Sixers are a team now worth watching

Commentary

by Brian O'Connell sports editor

The NBA season is almost over, and the playoff race is pretty tight. One team which has desperately searched for success over the past several years is in the hunt for its first playoff spot since 1990-'91 season. That team is none other than the Philadelphia 76ers.

I have watched this team all season, and I arrrreally happy with what is happening so far.

Allen "the Answer" Iverson is no longer the "me, myself, and I" player anymore. He is not only leading the NBA in scoring right now, but his assists per game have gone up. He is learning how to play the point guard position and that is one of the key reasons for the team's success this year.

He has made so many big plays this year like the key steal he had in the Sixers' recent meeting with the New York Knicks. It was towards the end of a game versus the Indiana Pacers that Iverson took control of the game and single-handedly turned a deficit into a victory for the team.

However, he has to clean up his act a little bit. He and head coach Larry Brown have gotten into some disagreements this year about Iverson's playing time, but they have both resolved those situations and focused their attention on the season.

I just hope the 76ers plan on keeping Allen Iverson here for a while longer because he is developing into a great NBA point guard.

Also, teaming up with Iverson in the back court is the impressive Eric Snow. He handles the ball very well and really helps create good shots for Iverson. Snow focuses mainly on distributing the ball, but has put up some big numbers this year in terms of scoring.

Of course, there is always Larry Hughes, the rookie who who has made an immediate impact since the beginning of the season. He has an all around game. He can shoot, run the floor on the fast-break, rebound and can also defend pretty well. He is also capable of playing an entire game once he gets more experience playing in the NBA. I thought he was a great choice for the 76ers, and I think he should stick around as the Sixers continue to improve, because he is another big reason for their team's success.

George Lynch is just a good player who, like Larry Hughes, does so much for the team. So many people talk about him and how much he contributes to the team. He can score, rebound and most importantly play good defense. He is currently on the injury list, but will return very shortly.

Then there is the man in the middle, Theo Ratliff, who is a great shot-blocker, defender, and rebounder. It is always a joy to watch him swat away shot after shot. His presence in the middle does so much for a team who lacks size.

Also sharing time in the middle with Ratliff is Matt Geiger, who was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets. He has been a decent player thus far and does a great job contributing inside scoring and rebounding the ball. He has been a very valuable team member and the fans seem to like what they have seen so far this season from Geiger.

Then there is head coach Larry Brown, who has this team headed towards the right direction, and that is success. The Sixers are in a tough playoff run, but are still in contention holding onto the eighth spot in the race.

Pat Croce could not have picked a better coach for this team. There was talk of Rick Pitino possibly coming to Philadelphia for the head-coaching job. Larry Brown just flat out knows the game of basketball. His experience coaching in college and all over the NBA has shown.

If someone were to look at his team's records before he arrived and when he left, he always left a college team or an NBA team much improved. Let's hope he plans on staying here in Philadelphia for a long time, because it is quite obvious he knows what he is doing.

Finally, there are the fans. The attendance is way up from last year. More games are sold-out because people have noticed the improvement in this team and are responding by filling the seats in the First Union Center.