By Brian A. Lester

Surely the Philadelphia 76ers are a better team than their mediocre 25-24 record indicates.

These 76ers, after all, have one of the best basketball players on the planet wearing their uniform and should be a couple of steps ahead of most in a wide open Eastern Conference.

But clearly, the franchise that has the Answer is creating way too many questions as the regular seasons heads into the second and most important half of the schedule.

Just two years ago, the 76ers appeared to have the torch of the East firmly in their hands, reaching the NBA Finals before falling in five games to the dynamic Los Angeles Lakers.

Still, you had the feeling that the 76ers were going to be a force to be reckoned with in the years to follow.

Yet, a year ago, Philadelphia was bounced from the playoffs by Boston, leaving many to wonder what had happened to a team that was seemingly moving in the right direction.

Oh, Philadelphia did make news after its shortened postseason journey, but it had nothing to do with dribbling a basketball or making a jump shot.

Rather, the news involved Iverson. There was his press conference last spring in which he turned into a human quote machine, telling it like it was and complaining about taking the heat for missing practice.

Then came the summer of trouble, in which Iverson was accused of barging into an apartment toting a gun and looking for his wife.

Many wondered if Iverson would end up going to prison, but in the end, Iverson escaped trouble the way he shakes off a hapless defender with his amazing crossover dribble.

Now, Iverson and the 76ers must see if they can shake off the grip of a midseason slump and return to the form that made them one of the most dangerous teams in the league once upon a time.

Granted, it won't be easy.

Philadelphia is clinging to a playoff berth for the moment, sitting seventh overall in the conference standings, but it holds just 1 1/2 game lead on ninth-place Orlando.

The good news for the 76ers is that 18 of their final 33 games are against losing teams, meaning the potential to move up in the world is certainly a possibility.

Whether the 76ers do move up will depend greatly on which Philadelphia team shows up for final half of the season.

Only time will give us the answer.

Brian Lester is a sportswriter in Ohio and can be reached via email at BAL4@hotmail.com.


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