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.
For more Philadelphia 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers.