Many felt early on in Evan Turner’s rookie campaign last year that he was going to be a complete bust. He struggled very badly in summer league, was horrible in exhibition games, and couldn’t ever seem to adjust to the NBA schemes on offense. His ball handling went to waste because he didn’t understand where he was supposed to be on the court, and he looked confused at times.

That has changed this season in his second year, and a big reason why is because he is hitting his shots, to make it quite simple. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy joked about it, saying “When guys hit their shots, people think they are playing well, and then when they don’t, people think they are playing poorly when they are doing the exact same thing but just missing the shot.”

So it has gone for Turner. This season, due to improved shooting mechanics, Turner is shooting 45.2% from the field and 73.5% from 9 feet and closer, up over 20% from that figure last season. That means Turner is hitting the shots he should hit. He is not, however, hitting his threes, as he shoots a very poor 21% from behind the arc. He can improve that, though, as many NBA players have become very good shooters who had no jumper early in their career (points in case, Jason Kidd, Nick Anderson, et al.,).

Turner says he is :”more comfortable with it (his shot)…and mechanics are the key…I get my shot off quicker now.” That is essential, and good shooters realize that a quicker shot means a more open and more clean look at the basket. Anyone at all familiar with the best two three point shooters in NBA history, Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, knows that both have extremely quick releases and were able to get off shots that were on-balance while winding off screens. As to whether Turner can ever reach that level of competency is anyone’s guess, but all indications are that he may put in the hard work to do so.

Turner is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game in his 26 minutes a night, which ranks him among the top rebounding guards in the league. That value is important and helps the Sixers prevent second chance points, which is one of their strengths as a basketball team on a regular basis.

So, for all of those doubters early on, I would think most are starting to realize Turner is going to have at least an above average career and not be a bust. I am reserving judgement on whether or not he can ever become an all All-Star, but I could see Turner averaging 15 to 18 a game at some point, possibly as early as next season. For right now, he is putting up 14.0 points per-36 minutes. That’s not too bad for a guy most were saying lacked the aggressiveness to ever succeed at the NBA level.

Turner has been compared from everyone to a pre-injury Brandon Roy to an offensively deficient Eric Snow, but the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Turner is not going to be a liability offensively like Snow, but he also won’t be a deadly closer like Roy was before his knees betrayed him.

We’ll keep an eye on Turner, especially in keeper leagues. If you lack a solid fifth keeper or sixth in a 5 or 6 keep league, Turner could prove to be an option this season. Since most keeper leagues don’t require owners to declare their keepers until the days prior to the draft, we can keep an eye on Turner’s progress this summer and even in through the early part of the exhibition season before making a ruling on whether we keep Turner or a player who has already posted a slightly higher value.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Thanks for reading! .

The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent center Francisco Elson this morning to bring their roster to 14 players.

“We are happy to pick up Francisco Elson, a veteran big man who can help bolster our front court,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said.

Elson (7-0, 240) was originally acquired by the Sixers from Milwaukee along with Jodie Meeks in exchange for Primoz Brezec, Royal Ivey and a second round pick on Feb. 18, 2010.

Elson has appeared in 467 games with 149 starts while averaging 3.7 points (47.8% FGs, 70.0% FTs) and 3.5 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game. In 2006-07, he saw action in 70 games with 41 starts for the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

What do you guys think about this.

Read More: Philadelphia 76ers

Defense + teamwork + depth = wins.

It’s a formula that has paid dividends in the win column for the Philadelphia 76ers, winners of 12 of their first 17 games, the surprise No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference if the regular season ended today. But that formula does not necessarily equate to churning out individual stars.

Tom Ziller published his latest NBA MVP Power Rankings on Wednesday morning, naming zero Phladelphia 76ers among his top 10 NBA candidates. That’s no surprise considering that none of the Sixers are among the leading All-Star vote-getters at their positions.

