“I will be taking my talents to south beach.” This decision from LeBron James ultimately changed the NBA as a whole.  Now teams load up on as many superstars as they can in an effort to win an NBA championship. The game of basketball at the professional level has become a joke. This year however the Philadelphia 76ers are proving that basketball can still be played as a team game instead of based on one or two players.

NBA teams loading up on stars has created a lack of parity in the league. This trend started in 2007 when the Boston Celtics brought together their big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. It reached its peak with LeBron and Chris Bosh joining Dwayne Wade in Miami. The trend seems that it will not end with recent trades that have brought Carmelo to New York and Chris Paul to Los Angeles to join Amare Stoudemire and Blake Griffin respectively.

It seems that the only way teams can win is to get two major superstars and build their team around them. However, about a quarter way through this shortened NBA season, The Sixers sit near the top of the eastern conference without even one legitimate star player. Head Coach Doug Collins has this young team playing together and despite a tough overtime loss last night against the Nuggets, the Sixers are a legitimate contender in the east this season.

At 10-4 overall, a host of contributors have allowed the Sixers to contend against any team on any given night and are proving that depth and playing the game the right way can win games in the NBA. Young upstarts such as Jrue Holiday, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner along with veterans like Elton Brand have allowed for some excitement that has no been seen by sixers fans since the days of Allen Iverson.