Ringless
This is exactly what we wanted.

Think about it, no one is delusional enough to believe that the Sixers would actually have a chance to win anything this spring. So what’s the next best thing? A high-profile series.

Whether it was the Heat, Celtics, or Magic, the Sixers were going to face a tall task in the first round. But now, for a few weeks, they will be “America’s team.”

Every game will be on national television, their highlights will lead SportsCenter, and every non-front-running Tom, Dick, and Harry in the country will be rooting for big tree LeBron to fall hard.

The only logical outcome for this season is for basketball to become relevant again in this town. A series against the Celtics or Magic would have garnered little attention, especially with the Flyers’ playoffs and the Phillies going on. Playing the Heat, on the other hand, will put the Sixers on the same level as the Flyers and Phillies… at least for a couple of weeks (or a month, depending on how painfully long the NBA drags out the first round).

With all of that being said, can we please sign a petition to boycott any and all heat puns and South Beach references? Beat the heat, feeling the heat, can’t take the heat, taking their talents to South Beach, took their talents to South Beach (with a win, of course), heatin’ up, turn up the heat, probably some awkward Nelly “hot in here” reference, etc. I’m getting hot just thinking about it.

You can get one of those "Ringless" shirts right here.