NBA Teams That Should/Shouldn’t Be Worried

Nov 6, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards defeated the 76ers, 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers

What We Expected: Worst team in NBA History. Futility. Airballs and botched dunks. In-game trade rumors.

What We’ve Seen: Well, until the Golden State Warriors decided to stomp all over the dream of losers everywhere, Philadelphia looked like a team reborn. Michael Carter-Williams was compared to Magic Johnson after his first game! Spencer Hawes was the best center in the league for two games! They beat the Bulls and the Heat! Evan Turner was making his terrible shots! Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers might have read one to many “The Sixers Will Be The Worst Team In The History of the Milky Way” articles. But it didn’t look like a classic bad team with a chip on its shoulder motivated by pride or revenge. It just looked like a young team with an exciting new centerpiece having fun and playing fast and loose.

In One Month: Sorry to douse the optimism fire, but Philly is going to start losing more games at a fairly reliable clip pretty soon. But hey, who cares? That was the point right? I think just this tiny burst of life has given the team enough enthusiasm to be competitive at home against most teams, and they won’t be in the running for any historical awfulness. They’ll just be a classic rebuilding team with an eye on a Top 3 pick. Same as it ever was, except this time with some dang pride.