The Sixers are the best team in the NBA!
Before your head explodes at that bombastic comment realize it isn’t the opinion of this writer but rather the conclusion drawn from ESPN.com’s most recent Hollinger Power Rankings.
The daily rankings of all 30 NBA teams take into account about a dozen factors to decide the best team in the NBA on any given day.
On Tuesday the Atlantic Division leading Sixers with a 115.442 rating came out atop the rankings. The Miami Heat (112.154) and Chicago Bulls (111.830) came in at second and third respectively despite each having eight wins to the 76ers six.
But thanks to their five-game win streak and plus-14.63 margin of victory so far this season, the Sixers came out atop the ranking for the second-straight day.
Are the feel-good Sixers the best team in the NBA? Most fans would say no. ESPN’s companion weekly NBA Power Rankings and NBA.com’s Power Rankings agree with the Sixers being good but not being the best -- both rankings placed the 76ers (6-2) seventh behind teams like the Heat, Bulls, Nuggets and even Blazers.
CBSSports.com put the Sixers at No. 5 in their latest ranking:
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"Doug Collins is coaching his face off this year. The Sixers have the league's best defense, and with Andre Iguodala's somehow improving his overall game, they are hotter than a cheesesteak right now."
But what does the No. 1 Hollinger ranking and all these other Top 7 finishes really mean for the Sixers? Not much except that they are playing good ball that is worth noticing.
Maybe someone should tell their fans: for all the top accolades for the Sixers there is one area where they rank towards the bottom of the NBA -- through three games the Sixers rank 29th in home attendance despite fan-friendly offers like $10 tickets and other deals.
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