spurs, and beating league best Boston at their place? These were character wins and season defining wins. The Sixers had a seemingly impossible road to the playoffs facing western conference powerhouses and top teams in the east. But they won, and they continued to win. With each new win came renewed confidence that this is no joke. Also with these wins came a new identity as a run and gun team. This team wasn’t just winning games, they were playing fun basketball too.

One of the biggest catalysts to this unbelievable season was the play of Andre Miller; the captain of the ship. Miller enjoyed his best offensive season ever in the pros, averaging 17 points per game. But he was more than a scorer, he was a leader in all phases of the game. He averaged over 7 assists a game, always knowing where his teammates are on the floor. His quiet demeanor off the court was put aside to a fiery competitor on the floor. The young guys looked up to him and learned from his non-stop effort in all 82 games. Whenever the Sixers needed a bucket, a pass, or energy, it was all Miller.

What of Sami Dalembert? He was given a big contract a few years back that some thought he didn’t deserve, but looking back now, who else would you rather have in the middle? A 7 foot monster in the paint who had his best season on defense, blocking shots and creating havoc in the paint. He averaged a double double, 10 and 10, for the season. Iguodala developed his long jumper too, averaging over 19 points per game.

But perhaps the biggest story is Mo Cheeks confidence in playing the young guys. Jason Smith, rookie. Thaddeus Young, rookie. Lou Williams, 2nd year player. Rodney Carney, 2nd year player. It’s almost fact that the majority of coaches in the league wouldn’t dare play these guys as much as Coach Cheeks did. But through trust came results. Rodney Carney had a fantastic second half, finally finding his shot. Lou Williams took every piece of advice from fellow point guard Mo Cheeks and upped his game big time: his scoring went up 7 points from a year before. Jason Smith was a mystery to fans and the team alike on what his skills would translate into in the NBA. But he developed a sweet jump shot and provided a great deal of energy and ability to run the floor. What can you say about Thaddeus Young that hasn’t been said already? This 19 year old kid averaged 3 points early in the season in little minutes on the floor. At the end of the year? 11 points per contest. Pure athleticism, pure energy, a sweet jump shot that only got better, a high basketball IQ for a rookie, and always willing to learn more. The sky is the limit for this young man.

This summer should be an active one for the Sixers without a doubt. Ed Stefanski and the front office have a lot of decisions to make. What happens with Iguodala, a restricted free agent? What happens about the decision to keep Andre Miller? Will we get a needed big powerful forward to play the 4 (hello Elton Brand!)? What happens in the draft? There’s an unbelievable amount of questions to answer this summer and they will be in time.

But as for right now, in this moment, appreciate what this team gave Sixers fans this year. Philadelphia is known as a football town, but it is so full of rich basketball tradition. From producing NBA players, to the Sixers history, and down to the Big 5 college match-ups, Philadelphia is a basketball hotbed. The 2007-2008 Sixers team gave the fans something to believe in and we rode it until the end. They play fast, they play hard, and they play with heart. There’s nothing more valuable to Philly fans than effort, and this team breathes effort in every game. While tonight’s playoff exit stings, be proud of this group; they went above and beyond what anyone thought they could accomplish. Nobody knows what the future holds for this team, but if you build off what happened this year, it’s going to be more exciting times for this franchise and its fan base.

CONGRATS ON A FANTASTIC SEASON

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all photos from NBA.com