It was a great weekend for the Sixers and Flyers, who lost all four of their games. The Flyers did pick up a loser point in Dallas, “but that’s okay,” as Joe Cordell would say, because they have entered the bottom five of the NHL standings. Some bullet points:

  • if the NHL season ended today, the Flyers would have an 8.5% chance to win the #1 overall pick
  • the idiot Pittsburgh Penguins have won five of seven, which has given them a four-point cushion over Philly and Seattle
  • the Sabres, Kraken, and Predators all have games in hand, so there’s a chance they muck it up and pick up some more points
  • the Flyers play in Toronto on Tuesday night, but it gets tricky with a home stretch against Montreal, Nashville, and Buffalo
  • if the NBA season ended today, the Sixers would finish tied for 5th with the Brooklyn Nets
  • fifth-worse in the NBA gets you a 39.9% chance for a top 4 spot and a 9.8% chance at the top pick

As you’re probably aware, the Oklahoma City Thunder get the Sixers’ pick if it falls outside of the top six. This was the pick that went to OKC in the 2020 Al Horford deal that returned Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson, and Vincent Poirier (no relation to Dustin). If the Sixers do retain the pick this year, it becomes a top-four protected pick in 2026 and 2027. It’s imperative that the Sixers do everything in their power to lose their remaining games to be in the best position to #RaiseTheFlagg for Cooper Flagg. Unfortunately, the Sixers’ schedule is not very difficult down the stretch. They get Washington twice, the Pelicans, Raptors, Heat, Hawks and Bulls. All lottery teams that will benefit from losing games. Quentin Grimes is gonna have to cool it here, or become afflicted with a mysterious ailment that limits his production. Maybe a classic case of Sixers “gastroenteritis” is in play.

Good things though, this weekend. Matvei Michkov had a goal and assist to reach 50 points and become the first Flyers rookie in 25 years to hit the half-century mark. Two more points and he enters the top ten on the Flyers rookie points chart. The Sixers continue to lose. The tank is on! What’s on your Mount Rushmore of tanks anyway? I’d go 2025 Sixers, 2025 Flyers, Tank Abbott, and Frank the Tank from Old School.