Playoffs Anyone?

The NBA season is already a few weeks old, but I just started this blog so I'm making my early season Sixers predictions. I smell the playoffs.

With "Sixer for life" Mo Cheeks leading the way, the team looks prepared and in rhythm for the first time since Larry Brown departed for the Motor City. With his liberal, and effective, use of the bench, Cheeks has been able to keep the starters fresh and productive. He has also found some gems on the pine to help in the playoff push.

The gems I speak of are Lee Nailon and John Salmons. Nailon is new to the Sixers this season, so he didn't deal with the rotating coaching situation over the past couple of years. Salmons was there for that tumultuous period, and survived. He's having his best season (coincidently it's a contract year), and is my pick to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.

This is all well and dandy, but let me not forget that Philly sports two of the game's best in Allen Iverson and Chris Webber. The latter is averaging 21 points and 10 boards, this in his 13th NBA season. AI, a perennial scoring champion, is averaging 32.5 points. But his most telling stat is the 8.3 assists he's dishing out. If the Sixers make it further than expected this season, AI will certainly be the MVP of the league for the second time of his 10-year-career. He'll also be vying for the scoring title, again.

To sum it up, my pick for Philly is the fourth seed in the playoffs.