The Philadelphia 76ers Are Still One Player Short

The Philadelphia 76ers' overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets proved one thing: The Sixers are still one man short from contending with the top teams in the league.

In their eight wins in nine games in January—almost all against the weaker teams in the league—the Sixers' average winning margin was 18 points. In only two of those eight games did the opponent score 90 or more points.

Doug Collins has had the team playing smart defense, and with seven players averaging double figures in scoring, the offensive production has been pretty well spread around.

You might even call the Sixers a "no-name" team.

As opposed to most of the teams the Sixers have been playing, the Nuggets came into the game with a 9-5 record. So, this game was lining up as a test of the Sixers' ability to complete with the top teams in the league.  

Neither team had their starting center in the lineup.

The Sixers fought back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and managed to get ahead at 83-82. The lead changed hands several times, and the last minute was frantic.

Andre Iguodala had the chance to win the game for the Sixers, but could only make one of two free throws, so the game went into overtime.  Andre Miller was just too much for the Sixers to handle. He scored the Nuggets' last 10 points in regulation, scored the shot that put the Nuggets ahead in overtime and made a key steal to seal the victory.

In stark contrast to Miller's performance, it seemed to me while I was watching the game that the Sixers still lack a go-to player that they can count on during crunch time to make a big play.

It's great to have balanced production. It's great to blow out weak teams. But if they are going to be able to win close games against good teams, the Sixers need that one player they can count on in the crunch. Maybe they can acquire such a player before the trade deadline.

Or maybe one of the younger players will step up.

The Atlanta Hawks, who are 11 - 5 and leading the Southeast, are next. Let's see how the Sixers can do against this top team.