Lebron James led Ziller’s rankings, followed by Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

The Sixers are balanced — seven different Doug Collins disciples average double figures in points to date — but don’t have a single player who stands out in a crowd. You get the feeling Collins won’t shed tears over his team’s lack of MVP candidates, at least not as long as the Sixers continue to win at an elite pace.

For more Philadelphia 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers.

What are your opinions.

The Philadelphia 76ers are benefiting from being in the Atlantic Division, since no one else there has a winning record. As such, Sixers fans like myself can feel a little overconfident about their chances to win the division, although it could be a different story when they face better competition. But the Sixers are also fortunate to be in the Eastern Conference as a whole, as it is once again proving to be the inferior conference from top to bottom.

The lockout and the shortened season did a lot to alter things, yet one constant has remained the same. The Eastern Conference has the majority of poor NBA teams so far while the Western Conference is more stacked than usual. The Sixers just happen to be among the select few Eastern teams with winning records so far, rather than in the pack of losing teams for once.

As of Jan. 25, the Sixers are one of only six Eastern Conference clubs over .500, whereas 10 Western squads have a winning record. If this continues, two sub .500 Eastern teams will make the playoffs while two Western franchises over .500 will be left out. This seems to happen pretty much every season, however, and in spite of the lockout it is taking place right on cue again.

Although the New York Knicks are imploding and on the brink of getting Mike D’Antoni forced out, they would still make the playoffs as an eighth seed if the season ended today. In addition, the Boston Celtics would be the seventh seed in spite of a 7-9 record and speculation that most of their Big Three will be gone soon. Even the Cleveland Cavaliers remain a half-game back for the eighth spot despite a 6-10 record and some horrendous blowout losses last week.

The poor records of the No. 7 to No. 15 ranked teams in the East make the whole conference look bad – or make those on top look even better. Only the Sixers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers look any good so far, and that may remain the case the rest of the season.

But given that the Bulls have the best record in the NBA, the Heat remain the championship favorite, the Magic are still contending with Dwight Howard and the Hawks, Sixers and Pacers are still improving, the East could still have more title contenders while the West devours itself. Since the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are flailing early while the Oklahoma City Thunder try to become championship ready, the West is a free-for-all right now.

The Sixers will have a much easier time making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, especially since they might even afford to make it with a losing or .500 record again. Of course, Philadelphia would like to get in with a much better record this time around.

Now that the Sixers have risen about the nine or so rotten/mediocre clubs left in the East, the next goal is to rise above the would-be contenders like the Hawks and Pacers and get to the Bulls, Heat and Magic’s level. Unfortunately, overtaking the Eastern Conference teams that are actually good is a much tougher task.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers barely break a sweat over Wizards

76ers still unable to jump over Heat

76ers, Heat are still works in progress

76ers have big second half awakening over Hawks

76ers start most important two-game stretch this season

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

What are your opinions.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 20, 2012

PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday-to-Andre Iguodala was exactly the sort of high-flying connection the Philadelphia 76ers needed Friday night.

Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists, and Iguodala scored 11 points to lead the 76ers to a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

“We can play against tough teams,” Iguodala said.

Play and win.

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points and Elton Brand grabbed 16 rebounds to help the 76ers win for the 10th time in 12 games and improve to 7-1 at home.

The Sixers left a dismal first half in the dust with a sensational third quarter. Jodie Meeks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Iguodala rocked nearly 18,000 fans with a pair of thunderous dunks during a 14-0 run.

In a game between teams that started the night as division leaders, the Hawks were in control until the Sixers found their way.

Coach Doug Collins wrote a halftime note for his team on the board: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,”

“I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone,” Collins said. “I thought we went far in the second half, and together.”

Holiday had five of his 11 assists in the third and the Sixers pulled ahead by 18 in the fourth.

Former Sixer Willie Green scored 14 points and Jeff Teague had 12 for the Hawks, who snapped a four-game winning streak. Atlanta had been perfect since All-Star center Al Horford tore his left pectoral muscle, an injury that required surgery and could keep him out for the rest of the season.

Hawks coach Larry Drew could be heard yelling at his team in the locker room after the game.

