Sixers on a Roll

So the Sixers (21-30) have won three in a row and have moved to one-half game out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff position.

Is this something to get excited about?
Answer: Not yet.

In their three-game winning streak, they have beat the likes of the Washington Wizards, the Miami Heat (worst team in the league), and the LA Clippers. This is by no means a streak to brag about, yet a streak of three games that they SHOULD win, no matter what. The real test will come tonight as they host the Dallas Mavericks (34 – 16) and All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

However, one bright spot of late has been rookie Thaddeus Young. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Young, a natural small forward, has started five of the last six games at power forward and played quite well. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and shooting 26-for-48 (50.4 percent) as a starter. He will need to keep his production up as the Sixers have a pretty favorable schedule in the upcoming weeks. Following tonight’s tough matchup against Dallas, they get Memphis, on the road at Minnesota, back home against the troubled Knicks, tough one at Orlando, then what should be an easy W at Miami. The Sixers will need at least four wins out of those six games to stay in the playoff picture.