The Sudden Rise of the 76ers: True or False?

With the NBA season finally under way, there is a plethora of story lines going on. From the Los Angeles Lakers’ rebuilding after the retirement of hall-of-fame coach Phil Jackson to the Miami Heat’s “Big Three,” this lockout-shortened season has been deep with intrigue. However, there is one story that has been overlooked—the sudden rise of the Philadelphia 76ers.

This season, the 76ers have a 10-4 record, putting them as the #3 seat in the Eastern Conference standings. To put this in perspective, after 14 games last season, the team was 3-11 and was on their way to a 41-41 regular season record. They were bounced out of the playoffs by the Miami Heat in the first round. In other words, they were average.

Andre Iguodala. | Photo courtesy of Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons.

This year, however, the team seems completely revitalized. Along with their strong start, the 76ers are also a statistical giant. They are currently the third most efficient team in the NBA. At the same time, they have the highest scoring differential at 15 points per game, are first in turnover difference and are in the top ten regarding all other team statistics, according to NBA.com.

Again, the question is “how?” How is a team that basically has the same faces as last season doing so well? There are two explanations. The first is that maybe they were always this good. With the pre-season shortened and other teams getting acclimated to new players and new coaches, the 76ers seem to be the one of the few teams that has it together–at least more than the others do. The team has always had talent thanks to players like swing man Andre Iguodala and third-year point guard Jrue Holiday. Plus, as an added bonus, their highest scorer is bench player Lou Williams.

However, there is a second explanation, and this one is maybe more likely. This could be a flash in the pan. As impressive as the team has been, their wins have come against teams that have the worst records, like the Washington Wizards, who won for just the second time on Wednesday night. At the same time, they have lost to every team they have faced with a record at or above .500. Their wins inflate their stats, making them look better than they are, while the losses show how much further they have to go before being a legitimate playoff threat.

All in all, the 76ers have started out the season well, but will it last? Although the season has been shortened to 66 games from the usual 82, how a team finishes still matters. With their impressive start, Philadelphia has proved that they are better than last year, but will they be able to make it last all season? I don’t know, but I do know I will be watching.

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