This Just in: Sixers Are Decent

Philadelphia, let's start acting like real basketball fans.

For those who don't know, we'll point it out: the Sixers currently hold the seventh place spot in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won 10 of their last 13 games. With 21 games left to play before the season goes post-style, the Sixers are playing good basketball, and are on their way to the playoffs. Yes, it might seem a little premature to say the word that should not be named, but come on Philly, support your team!

We’re supposed to be the city that hates you when you’re bad and loves you when you’re good, and since Allen Iverson left this town, we’ve been pretty indifferent. The fact remains that the Sixers aren't good, but they’re OK; if you stick that into a mediocre conference, you’ve got a chance to make some noise. And we just think it would be sad if the Sixers made the playoffs without the momentum of the city behind them. The last thing we want is for Philly to be known as a band-wagon city. The Sixers are probably the fourth most popular team in Philly right now, but that doesn’t mean they deserve indifference.

Sixers owner Ed Snider has voiced his disappointment in attendance this season, and has some reason to bicker. New GM Ed Stefanski is also puzzled, because he believes he has a team that's worth taking pride in. We realize that Sixers games aren’t cheap, unlike the price of a Phillies ticket, which makes it easier to be a visible fan. But this team is very easy to root for. This isn’t the basketball you watched when Allen Iverson ran the show – this is fundamental team basketball.

Even more reason for this city to watch – it’s a bunch of guys who have been written off from the moment they got here. Andre Miller? No jumper. Andre Iguodala? Not a difference maker. Reggie Evans? No offense. Rodney Carney? College standout, pro bust. Pretty much everyone in the lineup has a chip to their name. But they make it work.

The team is full of ‘pieces’ that just happen to add up to enough. They’re not a shooting team, but they compensate with aggressive defense and out-hustling their opponents. At times, this team is as much fun to watch as the trademark up-tempo Phoenix Suns – who the Sixers just beat last Saturday (and who are trying to find their groove after acquiring Shaq).

Point guard Andre Miller became the Eastern Conference player of the week, for the second time this season – a feat that, as Mark Narducci points out, has not been achieved since the original A.I. did it himself in the 2005-2006 season.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed that we could only hope that the Sixers would be competitive. Right now, the team that was picked by a majority of professional sports writers to be one of the worst teams in the NBA has an opportunity to be this season’s surprise story. Now is the time to start paying attention.

Image Credit: Flickr user neali0o