Mischief Night & the Sixers: Perfect together

For some reason, it seems quite appropriate that the Sixers will kick off their 2013-14 season on Mischief Night.

Trick-or-Treat would probably be even better.

The Sixers seem intent on pulling a lame trick on the loyal Philly basketball fans. They are going to be terrible. That doesn't seem to be in question. About the only thing still in question is just how terrible they will be.

No, not that terrible. I still think that Roy Rubin's squad, which set the all-time record for futility by going 9-73 back in 1972-73, is safe. But not by much.

The Sixers, put together by new GM Sam Hinkie and coached by new boss Brett Brown, seem content to tank the season and then take their chances with the ping pong balls in the NBA Draft.

Yesterday, while endorsing Hinkie's methods, Brown sounded an awful lot like a guy on death row, knowing all too well what lies ahead.

What lies ahead tonight is the defending champion Miami Heat and LeBron James. Coupled with the announcement of Sixer great Allen Iverson's retirement, it might give the franchise their high point of the season, both in terms of attendance and excitement.

Has anyone stopped to think about what that building is going to be like for Sixers home games in January and February? It could get ugly.

I am setting the over/under on Sixers victories at 20, and I'm taking the under.

I don't think they'll sink to the levels of the '72-'73 team, but it's not going to be pretty.

The Sixers biggest challenge this year might be trying to hide all those empty seats.

I don't envy them.

But this is the path they've chosen, a promise that while the immediate future is bleak, there is hope down the road.

Buckle your seatbelts, Sixers fans. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

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