Are the successful Sixers stagnate?

By John DeCosta Sports Central Columnist

The Philadelphia 76ers began the year with nine new players and little expectations put forth by the majority of NBA experts. Now, almost 20 games into the season, the 15-4 Sixers have left the rest of the league, and these same experts, in a stupor.

With Allen Iverson and Larry Brown's relationship repaired once again, a relatively healthy lineup, and a player with something to prove actually proving something in Keith Van Horn, the Sixers have rolled through the first quarter of the season.

Although seemingly on the way to their fifth consecutive playoff appearance, the team should not be so quick to pat themselves on the back. Despite displaying chemistry of a team that appears to have played together for several years, and rising hopes for their chances in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season, is this team actually capable of playing any better than the peak in the weaker conference?

Two seasons ago, Brown finally assembled a team that reflected his coaching style. He discarded top draft picks in Jerry Stackhouse, Derrick Coleman, Larry Hughes, Tim Thomas, and Joe Smith, in favor of a third-string point guard from Seattle in Eric Snow, a seldom-used bench player from Detroit in Aaron McKie, an underachieving center in Theo Ratliff, a power forward who could never find a permanent home in Tyrone Hill, and a free agent not even the Grizzlies wanted in George Lynch. He put this hard-working bunch on the court with superstar Iverson, and in similar disbelief to this season's early success, they brazenly defeated teams with far better profiles.

With an injury to Ratliff, they traded for veteran center and eventual Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo. With Mutombo anchoring the middle, they managed to fend off Toronto and Milwaukee to win the Eastern Conference, but looked like David without his slingshot against the mighty Lakers in the finals.

After re-acquiring Coleman before last season, they lost their identity while struggling through a difficult, injury-riddled campaign. Subsequent to being eliminated by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, they went through their major overhaul in the 2002 offseason in hopes of regaining their stolen prominence of the 2000-2001 season.

Once again, Brown and the Sixers have astounded us all, making a success story out of a team that has gone through enough changes in appearance that the majority of casual fans from two seasons ago would not be able to pick them out of a police lineup, with the exception of Allen Iverson, of course.

With all of these changes over the past years, the Sixers have accomplished much in continuing to capture their ticket to the playoffs. Brown and Iverson have been the core of this team and continue to take on the challenges of injuries, chemistry, and an often-rocky interpersonal relationship to always find the right avenue to victory. But are the Sixers becoming the Eastern Conference's version of the Utah Jazz?

The Jazz have made the playoffs for so many consecutive years it is not worth counting. With John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Jerry Sloan as the main cast, they have had a permanent spot in every postseason. Unfortunately, the Jazz have no titles to gloat about, and no series-winning footage to account for this success. When asked what will be remembered about this team after their playoff era ends, most people will probably say Malone and Stockton, pick-and-roll, and an image of a stumbling Bryon Russell as Michael Jordan rises up for a Finals-winning jump shot.

So knowing this, where do the Sixers go from here? Will the Brown/Iverson era be remembered as one that was good, but could have been great? In order to avoid this dubious distinction, they will eventually have to stop only acquiring overachieving role players and borderline all-stars, and finally put a team on the court that is a true match for the powerful teams of the West.

When looking at the truly dominant teams, Jordan could not have won his titles without Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal could not have won his without Kobe Bryant, but is anyone really going to say Iverson could not have won a title without Van Horn?

So now that Iverson has won an MVP award over Shaq, and Brown has been named coach of the 2004 Olympic team over nine-time NBA finals winner Phil Jackson, it's time for them to prove that they are worthy of these accomplishments.

The gauntlet has been thrown down and the Sixers must decide whether or not to cast away their annual meager challenge of making the playoffs with mildly talented teams, and work towards the ultimate challenge of winning an NBA title. Iverson might be "The Answer," but the true answer will ultimately lie with the players chosen to complement him in the future.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.