Even within the borders of the City of Brotherly Love alone, a winning collection of pro roundballers seems to fall squarely into that fourth-place slot in terms of fan interest in the city's four professional sports franchises, regardless of how the other three are performing at any given time.
This has always confused me, especially since Philly's blue-collar, small-town-feel-for-a-big-city ethos has always been more closely identified with basketball than any other sport. There are a myriad of successful scholastic programs and The Big 5 for college hoops. And basketball fans in Philadelphia generally are amongst some of the most passionate and knowledgeable you'll find anywhere.
But when we graduate up to the 76ers, the level of enthusiasm wanes to a degree certainly worthy of mention. Most Sixers fans who aren't anywhere near ready to apply for their AARP card have a fairly linear, bulletpoint mental roadmap of the organization dating back the last few decades, and most of those roadmaps will go something like this:
* World champions in 1983. How about that Dr. J and Moses Malone!
* The post-'83 championship Barkley years ('85-'92). Always entertaining, but unfortunately, not title-producing.
* Allen Iverson. Came into the organization in the mid 90s. A true game-changer. Gave everything he had to the city, represented Philadelphia's 'chip-on-its-shoulder' intensity and even led the Sixers to an NBA Finals series where they were simply outclassed and lost to the L.A. Lakers (2000-01 season) in the midst of Hollywood's title three-peat on the heels of the dominant Shaq-Kobe combo.
* Everything that's happened since Iverson left the team. Wait, didn't they make the playoffs a few times or something? When did they lose Sam Dalembert? Do they still have Elton Brand? Damn, how old is that guy now, anyway?
And there you have it.
But as an individual who has fully bought into what the NBA is all about over these past few years, it's worth noting that the 2011-12 Sixers are currently 25-20, sitting at fourth place in the current Eastern Conference rankings and possess a one-and-a-half game lead of the first place spot in the Atlantic Division standings.
Sure, the team can't claim a marquee superstar player on its roster. And yes, even the most diehard fan would have to admit they're quite a longshot to realistically contend for a championship with this current lineup.
But as long as they're winning more games than losing, there is definitive hope at the very least. Right now, that's got to mean something.
What I like probably most about these Sixers is that they're a pure manifestation of 'team basketball.' This dynamic of "no individual rises above the team" materializes much more naturally with the lack of a tried-and-true superstar. And in most other pro sports, this dynamic is not only helpful, but necessary, to make it all the way to the top.
But the NBA might be the one exception in which holding up any trophy that means a whole lot is virtually impossible unless you have at least 1-2 of those 'superstars' on your squad. And anyone who's plugged into the NBA these days is well aware of the guys who make up that short list of about 10-20 players. They don't even need a full-name mention.
Kobe. D-Wade. Durant. LeBron. Nowitzki. Duncan. Chris Paul (okay, he has a short name anyway). Dwight. D-Wil. D-Rose. Blake.
You get the idea.
Who's the biggest name on Philly's roster this year? Hmm. Andre Iguodala is nice, don't get it twisted. He's averaging 12.4 points per game and leads the team in assists (5.6) and steals (1.9). But does anyone really think he's spearheading a championship effort? And I love Iggy, but people don't really put him in that class of players mentioned above.
Who else do we have? I'll tell you what - these Sixers have a lethal backcourt. Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday, splitting time running the point, are the two scoring leaders (15.7 and 13.7 ppg, respectively). Thaddeus Young and Brand, along with Iggy and the newly-acquired Sam Young (thank you Memphis!), give the team some nice depth at the forward position. You can argue that an upgrade at center would probably do them good - Spencer Hawes certainly isn't bad, but unfortunately there's only a handful of truly dominant big men in the game, and none of them are wearing a Philly jersey this season.
My favorite current stat? Sixers are in first place in the NBA in points allowed per game, allowing just 87.8. You heard me, son. Sixers' D is ill, and not in a bad way. And they even have a nice nucleus of young-to-mid-career guys (Williams, Holiday, Hawes, T. Young, Iggy, Evan Turner -- ET brings more depth in the backcourt, by the way). But that's also part of the problem. The only veteran of real significance is Brand, who most are likely to say hasn't lived up to the potential that an overall No. 1 pick would suggest (taken first by Chicago in the 1999 draft).
And so we arrive at the two stakes in the heart of the Sixers' championship aspirations. The lack of a superstar or two, and the undeniable sting felt by not having a few veterans who have shouldered their share of playoff-time bumps and bruises. Even masterful intangibles/motivator head coach Doug Collins can't compensate for some of these shortcomings.
So the ceiling for the Sixers' organization as it currently exists is probably a first-round playoff series victory. But it would take quite a combination of playing-above-their-heads magic and collapse-worthy crap-tasticness from their opponent to see them advance beyond the Eastern Conference semifinals at this point.
I can see them winning a first-round best-of-seven series against the likes of Indiana or Atlanta. Possibly even the Knicks. But once we venture into that Miami-Chicago-Orlando territory, things get decidedly dicey. And here's where that 'superstar' factor comes into play. Awesome defense and all, can Philly stop Dwight Howard, or Derrick Rose, or Miami's Big Three in crucial playoff moments when it matters? Furthermore, from whom are the Sixers getting crunch-time points? Who's going to not be rattled on this team when a big moment is on the line?
Speaking of which, in case you were wondering, the Sixers are 22nd in the league in points per game (94.1). That's a number that has to improve.
In the capitalist society that is the modern world of the NBA, you need a few one percenters to move mountains.
Sixers, until you can lure those rock crushers into the fold, I'm afraid you're destined for NBA playoff purgatory. Not quite good enough to slay the giants, but not bad enough to land a lottery draft pick either.
Soldier on, men. You never know when weaknesses in the enemy will be presented, and you have to strike like Andy Reid on a complimentary cheesesteak from Pat's or Geno's when they do.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Perhaps a few more words about those NBA one-percenters, eh?
The NBA Royalty this year isn't looking all that different than it would in most other seasons. Conventional wisdom suggests that the East is going to be taken by either Chicago or Miami. Even though the crown seems to be the Heat's for the taking, it would be most unwise to count out a fiercely determined and talented Derrick Rose, Chicago's tenacious defense and aggressively physical style of play. Oh and that small matter of LeBron pulling a disappearing act in the fourth quarter during playoff games. But who's noticed that, am I right?
Orlando is also lurking. Don't forget, it was The Big O that made the finals three years ago when LeBron and Cleveland were prohibitive favorites to win the East. And now that Dwight Howard has ended the 'Will-he-or-won't-he' drama by letting the trade deadline pass without joining a new organization, it's clear that he's fully committed to The Magic for at least one more calendar year. There's no telling what could happen.
Out West, it's a crap shoot. No, I'm serious. All NBA players from the Western Conference are in Vegas playing craps as we speak.
Okay, maybe not. But seriously, anyone can win the West this year. By all accounts, Oklahoma City has the best overall team - and their record backs it up.
But as we know, experience counts to an immeasurable degree when playoff time rolls around. The crafty old guard that is the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs will not go quietly into the night (what Memphis did to the Spurs last year -- an 8-seed upsetting a 1-seed in the first round -- has only ever happened a couple times for a reason).
Dallas holds the prize, but has often not looked like it at various points this year. In a Grantland.com podcast interview preceding the All-Star game last month, Dirk Nowitzki himself admitted it took him longer to get his legs this year than in any other season, due primarily to the lockout-affected training schedule plus the fact that he jumped right into Olympic trials in the summer of 2011 just weeks after leading the Mavericks to an exhausting NBA championship run. And there's also that not-so-minor matter of Lamar Odom seeming to be a lost soul ever since the Lakers kicked him to the curb. Dallas needs a big effort from Lamar if they want to repeat. He was more crucial to the Lakers' two titles in '09-'10 than many people recognize.
When you throw in the Chris-Paul led Clippers and young-gun teams like Memphis and Denver, you're going to have a Western Conference playoffs that promises to be as memorable as the day that Peyton Manning booted Tim Tebow (aka 'Touchdown Jesus') out of Denver, Colorado. God Bless the Broncos for their transgression.
Don't worry Peyton, they say it's a 'dry' heat.
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