Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers Are for Real

The easy early schedule for the Philadelphia 76ers has caused people to ask if they were for real. In more than one place, the Sixers' record has been called "fools gold." Well, after tonight's thumping of the Chicago Bulls, for one night at least, the gold looks pretty real.

The Bulls entered the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but the Sixers'  tenacious defense contributed to an early lead, which they never relinquished. Again the "Night Shift," which might be the best bench in the league, contributed 50 points. The surprise here was the 15 points from rookie Lavoy Allen, who had gone scoreless the previous game against the Magic.

Andre Iguodala stole the show with his dunks, passes, threes and rebounds. He finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Sixers are still playing without their starting and backup centers. When you can beat a team like the Bulls with Tony Battie playing center and scoring just two points and snagging one rebound, it tells you quite a bit about the depth of this team.

There isn't much time to savor this win with LeBron James and the Heat on tap for Friday night and then a quick trip to Atlanta on Saturday. Next week the stretch against winning teams continues as the Lakers, Spurs and Clippers come to town. Certainly a week from now we will have a much clearer view of the number of carats in the gold. But for now, Sixers fans can enjoy the glitter.