Losing This One Could Be Tough: Sixers Face East-Worst Magic at Home

You gotta respect the Orlando Magic's commitment to losing. They trade
one of the five best players in the league away and get nary a big-name
player or top-flight prospect in return, then they trade their best
player (only JJ Redick, but still) before the trade deadline for a
couple of scraps, none of whom are even starting for this 15-41 team.
Yes, the Orlando Magic are tanking the right way, losing 28 of their
last 31 games, all but guaranteeing themselves one of the league's worst
records and best chances at a top draft pick this summer—and probably a
couple more summers to follow.

That said, the Sixers have been
giving them a run for their money recently. Like Orlando, Philly has
lost their last five straight, and appear to basically be coming apart
at the seams—though at least we have arguable team MVP Thaddeus Young
back now, and if the practice session that the Funny-Looking Kid With
the Big Hair engaged in a couple days ago caused one or more of his
limbs to disintegrate...well, nobody's reported about it yet, anyway.
The Sixers actually have to be considered the favorite tonight, taking
on the utterly miserable Magic at home.

Still, given Coach
Collins' craftiness in his tanking efforts lately, we can't count the
Sixers out of losing this one completely. Look for Kwame Brown to get
the start because of "matchup concerns," for Jeremy Pargo to get 30
minutes because of a "gut feeling" and for Damien Wilkins to play at
crunch time because "he has a dad that was pretty good at basketball."
You hearing us, Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan? WE'RE COMING FOR THAT
NUMBER THIRTY SPOT.

7:00 tip from the WFC. In other news, John Mitchell writes that "Playing Bynum Won't Help the Sixers,"
which makes me wonder what will help the Sixers at this point. Voodoo?
Time travel? Opposite Day? Is there an Opposite Day coming up?