Viewing Alert

Not a game. "Without Bias," an hour-long program about Len Bias, airs on ESPN at 8 pm. I believe it re-airs on Wednesday and Thursday, as well. Check your local listings. (I've always wanted to say that!)

I have no memory of this tragic chapter in Celtics (and NBA, and human) history, but I find myself drawn to the Bias story, both as a Cs fan and as someone who grew up in the age when an icon's drug overdose became a somewhat regular occurrence. I can't decide if I'll watch tonight or one of the re-airs (the Celts have a game and I'm interested in the Cavs-Wizards matchup, as well) but I'm sure I'll have some thoughts when I do.

Speaking of the game tonight, we play the Sixers in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Eastern. There's no national TV and I can't tell if the free preview of NBA League Pass is still going on.

As I think about this matchup, it seems like we match up poorly with Philly; Andre Iguodala is a nightmare cover for Ray Allen and Thaddeus Young is big, athletic, and physical matching up with Paul Pierce at the small forward spot. We swept four games against them last year, though the two wins in Philly came by a combined three points. Then again, we blew their doors off twice in Boston before the Christmas holiday.

This year, the Sixers have a new coach (Eddie Jordan) and a new offense (Jordan prefers Princeton-style sets). I haven't seen them yet this year, but they're 2-1, bouncing back from an opening night loss in Orlando with a home win against Milwaukee and an overtime triumph at Madison Square Garden. My hunch is that Philly's offense, which is still new to them, will negate some of the difficult matchups that they theoretically pose. At the other end, it seems like they are having a hard time guarding the three-point line: the Magic went 16-for-29 and the Knicks hit 14 of an astonishing 41 attempts. The Celtics have been both willing and capable three-point shooters this season, so that's something to watch.