Okay, okay so my girlfriend unceremoniously kicked me to the curb back in July and she didn’t even have a four post bed anyway. (Mighta been better if she did. That headboard banging against the wall got to be… never mind.) Anyway, sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, when the NBA season tips off, best believe Saint Dougie is rocking the halo. For I steadfastly remain holier than most when it comes to the hardwood, ‘nah mean? Yeah, I watched the 2nd round of the NBA Draft sure as I watched “The Decision” and when “LeBroad” took his talents to South Beach, my first thoughts were, “When is that circus coming to Philadelphia so I can serenade him with the hosanna of BOO?” Lo and behold, the schedule makers didn’t make me wait. Game #2 for the Heat? Sixers. In the 215, the Illadelph, the City of Brotherly Love, home of one of the NBA’s current dysfunctional franchises, cursed by the ghost of AI past.

So last night, it went down and from my 3rd row seat, I damn near got “LeBroad’s” baby powder in my eyes. First off, if you know Sixer hoops lately, the last few seasons the crowd gets loudest when the dumbest mascot in mascot history, a buffed up, doo-rag rocking rabbit named Hip-Hop shoots cheap t-shirts into the crowd. But last night was different. There was some hostility in the crowd. Venom. LeBron fatique, let’s call it. The boos were hearty, rancorous and coming from 12 year old boys and 70 year old grandmas. Sure there were the usual assortment of LeBron, D Wade and Heat Stans but they were soundly defeated in the boos to cheers ratio. If LeBron may relish being the villain as his latest commercial implies, he is going to have a fine ol’ time of it this season.

As for the game itself, the Heat were a 7 point favorite and Saint Dougie, pondering last night’s Heat loss in Beantown and their likely foul mood and the Sixers miserable preseason showing, went Heat and went hard. Sure enough, the early crowd emotion carried the Sixers for a bit, but by halftime the Heat were up 8 and by the end of the 3rd, the lead had ballooned to 26. While LeBron floundered with a whopping 9 turnovers (For those of you scoring at home, that’s an un-King like 17 turnovers in two games for LeBron!), D Wade dazzled and some cat named James Jones made 6 3 pointers to fuel the 3 quarter rout. For me, it was all over but the shouting from the bookie as to why Vegas would set that line so low. With 9 minutes to play, the lead was a comfortable 23 and with the last of my Goose/Cran/7-Ups polished off, I meandered out to the concourse to bask in the glow of victory. Perusing the souvenir shop, I heard the crowd buzz a bit here and there before returning to my seat with 4 minutes to play and the Sixers suddenly within 11! STUGOTS! When a Jrue Holiday 3 splashed through to cut the Heat lead to 5 with 40 seconds to play as the whistle sounded, I was dumbfounded. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Alas, Lou Williams was called for a charge on the kick-out pass to Holiday and the bucket was waved off. After the Heat scored on the other end to push the lead to 10, the Sixers missed one last shot and that was a wrap. Cha-ching. The hard way. “It’s the NBA. Everyone makes a run.” That old saying never ran truer, even a few days shy of All Saints Day.

Here and There

• The notion of “Star Calls” being a fallacy was patently shattered again last night. The Sixers Lou Williams used the shot fake from 3, drew the defender in the air and leaned in and was clobbered not once but twice on his attempts. NO CALL. Literally 1 minute after the 2nd no-call, D Wade pulled the same move and was awarded foul shots. The dude he pump faked into him? An incredulous Lou Williams.
  
  
  

• The grumblings of Sixer rookie and #2 overall draft pick Evan Turner being a bust were knocked back a big peg last night with his impressive showing. 16 points on 7-10 shooting, 7 boards (including a man’s O board in traffic with a stick-back and an and-one for his first NBA hoop), 4 assists, fairly solid defense on LeBron for a stretch and a wicked cross-over of Wade (check the footage for that one). Kid is gonna be fine.
  
  
  

• Shout-out to the NBA on their new “Big Head” Commericals. Saint Dougie is down with it. Click here to check it out.
  
  
  

• Shout-out to the OKC Thunder crowd last night. Was that opening night in the NBA in that place or Cameron Indoor Stadium during Duke/Carolina in February?