This is the End

After what seemed like years of waiting and planning, it's finally here. The future the Sixers have been waiting for is finally here.

I haven't always been a 76ers fan, but when your old team gets moves to a new home (thanks Jay-Z) and you've lived in a different city for a few years, it's easy to take on the identity of the place you live in. It's weird to think that a losing team (the Sixers have had a record of 197-279 during my time in Philly) could grow on somebody, but despite all the losing (oh MAN all the losing) the team and its angry fan-base (there is no in-between in Philadelphia, you either don't care at all or you REALLY care) drew me in.

So here we are, the day of the draft lottery, also known as the beginning of the end. Sure, I know the 2014 NBA draft isn't going to fix everything. Barring some surprising and unforeseen trades or free agent signings (one of my buddies is convinced LeBron is going to sign with Philly...we'll see about that), we'll have at least one or two more lottery appearances as well as some tough losses during the regular season. But considering the 2013-2014 Sixers season was essentially a second NBA D-League showcase—to much Casper Ware, way too much Casper Ware—it'll at least be reassuring to see the team grow with players it plans on keeping and developing into the future. That's why I see this as the beginning of the end. It's the end of fans falling asleep during games, the end of going to games to see the other team and the end of planning and the beginning of acting on those plans.

It's also the end of me simply planning to start this blog and actually getting around to doing it. I'd been mulling over starting a basketball blog for some time and after fighting off the haters (i.e., myself) I decided I'd at least give it a shot. even though I've had an affinity for the Sixers in the last few years, this blog definitely won't be limited just to them. I plan on writing about games, specific teams and any other random thoughts I may have on the league or the players I enjoy watching, which means you may see a lot of Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard here (I mean seriously, isn't Kawhi just every NBA fan's dream?).

It's the beginning of a new era here in Philadelphia. What happens in the next few days or months won't necessarily determine the future—for the Sixers or for myself—and all of the hope and excitement could quickly dissipate (again, Philly fans can be brutal) but it's an exciting time and I look forward to whatever the future might bring.  Of course, a future with Andrew Wiggins in the picture would be pretty nice, if it's not too much to ask.