“It got tough for us and we quit,” Drew said. “That’s what happened. I was more disappointed than frustrated.”

Even Horford couldn’t have done much to stop the Sixers’ mix of fastbreak dunks and 3-pointers in the third. Coming off their first home loss of the season, and a game Saturday at Miami, the Sixers knew they had to have this one to keep the early-season good vibes going.

“You win this game. You don’t lose two in a row at home,” Collins said.

Iguodala ignited the run when he scooped up a loose ball of an Atlanta turnover and turned it into a driving slam that cut it to 51-50. Meeks, who had 12 points, buried consecutive 3s to the delight of a loud and large crowd. Years of .500 or worse basketball had sucked the life out of the Wells Fargo Center. Sure enough, thanks to a fast start and slashed ticket prices, the arena is suddenly the place to be on a Friday night — or any night.

Holiday ended the run on a highlight reel-worthy feed to Iguodala for an alley-oop that nearly brought down the rim.

Yes, this was the same team that looked disconnected and missed 12 of their first 17 shots.

“We settled down a little bit, got some stops and went on a little run,” Iguodala said.

They turned up the defensive pressure in the third and would have held Atlanta to seven points had Green not sank a 27-footer at the buzzer. The Hawks scored only 29 points in the second half.

“They took the level of intensity up and we didn’t respond,” Green said.

The Sixers even played without center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles’ strain). Hawes will also miss Saturday’s game at Miami.

Philadelphia triggered its offense off the fastbreak and turnovers and buried the Hawks with easy buckets. Iguodala, who fans wanted traded after years of symbolizing a stagnant franchise, has been embraced this season for giving them the flashy dunks in combination with the flashy victories.

The Sixers had built their Atlantic Division lead by burying some of the NBA’s worst teams. Even without Horford, the Sixers passed a nice test of beating a division leader.

“We felt we had to have this win against a really good Eastern Conference team,” Brand said. “We want to say we’re an elite team, so we had to win this game.”

Notes

• Iguodala became the fifth Sixer with 1,000 career steals. He’s behind Maurice Cheeks, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley.
• The Sixers are off to their best start since they went 12-2 in 2000-01.
• The Hawks turned the ball over 15 times.

There is the quick update of the day.

The Miami Heat got some unexpected resistance from the Philadelphia 76ers in
the first round of last season’s playoffs during their run to the NBA finals.

Philadelphia is proving this season its solid play in that series was no
fluke.

The Heat may again be without Dwyane Wade when they host the Atlantic
Division-leading 76ers in a playoff rematch – and possible late-round postseason
preview – Saturday night.

Second-seeded Miami beat Philadelphia in five games to advance to the second
round, but aside from a 94-73 loss in Game 2, the 76ers gave the Heat all they
could handle. The other four games were decided by no more than eight points,
with the final three decided by six or fewer.

The 76ers (11-4) have seemed to use that series as motivation. They lead the
Atlantic Division by a full five games and have won four of their last five
after beating Atlanta 90-76 on Friday.

Philadelphia trailed by eight at halftime but pulled away after a 14-0 run
in the third quarter.

“I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone,” coach Doug
Collins said. “I thought we went far in the second half, and together.”

Thaddeus Young scored a game-high 20 points while Jrue Holiday added 16
points and 11 assists.

“We can play (well) against tough teams,” said Andre Iguodala, who scored
11.

Collins said he wanted a win badly after the 76ers fell 108-104 in overtime
against Denver on Wednesday.

“You win this game. You don’t lose two in a row at home,” Collins said.

Philadelphia, though, hasn’t had much regular-season success against Miami
in recent years.

The Sixers have lost seven straight matchups, including a three-game season
sweep last season. They have lost nine straight in Miami – playoffs included -
and it may not get any easier against a Heat team that improved to 5-1 at home
with a 98-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

LeBron James scored 31 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists for
the Heat (10-4), who played their second straight game without Wade while he
nurses a sprained right ankle.

