The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, January 28. The lowly Pistons are just 4-16 and this will be the second time the 76ers host them in the month of January. This is a game the 76ers have to win. After this, things get a whole lot tougher. The 76ers will play a long stretch of games against winning teams after they host the Pistons. While they are good enough to win those other games, beating the teams they should beat is essential. I don’t think the 76ers should have any problem handling Detroit.

The last time the two teams met was the home opener for the 76ers. Philadelphia routed Detroit 96-73 in that game. Once the pride of the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have drifted near the bottom of the league as they are trying to rebuild. Detroit has been mostly awful all season and there is no excuse for the 76ers to lose to them. Both teams are coming off of games the previous night. The 76ers routed the Charlotte Bobcats and were able to spread the minutes out in such a way that no player should feel tired in this game.

Once again, the 76ers are likely to be without Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevic. Hawes is battling an Achilles injury while Vucevic is resting his knee. By now, the 76ers should be accustomed to playing without them. Elton Brand and Tony Battie will have to grab rebounds and make things happen underneath. Newcomer Francisco Elson should also help. He played a few minutes against Charlotte shortly after the 76ers officially signed him. LaVoy Allen has also become a solid force in the rebound department. Together, those players should help the 76ers dominate that area.

Overall, I am looking for the 76ers to dominate this game and spread out the minutes. Anything less than a victory would be a major disaster in this game. The 76ers are better in all areas. Getting a second straight win will help the 76ers gain confidence as they embark on their difficult stretch. I believe they will get that win and continue to play well after that.

* – Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan. Follow him on Twitter here.

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The Philadelphia 76ers took a huge step toward convincing the rest of the NBA that they are the real deal. After trailing by double digits in the first half, the 76ers put together a strong game and ended up with a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks. This was a win over a first place and team and that shouldn’t be overlooked. More importantly, it allows the 76ers to quell the talk they can only beat bad teams. As a 76ers fan, I was impressed with this win. I expect more will follow.

Things looked rough in the first half. The 76ers fell behind by double digits early in the second quarter behind some poor shooting and less than stellar defense. They started to right the ship and ended up trailing by eight at the break. The third quarter was an entirely different story. The 76ers outscored Atlanta 25-10 in the third to go up by seven points. They completely shut down the Hawks on defense and did everything right. The good times continued in the fourth quarter as the 76ers ended up with a comfortable win. The Hawks managed just 29 points in the final 24 minutes.

There were several standout performances for the 76ers. Jrue Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists in the game. Elton Brand picked up the slack with Spencer Hawes out of the lineup and ended up with 16 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. Andre Iguodala and Jodie Meeks also played well as the starters really helped in this game. Thaddeus Young led the team with 20 points but the rest of the bench didn’t do too much. That is out of character for the 76ers but fortunately the starters were able to make up for it.

The second half defense was huge for the 76ers. That is the way the 76ers win games. Atlanta is a solid offensive team and it looked like they were on their way to another strong performance. But the 76ers proved that they are strong enough on defense to shut down any team. Hopefully the formula continues as the schedule continues to get more difficult.

* – Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and fan of the 76ers. Follow him on Twitter here.

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The Philadelphia 76ers will take the court for their first preseason game on December 16, 2011. This team is coming off a 41-41 record and expectations are higher for the 2011-12 season. The 76ers bring back essentially the same team in the second year with Doug Collins. As a 76ers fan, I’m hoping for a big step forward this season. So what would be considered a successful season for Philadelphia? I think this team needs to finish fifth in the Eastern Conference for the season to be a success.

I realize that sounds like a big step for the 76ers. You have to figure that the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics will once again be the top three teams in the conference. The Celtics are aging but the 76ers aren’t quite ready to catch them in the Atlantic Division. After these top three teams, I think the 76ers should be in the same pack with the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks. When you look at all of these teams, the 76ers should be good enough to surpass all of them. I realize that the team doesn’t have a superstar like Dwight Howard of Orlando or Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks. But as a collective team, the 76ers are better.

Last season, the 76ers were the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. I think moving up two steps should be a realistic goal. More importantly, I think the goal should be to win a playoff series. If Philadelphia draws Miami or Chicago in the first round, that will be difficult. If they draw Boston, they might have a shot depending on the health of the Celtics. If they draw any other team, the 76ers are good enough to advance. Based on how I expect the team to finish in the 2011-12 season, they should have a winnable match-up in the playoffs. A trip to the second round would be proof that this team is on the verge of breaking through.

The last time there was a lockout during the 1998-99 season, the 76ers improved with their first winning season in a long time and won a playoff series. Two years later, they were in the NBA Finals. I think the team should strive to match that goal. No one expects them to win a championship this year. But they should be able to beat most teams. Moreover, they should be competitive against the best in the conference. No matter who the 76ers face in the playoffs, the team needs to put forward a tough series. Teams like Miami won’t be better than the 76ers forever. Philadelphia is on the rise and this season is the next step. For it be considered a success, real progress needs to be felt among the fan base. I think this team can win 40 games in the 66 game schedule and make a dent in the playoffs.

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According to reports, the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in bringing back Julius Erving. At a recent auction, the team purchased a good amount of the legendary stars memorabilia. But it looks as the though the 76ers are looking for a little more magic than old sneakers. The team has reached out to Erving about joining the team. No position has been defined, but if Erving joins the front office it can only be good for this team. As a 76ers fan, I’d be happy to have Dr. J back in any position with the 76ers.

At the time of Erving’s peak, the 76ers were red hot in this town. At the present time, Philadelphia is a distant fourth in the eyes of the local fans. But there have been signs of life over the last year from this team. First, Doug Collins became the new coach and had the team playing some inspired basketball. Then, the 76ers got an exciting new ownership group. The new owners are bringing a lot of passion to the team and they seem determined to regain status in the city. Of course, the NBA lockout has prevented any real changes for fans to notice. But even with the limited options, the 76ers have made some pretty good moves.

If the team entices Erving to join the front office, it will be another step in the right direction. As a former player on the team and one that the city embraced, Erving remembers the glory days very well. That kind of energy can spill over to the current people in the organization. If the 76ers want to prove they are ready for the glory days to return, bringing back one of the best figures from that era is a smart move. As for what his position would be, there is a lot of flexibility. Erving has been a successful businessman since his NBA career ended. He doesn’t have major front office experience, but plenty of other former players have found success without that. I’m not saying Erving should be a general manager, but I think he could offer plenty to this team. If they want to bring him back, I’ll be more than happy.

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There is the quick update of the day.