76ers Vs. Nets Final Score: Philly Loses 97-90 In Overtime

It was supposed to be a soft opening to a seven-game stand for the Philadelphia 76ers. After beating Washington on Monday night to start the home stand, the 76ers dropped what should have been an easy one to the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. They fell in overtime by a final score of 97-90 to the Nets.

The 76ers had no answers for Deron Williams, who led the Nets with 34 points, including a three-point shot with 26.7 seconds left that gave New Jersey a lead it would never relinquish.

Lou Williams led the 76ers with 17 points off the bench. Elton Brand scored 16 points and added four rebounds to the losing effort. Jrue Holliday had 14 points, two rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the best overall performance on Philadelphia's part.

Philadelphia hosts the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday. At 12-6, the 76ers still hold a comfortable lead in the Atlantic Division.

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NBA MVP 2012 Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers Not Represented In Tom Ziller's Rankings

Defense + teamwork + depth = wins.

It's a formula that has paid dividends in the win column for the Philadelphia 76ers, winners of 12 of their first 17 games, the surprise No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference if the regular season ended today. But that formula does not necessarily equate to churning out individual stars.

Tom Ziller published his latest NBA MVP Power Rankings on Wednesday morning, naming zero Phladelphia 76ers among his top 10 NBA candidates. That's no surprise considering that none of the Sixers are among the leading All-Star vote-getters at their positions.

Lebron James led Ziller's rankings, followed by Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

The Sixers are balanced -- seven different Doug Collins disciples average double figures in points to date -- but don't have a single player who stands out in a crowd. You get the feeling Collins won't shed tears over his team's lack of MVP candidates, at least not as long as the Sixers continue to win at an elite pace.

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Philadelphia 76ers Vs New Jersey Nets: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

Philadelphia has gotten off to a surprising and inspiring start. It should continue Wednesday night when the Sixers take on New Jersey.