James fought off a cold to have another solid outing. He’s averaging 33.0
points and 8.0 assists over his last three games.

“A chest cold can get to you at times,” James said. “But I felt like I
could help the team.”

His effort helped Miami improve to 5-0 this season without Wade, who is
questionable despite practicing Friday.

“We don’t take (James’) talent for granted, nor do we take Dwyane’s talent
or Chris (Bosh’s) talent,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re special players
and they can rise to the occasion.”

James averaged 23.6 points and 9.7 boards in the eight meetings against the
Sixers last season.

Louis Williams leads Philadelphia with 15.1 points per game, though he was
held to six Friday. He averaged only 10.8 points in the playoffs, but his
3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in Game 4 helped the Sixers to an 86-82
win – their only victory over the Heat in the last 12 meetings.

That’s all the news for today.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Tampa Bay on Facebook.

Jan 20, 2012 – The Miami Heat will play a back-to-back set of home games Saturday and Sunday, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on the front end and the Milwaukee Bucks on the back.

Saturday’s game pits the Heat against the Sixers for the first time in the 2011/12 season. The Heat eliminated the Sixers, 4-1, from the playoffs a season ago. Since that defeat, Philadelphia has gotten stronger, ranking No. 2 in the NBA in scoring defense (87.4 points per game) and No. 1 in three-point defense (26.4 percent). The Sixers have posted a 10-3 record prior to Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Indeed, Miami will have had an extra day of rest heading into Saturday’s game, which tips off at 7:30 Eastern on Sun Sports.

The Bucks then visit Miami for the first of three meetings between the teams in the 2011/12 campaign. The Heat went 3-1 against the Bucks in the 2010/11 season. Despite shaking up its roster before the season began by acquiring Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Beno Udrih, and Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee stands at just 4-9, the No. 4 team in the Central Division. Tipoff between the Heat and Bucks is set for 6 Eastern on Sun Sports./p>

For more on the Heat, please visit Peninsula is Mightier, SB Nation’s Heat blog. For Sixers coverage, please visit SB Nation Philly and Liberty Ballers, SB Nation’s 76ers blog. For the Milwaukee perspective, please visit Brew Hoop, SB Nation’s blog about the Bucks.

Read More: Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Tampa Bay on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough loss to swallow on Jan. 18, as the Denver Nuggets gave them their first home loss in overtime. Sixers fans like myself were hoping that it would be a statement win against a plus .500 opponent in an actual close game. However, there are two more big chances ahead for the Sixers to make such a statement, as a big back-to-back stretch begins on Jan. 20 in Philadelphia.

The Sixers haven’t had to face three straight winning opponents this season and have started this run in the most heartbreaking fashion. But they can erase that a bit by defeating the first place, 11-4 Atlanta Hawks before going to Miami to face none other than the Heat the next night.

Obviously, beating the Heat on the road will send a much bigger message than defeating the Hawks at home. Like Philadelphia, Atlanta is trying to take a step into the elite and still inspires a lot of doubt about whether it can do it. Yet the Hawks are a little bit further ahead of the Sixers at this point, as Atlanta has reached the second round two years in a row while Philadelphia hasn’t won a playoff round in a long time.

The Hawks have also gotten ahead of the Sixers’ pace this season with an 11-4 record and a four-game winning streak going into Philadelphia. Atlanta’s first place standing is a bit more impressive since it is in the far tougher Southeast Division – and one that, unlike the Atlantic, has more than one team better than two games under .500. What’s more, the Hawks are slightly ahead of both the Heat and the Orlando Magic for the moment, even though few think that can last into April.

Philadelphia hasn’t faced a team with this kind of winning record all season, as it lost to the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz before they got hot and fell to the now 10-5 Nuggets. The Sixers did defeat the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 9 when they were 6-2, yet the Hawks are on a more established high level. Of course, Atlanta isn’t close to the level that the Sixers’ next opponent is on yet – but if Philadelphia faces the Heat in 24 hours after losing two straight games to tough teams, the chances won’t be good to turn it around in Miami.

