The 2010-2011 season likely won’t open with a win on the scoreboard for the rebuilding Sixers. At least it will likely open with an attendance win.
The Wells Fargo Center should be packed when the 76ers hit the court on Oct. 27 but the hoopla likely won’t have much to do with the home team.
That’s because the Miami Heat show will be in town.
That’s right the Heat’s three-headed monster of LeBron James, Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh will usher in the Sixers season by likely beating down on Evan Turner, Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand. The Sixers opener will actually be the second game for the Heat.
Unfortunately for the attendance-challenged Sixers (they were fifth worse in attendance last season) the Heat won’t be coming back and so might likely sell out crowds.
The Sixers could struggle to break away from near the bottom of NBA attendance thanks to very few star-powered home games. As normal there will only be one visit from Western powers like Kobe Bryant’s Lakers (Dec. 17), Steve Nash’s Suns (Jan. 24), Carmelo Anthony’s Nuggets (Jan. 30), Tim Duncan’s Spurs (Feb. 11) and Kevin Durant’s Thunder (March 9).
But now that Bron and Wade joined forces, and the Heat will only be in town once, fans will have very few Eastern Conference draws: two visits from Shaq, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and the rest of the Celtics, two visits from Dwight Howard’s Magic and only one visit from Derrick Rose's revamped Bulls are really it.
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With star power at a premium outside of about ten games, the Sixers will have to win to pack the house in 2010-2011. It’s a situation many other Eastern Conference NBA teams could be dealing with as well.
But something most teams won’t be dealing with is an eight-game, 16-day road trip running through the holidays. If the Sixers are losing lots of games in the first few months Philadelphians could forget the NBA even exists by the time the 76ers get back in 2011.
Expect plenty of deals and giveaways from the Sixers to try to keep fans coming. How about a Hip Hop bobblehead giveaway?
Check out the whole 2010-2011 schedule to see all the games.
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