Brand is on pace for a spectacular 2010 campaign.


In each of the first four games of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers have offered flashes of untapped potential. There have been extended periods of stifling defense, frenzied runs at the beginning of quarters, and boundless energy provided by their second unit in key situations.

Wednesday night, those glimpses finally came together to form a beautiful picture -- an impressive 101-75 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers. Elton Brand, who scored 25 points and added 12 rebounds, was one of six Sixers players who finished in double figures.

Brand, who won't win any popularity contests among Sixers' fans any time soon, has arguably been the team's best player this year. Noticeably slimmer, he's averaging 18 points and 9.6 rebounds in nearly 37 minutes each night. Despite more than 11 seasons in the league, he doesn't seem fazed by the extended action he's seen so far.

"It’s nothing," said Brand following the game. "I’m ready to go out there and contribute."

Of the Sixers' 101 points, 41 came from the Sixers' bench as Thaddeus Young led the second unit with 16 points. In what seems to be a common occurrence this season, the team's offensive sets appeared to be more effective once the substitutes checked into the game.

With the versatile Young, rookie Evan Turner, and Louis Williams, the Sixers boast one of the better eight-man rotations in the Eastern Conference.

On the other end of the court, Brand and Spencer Hawes were far more effective than in past games, limiting Pacers center Roy Hibbert to 9 points on only 4-for-12 shooting. In truth, the entire team contributed to a spectacular defensive effort, holding the Pacers to only 31.5 percent shooting from the field.

The Sixers -- who were up by 26 at the half -- maintained their lead despite the absence of Doug Collins in the second half. For the second time in three weeks, Collins was stricken with symptoms of vertigo -- a result of a concussion that he sustained this past May.

However, even with Michael Curry assuming the head coaching duties while Collins stayed in the locker room, the Sixers didn't miss a beat.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the win was the fact that it came a night after one of the most heartbreaking losses you'll ever see. With 0.5 seconds left in regulation on Tuesday night, the fans in Washington's Verizon Center erupted when the Wizards' Cartier Martin hit a 3-pointer, tying the game at 106 apiece.

While the Sixers hung with the Wizards for most of the extra period, they were unable to contain John Wall (29 points, 13 assists, 9 steals) and Audray Blatche (23 points), falling to the Wizards 116-115 in overtime.

It was one of those games that typically results in a poor showing the following night. To exert that much energy for 53 minutes and come away with nothing to show for it can be a bit disheartening for most teams. To the Sixers' credit, they came back 24 hours later with their finest effort of the season -- a performance that they can hopefully build on in the near future.

"It feels good to win one," said Brand, following the game. "We know we can win ballgames, so it feels good to get one now."

Improvement is clear, but not enough for the Sixers.


Near the end of Friday night's 104-101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia 76ers' official Twitter feed offered the following declaration:

"This Sixers team does not and will not quit."

To date, that statement has been completely accurate - the Sixers have, in fact, played hard in each of their three games so far this season. But that effort has yet to produce a victory, and losses like these can quickly take a toll on a team as young as this one.

While addressing the media following Saturday night's 99-86 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Sixers' coach Doug Collins summed up his team's play very succinctly: "It's like the same old movie."

In short, this is a team that is struggling to find its identity. In three games, Collins has already used two different starting lineups, giving Andres Nocioni the nod over Jason Kapono before the game in Indiana. Fittingly, Kapono didn't even take off his warmups against the Pacers.

This is a team that played more than 51 minutes of basketball this season before one of their starters even attempted a free throw. While the Sixers' coaching staff wants Andre Iguodala to attack the rim more, he appears to content with accepting what the defense gives him, often settling for jump shots instead of driving to the basket and drawing contact.

Whether it be rebounding, spacing, or just running a basic offensive set, this is a team that often looks out of sync on the court. Quite often, the Sixers' players appear to be five distinct parts, instead of one cohesive team.

"[R]ight now we’re not on the same page," Iguodala said following the Indiana loss. "[O]n the court we’re a little too selfish instead of looking out for one another to play better basketball as a unit."

That selfishness was on full display during the third quarter of Saturday's game when Indiana started the period on a 17-5 run. During that stretch, three different Sixers (Iguodala, Lou Williams, Nocioni) were called for offensive fouls. In each case, the player involved was trying to force the issue instead of letting the offense flow naturally.

Of the two newest members of the starting lineup, only Nocioni is providing any sort of significant contribution. As evidenced in the Indiana game, he is a far better option at small forward than Kapono, providing toughness, rebounding and a more complete offensive game.

Spencer Hawes missed most of the preseason due to a nagging back injury, and the lack of practice time is clearly evident. He's slow to rotate on defense, and is rarely in a good position to grab rebounds. During stoppages in play, you'll often see Elton Brand coaching Hawes on his defensive responsibilities.

In regards to coaching, the primary task of Doug Collins is simply to teach this team how to play together. A single season under former coach Eddie Jordan seems to have made an impression on many of the Sixers' veterans - it's almost as if they have to "unlearn" a lot of the things they picked up during last year's 27-55 campaign. Said Collins: "We've got to break a lot of losing habits."

There have, however, been a number of bright spots this season. The newly slimmed-down Elton Brand has outperformed the expectations of some, averaging 14.7 points and 9 rebounds.

Evan Turner is clearly not the "bust" that several analysts for ESPN The Magazine predicted that he would be, while Williams and Thaddeus Young have provided their fair share of scoring and energy off of the bench.

So all is not lost in SixerLand. But if you'd like to break out the rosary beads, now is as good a time as any.