The Sixers need to salvage at least one win in this week of facing stronger competition, as the hope is that they didn’t already blow their best chance at one. Salvaging at least a win over the Hawks will make this go down easier, even if they follow it up with a loss to the Heat. Otherwise, the “I told you sos” of Sixers skeptics will be hard to quiet down for a while.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

Celtics can’t even celebrate ending losing streak

76ers fall just short in first real test against Nuggets

76ers get another shot at a winning Western opponent

76ers preserve perfection at home over Bucks

76ers taking advantage of weak schedule and division

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

The Philadelphia 76ers have made a lot of headlines in jumping out to a 10-3 start. Yet pundits and Sixers fans like myself weren’t ready to jump full on board until they beat better teams and didn’t need blowouts to do it. As such, the Sixers had a huge chance to win new followers by beating the Denver Nuggets at home on Jan. 18 – but instead fell just short.

The Nuggets had a winning record, wouldn’t get blown out and tested the Sixers’ ability to win in the final moments. Philadelphia ultimately failed that test in the toughest way possible, as it suffered its first home loss of 2012 in a 108-104 overtime defeat.

Everything seemed to be going well for the Sixers early as they jumped to a nine-point lead after one quarter. However, Philadelphia usually makes major runs in the second and/or third quarter, so it clearly peaked too soon after Denver fought its way back. A 32-17 second quarter advantage gave the Nuggets the halftime lead – and they then became one of the rare teams not to get blown out in the third quarter by the Sixers.

Denver then built its lead to double digits and seemed to demoralize Philadelphia, before it finally showed something we had waited for all year. The Sixers could blow out poor opponents all the live long day, but could it make a rally against a good team and then win in the final seconds? They certainly came back with a 13-0 run, but thanks to former Sixer Andre Miller, they couldn’t complete the rally in either the fourth quarter or overtime.

Miller scored the Nuggets’ last 10 points in regulation, which stabilized Denver as the game went back and forth. Andre Igoudala had the chance to finish things off for the Sixers anyway, but with four seconds left, he missed the first of two free throws that would have given Philadelphia the lead. He made the second to force overtime, yet the miss shattered the Sixers’ best opportunity.

Miller then went on to finish the job by putting the Nuggets ahead for good in the final minute of overtime. When the Sixers had their chance to tie, Doug Collins didn’t call for a timeout and let them run the court, only for Jrue Holiday to turn the ball over. With that, Philadelphia’s chance to get its first real statement victory of the season was lost.

By rallying from 10 points down to force overtime late, the Sixers proved that they could come up big in a pressure situation. However, they still couldn’t finish the job and didn’t have anyone step up to deliver the final clutch shot or winning free throws. In addition, poor shooting in the second and third quarter helped put Philadelphia so far down in the first place and made a comeback necessary.

The Sixers were reminded that it is a lot harder to win when they are the ones in a deficit and when they aren’t facing a last-place opponent. They were a step away from learning well anyway, yet they won’t get wins or respect from the NBA’s elite just for coming close. If Philadelphia doesn’t get a little bit closer in games like this, then the Sixers will hit their ceiling sooner and harder than they hope.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers get another shot at a winning Western opponent

76ers preserve perfection at home over Bucks

76ers taking advantage of weak schedule and division

76ers put Wizards away earlier than usual

76ers get back to basics over Wizards

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

The Philadelphia 76ers have 10 wins this season and only three losses, although the losses are still a little glaring. Sixers fans like myself must keep facing doubts about the team’s hot start because it has mostly come at the expense of poor competition. In fact, when the Sixers did face tougher teams in the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz and the New York Knicks, they wound up losing.

The opening five-game Western road trip gave Philadelphia three wins against sub. 500 teams and two losses to the only opponents that are now over .500. But those defeats came a few weeks ago, so the hope is that the Sixers are better equipped to face a good Western Conference opponent now that the Denver Nuggets are visiting on Jan. 18.

