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March 3, 2008
Given that the Sixers are the team which kept the Raptors (and yours truly) from a date in the Eastern Conference finals lo those many years ago, I don’t think it would be unreasonable for me to harbour some resentment towards the organization. And that’s probably the reason I expected Philly to be one of the worst teams in the NBA heading into this season. At the very least it was a factor, although I certainly wasn’t the only pundit, real or imaginary, who felt that way. Still, as this NBA season closes in on its final month, I think it’s about time to give credit where credit is due. Even though Philadelphia is known for having some of the most hateful fans in sports, it’s really hard to hate on Mo Cheeks’ team. When Billy King got canned and Kyle Korver was dealt to Utah it would have been really easy for the fans and players to pack it in, after all at one point they were 5-13. But the Sixers have been one of the peskiest, most surprising teams in the Association this campaign, and don’t look now, but they’re actually on the fringes of the playoff picture, even if it is the Eastern Conference. Even though they’re still a few games below .500, Philly has quality wins over Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Sacramento, Orlando and Phoenix just to name a few, and the last four teams Philly took care of while playing on the road. And for that reason, they headline my list of the NBA’s five most surprising teams. Here are the other four: 5. Miami Heat Hey, not all surprises are good. Just think back to the end of the Tone Loc classic Funky Cold Medina. It would have been possible to predict the Heat might struggle. But not like this. 4. Portland Trail Blazers No Greg Oden, no problem. Given their youth and inexperience and the strength of this year’s Western Conference field, a winning record alone is a major accomplishment. 3. New Orleans Hornets Everybody knew they retooled in the off-season and there’s no shortage of talent there, but this team has ascended to the upper ranks of the NBA over the course of 60 games. Chris Paul is headed for Springfield. You heard it here first. Well, you heard it here. 2. Los Angeles Lakers/Orlando Magic Here we have a tie. The Magic have basically ridden Dwight Howard’s massive shoulders to one of the top spots in the East with a ragged backcourt and an overpaid Rashard Lewis. In that sense they’ve surprised many with their overachievement. The Lakers have done much better, and quite frankly are playing at a downright scary level right now, but they have some guy named Kobe Bryant and one of the most impressive front lines in the game so, you’d hope they were at least competent. They are. Courtesy TheScore.ca
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