On January 21 we asked if the 76ers were for real. We discussed the next 6 games, 1 at Miami and the next 5 at home finishing up last night against Orlando. We said the 76ers needed to win either the Miami or Orlando game and would probably lose one of the four games that they should win because it just happens that way. Well I wish I could pick lottery numbers so well. The team did exactly that, finishing the 6 games with a 4-2 record and now leads the 2nd place Boston Celtics by 5 games and the Knicks by 7.5 after beating the Magic by 6 last night in a game that was never close. The 76ers led the entire game and they’re lead reached 17 points in the 4th quarter. With Boston playing better basketball we lost .5 games in the standings while winning the 4 games. The 76ers have bought in to Head Coach Doug Collins phiosophy and continue to play outstanding defense even though both of their big men, Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevik are out with injuries.
Still asking how they’re doing it? It’s simple D-E-F-E-N-S-E!!! Over the 6 game period the teams points against dropped from 86.7 ppg to 86.1 ppg moving them to the top of the league in that category. Opponents are now shooting 41.4% from the field which is also tops in the league.
The team individual scoring didn’t change much with Lou Williams sill leading the way at, 15.3, Jrue Holiday, 14.2, Andre Iguodala, 12.9, Thaddeus Young, 12.0, Elton Brand 10.7, Spencer Hawes, 10.4 and Evan Turner, 10.2 ppg.
The next 5 games will be the real challenge for the team to see if they’re for real. Last week’s games they should have won and did what they should have. This week they have the Chicago Bulls at home. The Bulls are in 1st Place in the Central Division with an 18-5 record which is the most wins in the league, the Miami Heat at home after being whipped handily in Miami last week. At Atlanta against a very good Hawks team that is in 2nd place in the Southeast behind the Heat and back home against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers next Monday. The Lakers are presently in 2nd Place in the Pacific Division and Kobe is again leading the league in scoring with a 30.2 points per game average.
This is a tough schedule for the week. The team really needs to win 2 of the 4 games and maybe 3 of 4 just to prove they can play against the good teams with winning records. Boston isn’t going to go away so it’s important to come out of each week with a winning record especially this week against these quality teams.
What’s the winning combination? D-E-F-E-N-S-E!!!!!
phillypressbox 
This team is a lot easier for me to root for than the last 76er team that was really good back in 2001. I could never really embrace the Allen Iverson era. He was a great player and he gave his all every night. I just never liked him. He wasn’t fan friendly, he always walked around with a big chip on his shoulder, and he was way more worried about his personal performance than that of the team. This group is a true team with 7 guys averaging double figures and everybody is selling out on defense. A player like AI could never play in this kind of environment because he would have to share the spotlight and ball with other guys. They have a chance to get everybody in Philadelphia excited if they can get three of these four games. The Sixers have played tremendous at home this year. It’s not ridiculous to think they could win three straight games against Chicago, Miami, and the Lakers.
I wasn’t much on the AI Era either. I think these guys are proving it’s about the TEAM. Wonder how that Carmelo thing is working out for the Knicks. It didn’t work to well for the Heat either last season. It’s actually a lot of fun watching a bunch of guys seeming to be having a good time playing the game and winning!! 3-1 would be pretty nice. Boston still worries me some if we slip up. They’re getting old but I’m not sure they’re going away any time soon.