The season started on Dec. 26 when Philadelphia lost close to a Portland team that is now 8-5. Days later, the Sixers faced a 0-2 Jazz squad and got upset in another close game, which propelled the Jazz to get hot and rack up a 9-4 record. The Sixers haven’t had to face many winning opponents or get into many close games at all – and tellingly lost when they faced two good Western teams in down-to-the-wire finishes.

Now Philadelphia will try to prove that the third time is a charm when 9-5 Denver visits. This is the third time the Sixers have faced a club with a winning record from the Northeast Division alone, and it would be nice to beat this one before facing Southeast opponents like the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat over the weekend. The schedule is finally getting a little tougher for Philadelphia this week, so jumping in with a victory over the Nuggets would help as a start.

Technically, the Sixers do have to worry about beating good Eastern Conference opposition more than facing the best in the West. However, Philadelphia has to prove itself against solid teams from everywhere, so that skeptics can be convinced it is for real. The fact is that when it comes to the Western Conference, the Sixers have beaten up the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Hornets and Sacramento Kings, but are 0-2 when facing Western teams that have a shot at the playoffs.

But those two losses came on the road before everyone knew just what Philadelphia was capable of. A few weeks of wins, home court advantage and a 6-0 start at Wells Fargo Center should hopefully be enough to show a marked improvement over the Nuggets. Yet if the Sixers come up short again to a would-be contender from the West, it will be harder to convince the opposition back East that they should be afraid of them.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers preserve perfection at home over Bucks

76ers taking advantage of weak schedule and division

76ers put Wizards away earlier than usual

76ers get back to basics over Wizards

76ers back to facing inferior opponent in Wizards

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

What do you guys think about this.

By Jared Smith

– Newsdesk contributor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Philly on Facebook.

Jan 11, 2012 – The Philadelphia 76ers look for their seventh straight victory Wednesday, as they visit the New York Knicks in a Atlantic Division Eastern Conference contest at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. on CSN). The first-place Sixers (7-2) will be looking to match its longest win streak since 2009 and complete a stretch of three game in three days, while the Knicks (5-4) are looking to trim Philadelphia’s division lead to just one game.

On Tuesday, the Sixers dominated the visiting Sacramento Kings, 112-83, as Elton Brand tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds. Before that game, Philadelphia downed the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, respectively.

Currently, guard Lou Williams is coming off the bench to net a team-best 16.4 points per game, while Jrue Holiday is averaging 14.8 ppg. Center Spencer Hawes is averaging 11.1 ppg and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are being successful despite dealing with multiple players being banged up.

On Monday, New York earned its third straight victory by downing the Charlotte Bobcats, 91-87, as forward Carmelo Anthony tallied just 22 points. Anthony is leading the team is scoring with 26.2 ppg. Last April, Anthony had 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 97-92 win at Philadelphia.

For more about the 76ers, visit the SB Nation blog Liberty Ballers. Meanwhile, SB Nation’s NBA hubpage has everything a professional basketball fans needs.

Read More: Carmelo Anthony (F – NYK), Elton Brand (F – PHI), Spencer Hawes (C – PHI), Jrue Holiday (G – PHI), New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Philly on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

That’s all for today.

PHILADELPHIA – Elton Brand had a season-high 21 points and 10
rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Sacramento Kings
112-85 Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

The Sixers are 7-2 and lead the Atlantic Division. It’s their
best start since Allen Iverson helped them open 10-0 on their way
to the NBA finals in 2000-01.

Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored seven points in his first start
for Sacramento. Filling in for injured leading scorer Marcus
Thornton, the former BYU sensation shot 2 for 7. DeMarcus Cousins
led the struggling Kings with 17 points.

Evan Turner had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and
Jrue Holiday added 17 for Philadelphia, which had six players reach
double figures. With second-year coach Doug Collins calling the
shots and a deep roster, the Sixers are relevant again in
sports-crazed Philadelphia.

After winning 41 games and losing to Miami in five games in the
first round of the playoffs last year, the Sixers are one of the
NBA’s up-and-coming teams. They’ve won five games by at least a
20-point margin.

