Are the Sixers For Real?

Added on Mar 16, 2011 by Scott in

NBA

Don’t look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are 34-33 and currently sitting in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. That’s 1/2 game behind Carmelo’s Knicks and five games ahead of the eighth place Pacers. Barring a major collapse, which is always possible, the Sixers will make the playoffs one year after the Eddie Jordan orchestrated 27-55 disaster. Head coach Doug Collins has done a masterful job with a roster lacking size and scoring, but is it legit, or just smoke and mirrors?

No player is averaging more than Elton Brand’s 15 points. Their best long range shooter is someone named Jodie Meeks. They have no pure center, unless you consider Spencer Hawes an inside threat. And rookie lottery pick Evan Turner has failed to net double digits in more than two-thirds of the games played. That’s hardly the description of a contending team, but a recent win over Boston and a five-point loss to Oklahoma City has some pundits taking notice.

Obviously a weak East is making them look better than they probably are. However, Collins is proving that defense, ball security and a youthful roster is capable of competing night in and night out, even against superior opponents.

Second-year point guard Jrue Holiday is playing older than his 20 years, Thaddeus Young has transformed himself into a reliable sixth-man and the combo of Brand and Andre Iguodala have provided enough floor leadership to make a young team believe in themselves. It also helps that Brand, who has been plagued by injuries during the last three seasons, is healthy. And that Iguodala has accepted his role as a do-everything guard rather than a shoot-first scorer.

The question remains: can they keep this level of success going and will it be enough to upset one of the conference’s elite come the postseason? Probably not, but at least they have fans in Philly talking about something besides the Flyers and Phillies spring training. For now, anyway.