First off, I just want to assure you this isn’t a Mike Huckabee article; don’t let the title confuse you.

No, this is something nobody expected. This is something over 5 months in the making. This is something that nobody believed in. This is about the Philadelphia 76ers. You know, that basketball team over in the lowly east with all the young players? No? Thaddeus Young, ring a bell? It’s not a surprise the Sixers are over .500, yet nobody believed in them. That is, nobody except themselves. A slow start and the lack of a household name superstar led to poor attendance all year long. Think the Sixers cared? All they did was take it one..game..at a time. Call it cliche, but if you haven’t been watching, this team of youngsters have matured immensely before our very eyes from November until now. The seats are starting to fill in at the Wachovia Center, the city is starting to talk Eagles, Phillies, Flyers…..and Sixers. Suddenly, this team is becoming a story. If you’re just jumping on the bandwagon, let me catch you up on the past 5 months of this under the radar success story. It all starts with a match up against the Boston Celtics…

The date was December 5th, and the Sixers were 5-12. The little rooting interest fans had in this team was quickly evaporating, and the team was coming off back to back losses against Atlanta and New Jersey; not exactly powerhouse opponents. So, all they had to do was beat the NBA best Boston Celtics. Needless to say, it didn’t happen, and the Sixers fell to 5-13 with a 113-103 loss. It was time to look in the mirror. The players on this team know what their environment is, the East is wide open for the taking, but they weren’t grabbing any chance opportunities given to them. Home games, “easy” opposition, it didn’t matter: they couldn’t piece together good wins a row. It looked like yet another season down the drain. This was yet another year of looking forward to off-season moves and the draft.

The Sixers knew that these were the worst of times, they needed a change. On December 5, the day they fell to Boston (and further in the standings), they made a move. Billy King, Sixers GM since the late 90’s was out. In was Philly native Ed Stefanski, formerly with the Nets. As December carried on however, they would win a game here, lose a game there. Win one here, lose a few in a row there. Then on December 29th, they traded their only 3-point threat, Kyle Korver, to the Jazz for a 1st round pick and Gordon Giricek (and his expiring contract). Most fans took that as another sign of rebuilding; shape this team for next year, and the year after that.

So things were naturally going to bottom out. The attendance was ranking 29th of 30 teams. Their long range shot was gone (even though it wasn’t truly there to begin with). The team was Andre Miller and a bunch of kids. It looked like it could get pretty ugly, and it did. In January the Sixers went a paltry 4-11, including a 7 game losing streak. The Sixers were a forgotten team in Philadelphia, and in the NBA landscape. They went as far down as 13th in the East. But while they were losing, they were getting better. It sounds funny, indeed, but take a look at this team:

Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Rodney Carney, Jason Smith had a combined 2 years experience among the 4 of them. A fringe player in Reggie Evans was starting. Andre Iguodala, who had just turned 24 years old, was a team leader.

This was no easy task to make these guys mesh. But somehow, someway, Mo Cheeks did it, and these players did it. They found their game. Not trying to play outside of their ability, but each man coming up big in their specialty. They started to know where each other would be every play down the court. They started to perfect the fast break. Things were getting better.

In February the Sixers went 8-5, including a 5 game win streak at home. One of those wins was against western conference power, Dallas. Not impressed? Try March, where the Sixers are currently a scorching 10-2 including wins against Phoenix, Detroit, San Antonio, Denver, and last night, Boston. There was also a win against Chicago on the road where the Sixers were as many as 18 down in the 4th quarter but rallied to win. This team of young guys had found their stride. They were hitting on all cylinders.

How are they doing it? Look no further than the only veteran on the team, Andre Miller. Sure, his numbers are outstanding: 17.1 ppg, 6.7 apg, but they don’t tell the whole story. The numbers don’t show how his play has taught Lou Williams to handle the point. The numbers don’t show necessary baskets at absolutely critical junctures in games, outstanding leadership on and off the court, and a steady force on both ends of the floor.

What about Dalembert? He’s averaging a double double on the season, 11 and 10. He’s defending better, blocking shots, he’s knocking down that 16 foot jump shot with more ease. And what of the young guys? You just can’t say enough about Thaddeus Young. His energy on the floor is second to none. He is already an outstanding defender and has a very high basketball IQ. Offensively he is starting to find his touch too, which is truly an added bonus. If Thaddeus can start perfecting his short range jumper, he will effortlessly become an all-star.

So, after all that, the Sixers are 36-35, good for 6th in the east. If it doesn’t sound impressive to you then you’re not watching closely enough. This team has battled adversity all season long and fought every single minute of every game to get better. I said before the season started that this team was good enough to win 35 games, which baffled the people I told that to (who were projecting 23-27). They’ve already topped 35, and have 11 games left in the season. This team is going to win more than 40 games, and more than likely top .500 for the season with more than 41.

If you want to jump into the Sixers bandwagon, go ahead, more and more people are. I’ve been in the bandwagon all season long, and it’s been truly fantastic to watch. If you think this team is done, you’re wrong. If you think they can’t seriously contend in the playoffs against anyone each and every game, you’re wrong. But neither I nor the Sixers need to justify their play to anyone, they’ve been proving people wrong all season long and would be more than happy to do it some more.

photos from nbaobsessed.com and nba.com