Philadelphia 76ers: Why the Sixers Are Not a Complete Contender... Yet

The Philadelphia 76ers (16-6) might be the most surprising team in the NBA a third of the way through the 2011-2012 season.

The Sixers have bounced back from a 41-41 2010-2011 campaign that saw them ousted by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, winning seven out of their 10 first games.

The 76ers currently sit atop the Atlantic Division with a four-and-a-half game lead over the Boston Celtics, and also finds themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the Conference.

Its most recent victory came on Wednesday night with a 16-point win over the first place Chicago Bulls that saw the bench outscore the starters.

Philadelphia has also been victorious against the Indiana Pacers (15-6), Atlanta Hawks (16-6) and Orlando Magic (13-9), and Lou Williams has emerged as an early Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging 15.3 PPG, 3.6 APG and shooting 38 percent from three-point territory. 

Some are already labeling Philadelphia as a legit contender in the Eastern Conference.

I'm not one of them.

Of its 16 victories, 12 of them have come against teams with losing records, most notably highlighted by three wins over the 4-18 Washington Wizards, two victories over the 4-20 Detroit Pistons, followed by wins against 4-18 New Orleans, 6-15 Sacramento and 3-20 Charlotte.

Overall, the "contender" 76ers have beaten teams whose combined record adds up to 115-226.

Also going against the Sixers' contender status is the fact that they were beaten at home against the 8-15 New Jersey Nets, as well as on the road by the 8-13 New York Knicks.

February's schedule should give fans a better idea of the Sixers' ceiling, as they'll face the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder. 

If the 76ers are going to be a legit contender in 2012, they'll need to fare better than a 21-point loss to a real contender like LeBron James and the Heat.