NEW YORKIts been a while since the Sixers were relevant. Its been longer still since they had a real rival.
The Sixers played an important Atlantic Division game on Wednesday night in New York. That is a strange sentence to type. Its hard to remember the last time anyone got worked up about the Sixers and Knicks playing each other. When I was a kidor at least when I was youngerI looked forward to those two teams being on the same court. There was a long and ugly history between the franchises and the cities, and besides there was always a good chance that Charles Barkley or Rick Mahorn might try to clobber Patrick Ewing and his teammates with a folding chair WWE-style.
Those were the days, but the memories are old and faded. It was 2001 the last time mid-January rolled around and the first-place Sixers played the second-place Knicks. Jrue Holiday was 10 years old. And the last time New York and Philadelphia finished the season 1-2 in the Atlantic Division? Try 1989. Holiday was still a year from being born. Thats depressing for so many reasons.
The Knicks are one of the best franchises in the league, as the Sixers are, Doug Collins said. When both teams are good, its good for the leaguenot just because were both in big markets but because both franchises mean so much to the league. I just think, when were both good, thats good for the NBA.
The first-place Sixers went to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night and played the second-place Knicks. It was good for the NBA -- but not so terrific for the Sixers. The Knicks were up by as much as 17 in the fourth quarter and did their best to blow the game before winning, 85-79.
The Sixers entered the game holding opponents to 39.2 percent shooting from the floor but allowed the Knicks to hit from all over the court. Carmelo Anthony had 27 points. Amar'e Stoudemire and his superfluous apostrophe had 20. Even jort-wearing Kentucky grad Josh Harrellson had his way with the Sixers defense, scoring 13. (The Harrellson business was like some weird John Calipari-orchestrated optical illusion.)
The loss stopped the Sixers' six-game winning streak and put an end to their best early-season launch since the team went 10-0 back when Allen Iverson was the marquee player and Larry Brown was the head coach. The Sixers' hot start had to cool eventually. Its not easy to throttle so many teams by double digitsfive of their wins have been by 20 points or more, most in the NBA -- and its even tougher to go on the road and win a third game in three nights.
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The Sixers looked tired. They lost. It happens.
And yet, though they fell to the Knicks, it was an important night for the Sixers, one that held significance beyond the end result and the win-loss column. Proximity and disdain make Philly and NYC natural, heated rivals. Flyers and Rangers. Eagles and Giants. Even the Phillies and the miserable Mets. Those games matter even when, as far as the standings are concerned, they dont. But before Wednesday night, it had been an impossibly long time since the Sixers and Knicks clashed and anyone other than the players and the coaches and the hardest of hardcore hoops heads cared.
In-person attendance hasnt been great for the Sixers this seasonthey rank 29th in average home attendance; only the Pistons are worsebut the TV ratings are up significantly. The Sixers averaged a 1.6 rating on Comcast SportsNet last year, but they entered Wednesday nights game averaging a 2.3 rating on The Mothership. A year ago, the highest-rated single game was a 3.0 against the Chicago Bulls. On Monday, the Sixers-Pacers game did a 3.2. Im betting the Sixers-Knicks number will be even higher.
So, yeah, the Sixers lost. Maybe that bothers you. Maybe it stings a bit. But the point here is that, at least for the moment, the Sixers matter enough to cause a reaction.
Theres a lot of history with our team and they have a lot too, Thaddeus Young said. These teams have been rivals for a long time, but it means a little more when you play and youre fighting for the division, in Madison Square Garden, against the Knicks. Were right down the road and across the bridge from each other. Its like going against the guy next door. You want to win so you can brag to the rest of the neighborhood.
They didn't win. They didnt brag. Even so, for the first time in a while, the rest of the neighborhood noticed.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com.