This game quickly turned into a rout early in the third quarter.
An 11-0 run featuring three baskets from Brand extended the lead to
63-42. It reached 84-60 when Jodie Meeks hit his third 3-pointer of
the quarter.

A 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter made it a laugher. Lou
Williams scored six in a row and Thaddeus Young capped it off with
a dunk that put Philadelphia up 94-62.

That allowed the reserves at the end of the bench to see rare
action. Andres Nocioni played in his third game. Tony Battie and
Lavoy Allen entered for just the second time this season.

Fans roared when Meeks hit a jumper midway through the fourth to
give the Sixers 100 points, which means fans can take their ticket
stubs to McDonald’s for a free Big Mac on Wednesday.

The only negative for Philadelphia was an injury to starting
center Spencer Hawes. He didn’t play the second half because of a
strained lower back.

The Sixers had another slow offensive start and trailed 11-8
midway through the first. Turner’s driving layup with under a
minute left gave Philadelphia a 22-20 lead, and it led the rest of
the game.

Thornton missed his first game with a bruised left thigh. The
Kings already were without starting forward Chuck Hayes, who is
expected to miss three to four weeks with a dislocated left
shoulder.

Comment Below!.

The Philadelphia 76ers have raised some eyebrows in starting 5-2 and winning four blowouts already. But Sixers fans like myself will need a little more to go on until we are all in with this team. The fact is that Philadelphia’s five wins were all against sub .500 teams and that there won’t be many more winning clubs on the schedule for a while. However, the Sixers will host a plus .500 opponent on Jan. 9 to give them an early measuring stick.

But Philadelphia isn’t playing an established contender, as the Indiana Pacers are in the same boat. The Pacers and Sixers had the bottom two playoff seeds last season and are trying to take the next step this year. Both have started better than expected, as the Pacers have done a little better with a 6-2 record so far – although Indiana has also done most of its damage against losing squads too.

The biggest test that Indiana faced came on Jan. 4 when it visited the Miami Heat and got slaughtered by 35 points – even with Dwayne Wade out. As for Philadelphia, the best team that it faced was the Portland Trail Blazers in the season opener on Dec. 26, which ended in a closer Sixers loss.

Perhaps since both teams are trying to rise from the bottom of the playoff pack and have cleaned up so far against inferior competition, their showdown in Philadelphia might not be that revealing. There is still reason to suspect that they will come back down to Earth when they face the elite, like the Pacers did in Miami last week. But given how Indiana and Philadelphia have only really beaten bad teams, beating a good one is still a feather in their cap no matter who it is.

The Sixers have mastered beating sub .500 squads and blowing them out as well. Yet they have only won one close game and that was against the 2-6 New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 4. Since it is unlikely that they will blow out the Pacers, winning a close contest against a club with a winning record would be a terrific statement to make. Doing it in Philadelphia and improving to 3-0 at home will also help as well.

It is going to be a season-long process for Philadelphia and Indiana to match the Chicago’s and Miami’s of the Eastern Conference. But the Sixers and Pacers have to beat fellow promising teams like each other before they can get up to challenge the elite. Therefore, this battle will reveal something as these two would-be contenders try to climb another leg up in the Eastern hierarchy.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers breeze through in second half yet again

76ers show off blowout ways at home over Pistons

76ers now get to build on promising start at home

76ers clinch winning road trip with impressive rally

76ers follow close loss with blowout win again

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

The Philadelphia 76ers are having a late home opener and not just because of the lockout. Sixers fans like myself have had to stay up to see the team so far, after they went on the road out West and in the South for five straight games. But what we saw of the Sixers looked mostly good as they escaped with a 3-2 record, and now they get to start getting better back in Philadelphia.

With 18 of the next 22 games at home and with not many of the NBA elite scheduled to visit, the Sixers have a chance to start building up a good record. They start off on Jan. 6 with a home opener against the 2-4 Detroit Pistons as an example – which bodes well since Philadelphia beat three 2-4 teams already in the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Hornets.

