As it Turns Out, the 76ers Are Who We Thought They Were (PhilaPhans)

Image courtesy of AP

In the beginning of this year’s lockout-shortened basketball season, the big surprise team that no one expected to be on top was the Philadelphia 76ers. They started 20-9, comfortably led the division and looked to be well on their way to becoming a solid contender.

No one expected them to win the championship, very few even expected them to make the Eastern Conference Finals, but many expected them to get over the first round hump that has alluded them for the last nine years; they expected that this would be a turning point, a catalyst in the team’s transformation from mediocrity to excellence.

The reason many liked this team more than most was the team play. It was fun to watch the Sixers dish out the ball and go for the open man, rather than trying to force it with a superstar on the court. With seven players on the team averaging double figures, it was a mystery who would be “the man” on any given night, one that fans enjoyed watching unfold.

The doubters said this team couldn’t do anything without a superstar, and while people believed they couldn’t do anything to win a championship, they would be good enough to win the weakened Atlantic Division, with the aging Celtics and the chemistry-lacking Knicks struggling early.

Fast forward two months later and now the Sixers are fighting to reach the playoffs. They’re four games back of the surging Celtics for the division and a half game up on the Knicks for the seven seed, who have found new life with the rise of “Linsanity” in February and the rebirth of Carmelo Anthony in recent weeks. They’re two and a half games ahead of the ninth-ranked Milwaukee Bucks while putting together a record of 11-19 in their last 30 games, a complete 180 from their start.
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