Iguodala Proves Skeptics Wrong
by Derek Harper, Iguodala9.com

“You can make the case, in Philly's first full season AAI (After Allen Iverson), that this is the only team in the East with zero hope of reaching the playoffs.”

Those were the words written by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein in his preseason version of his weekly NBA Power Rankings column. Stein’s opinion that the Philadelphia 76ers would be seen near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for much of the year was a popular prediction leading into the 2007-08 NBA season and was voiced by many in the media.

Sixers guard/forward Andre Iguodala made his opinion known about those preseason predictions in a blog entry on Oct. 31, 2007.

“I pay no mind to others’ opinions, it’s about using what you have and making the most of it,” wrote Iguodala. “We have a solid group of guys who are ready to go out fight every night. I also feel anytime I’m on the floor we have a good chance of winning, and I’m on the floor 40-plus minutes a night.”

Throughout the season, the faith that Iguodala and his teammates carried that the 2007-08 76ers were in fact a team to be reckoned with began to spread throughout the league. But it wasn’t until an incredible late season run of 19 wins in 24 games between Feb. 5 and March 26 that the nation really took notice that this unlikely crew might actually make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

With a 109-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, the Sixers secured one of the 16 invitations to participate in the NBA’s postseason, and there is plenty of credit to go around for one of the best stories of the 2007-08 NBA season.

Sixers Head Coach Maurice Cheeks has been mentioned as a possible Coach of the Year candidate because of the job that he’s done making sure that this young team played hard every night and believed in each other.

Point Guard Andre Miller has had a career year, averaging 17.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting over 49% from the floor and playing in all 82 games of the season.

But one can not overlook the importance of the Sixers emerging leader and utility man, Andre Iguodala. The young man has taken major strides this year in both his play and leadership ability. Still only 24-years-old, Iguodala averaged a career-high 19.9 points and 2.1 steals per game this season to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists.  He also became a smarter player as the season progressed, lowering his turnover rate from 4.1 per game in November to 1.8 per game in April.

Now, as the playoffs arrive, the Sixers are more focused than ever on trying to achieve the ultimate goal. Iguodala knows that much has changed about this team since the last time he tasted the playoffs, but he is eager to meet the challenge head on.

“My role has changed a lot since my last appearance in the playoffs,” he stated in his most recent blog entry. “I have a lot more responsibility and more is expected of me, which is what I feel I have been preparing myself for since I've entered the league.”