The Sixers managed to prove that they can beat fellow mediocre ball clubs, although they did lose to the 5-1 Portland Trail Blazers to start off. If they do keep winning in a manageable schedule, there will still be doubts on whether they can actually beat the best. Yet those questions won’t really be answered until later, so they still have to keep winning in the meantime.

Philadelphia has won on the strength of some big spurts, big play off the bench from Lou Williams, the emergence of a double-double machine in Spencer Hawes and the continued evolution of Jrue Holiday. That has all been well and good to see on the road, but seeing it at home is another matter as the Sixers try to prove that they can make a dent in Philadelphia.

With the Eagles now starting their disappointing offseason, the Phillies in the middle of theirs and the Flyers heading into midseason, the Sixers have a good window of opportunity to actually get noticed. Since they will be at the Wells Fargo Center for much of January, winning a lot of those games and building up a winning record could get more fans to drop by – and get the rest of the NBA to take notice.

Since the Sixers don’t have to travel so much for now and since the schedule is still manageable, the hope is that Philadelphia doesn’t take its foot off the gas as a result. Their 3-2 record could have easily been 4-1 or even 5-0 with a few better breaks, so there is still much room for improvement. But the team ended up getting in the right direction on the road, and now it is time for the Sixers to keep proving it in friendly confines while the iron is hot.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers clinch winning road trip with impressive rally

76ers follow close loss with blowout win again

76ers unable to put away Jazz

76ers aim for first winning record of 2011 against Jazz

76ers burn Suns in blowout victory

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

The Philadelphia 76ers went into Golden State on Dec. 31 after blowing a winnable game to the then-winless Utah Jazz the night before. Sixers fans like myself feared that this defeat would doom them to a 1-4 or 2-3 road trip, which would be a disappointing way to start the season. However, the Sixers showed a talent that will bode well for them in this 66-game schedule – rallying from a bad loss one night to get a convincing victory 24 hours later.

When the week started, Philadelphia suffered a hard close loss to the Portland Trail Blazers before blowing out the Phoenix Suns the next time out. The pattern repeated to end the opening week, as the Sixers rallied from a bad close loss to the Jazz by blowing through the Golden State Warriors the next time out in a 107-79 thumping.

It had looked like the Sixers had picked up right where they left off from Utah in the worst way, as the Warriors jumped ahead by 13 points early on – just as the Sixers did against the Jazz the previous night. But just as Philadelphia forfeited that lead quickly, Golden State soon coughed up their 13-point lead pretty fast. Yet while the Sixers at least stayed within range throughout after blowing their early lead to the Jazz, the Warriors kept free falling.

Philadelphia put Phoenix away with a 19-0 run to start the second half, and repeated the pattern by pushing an eight-point halftime lead over Golden State to 20 points before long. Other recurring trends included Lou Williams leading the Sixers in scoring off the bench, while Spencer Hawes contributed a double-double.

It is puzzling that the same Philadelphia team which blew out Phoenix and Golden State so thoroughly is still only 2-2. While winning blowouts hasn’t been a problem so far, coming out ahead in closer games has been more problematic. The Sixers have won twice by a combined 48 points, yet it has been negated by losing twice by a combined seven points.

The pattern seems to consist of blowout victories in even numbered games this season after close losses in odd numbered games. This doesn’t bode well for the Sixers’ fifth game against the New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 4, although they at least have a few days off to solve this problem.

As impressive as the Sixers have been in Phoenix and Golden State, pulling out a game that’s in doubt in the final minutes would be more impressive right about now. Judging how Philadelphia is due for another close battle in New Orleans, it may make the difference between a promising 3-2 road trip and a very disappointing 2-3 finish.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

76ers unable to put away Jazz

76ers aim for first winning record of 2011 against Jazz

76ers burn Suns in blowout victory

76ers aim to avoid troubling 0-2 start in Phoenix

76ers pay for latest poor start in Portland

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

What do you guys think about this.