Will the Sixers Top the Knicks and Celtics in the Atlantic Division?

The Sixers have been plunging lately, there's no denying that. And while the Jeremy Lin craze has cooled off some for the Knicks, the Celtics have been quietly zipping their Rajon Rondo pocket closed as they find themselves winners of four in a row and just two games back of the Sixers for the lead in the Atlantic Division standings.

Are we concerned? Absolutely. The team has flaws that have been obvious from the get-go and are only more pronounced against better competition. Losses to the playoff-bound Bulls, Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Magic don't quell the season-long worries that, well, the Sixers can't really beat anyone worthwhile. I don't deny that this is the best Sixers team since the Philadelphia Iversons stole Game One of the 2001 NBA Finals, but the concern that they've already (metaphorically) blew their load is certainly a valid one. But I, for one, think they've got another run left in the tank over the final 28 games.

There's no question that the Knicks and Celtics have more talented players, but from a youth, coaching and cohesiveness standpoint, I still think the Sixers have the edge. Four games over the next three weeks are against those same Atlantic Division foes. Three wins would go a loooooooooong way towards cementing the Atlantic Division Golden Crown as their own.