There are, of course, no definitive answers. There are, in Dalembert's seventh year in the NBA, only suppositions. A few years ago, then-Sixers power forward/center Marc Jackson was asked whether Dalembert could have succeeded in the North Philadelphia playgrounds where Jackson first learned the game.

"Yes," Jackson responded. "But he wouldn't have been the first pick."

Perhaps not, but considering the way Dalembert has contributed in the Sixers' remarkable resurgence this season, it's clear he probably would have steadily ascended. That's what he has been doing, most recently in Saturday night's 91-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets at the Wachovia Center. In that one, the Sixers' 17th win in their last 22 games, he put together 11 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks, underscoring that performance with two blocks and two rebounds in the tight final 3 minutes, 19 seconds.

Going into tonight's game against the Boston Celtics in TD Banknorth Garden, the Sixers (35-35) are tied with Toronto in the No. 6 playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, within realistic striking distance of the No. 5 Washington Wizards. A postseason appearance would be just their second in five seasons and would add credibility to the job Maurice Cheeks has done in his third season as coach.

"We haven't gotten in yet," Cheeks cautioned. "If we continue doing the things we've been doing, we should be fine, [but] I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, start looking over here, looking over there."

Cheeks has been preaching focus and consistency, challenging his players to be resilient. After getting beaten badly Friday night in Orlando, they came back to win the second game of a back-to-back for the 13th time in their last 15 sets. They've won 11 of their last 12 at home, and five of six on the road.

It helps to have a stopper in the middle. More often than not, Dalembert (10.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.36 blocks) has provided that ingredient, supported nicely by the energy of power forward Reggie Evans. Dalembert, often seen as an underachiever in previous seasons, has taken at least 10 rebounds in 12 of the last 15 games, and has taken at least eight in 18 of 19. He is one of 15 players in the league averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, and is No. 4 in blocks, racking up 22 in the last seven games.

"Sam's defense late in the fourth quarter was a big reason we won," Cheeks said after Saturday's game.

Dalembert, who talked a few weeks ago about his struggle to find "the fun" in the game, has apparently located it. If rejecting shots by the Nets' Richard Jefferson and Josh Boone in the guts of a game isn't fun, what is?

"There are things you cannot teach," Dalembert said. "I want us to become one of the best defensive teams. I'm not a scorer, I'm a defender, rebounding and blocking shots. That has to be basketball IQ. It's talent, too, but Larry Bird couldn't jump but he could rebound."

There are, though, seeds that can be planted.

"He wants to learn, to work hard," said Moses Malone, the Hall of Fame center who spent the last 2 weeks working with Dalembert. "He's doing the right things to get better. I worked with him mentally, to get his mind right. A big man's got to be there for a big man. I preach, 'You're the guy.' I tell him, 'If you think you're No. 1, you're going to be No. 1.' ''

What, Malone was asked, might Dalembert have been like had he grown up playing in, say, the legendary Fondy Rec Center in Houston where Malone honed his skills?

"He'd have been like 'Dream,' '' Malone said, laughing as he made a reference to former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon. "He'd have been dangerous. He would have played with a lot of big guys, would have banged around with them; he would have learned."

Say that any comparison of Dalembert to Olajuwon is a stretch. But Dalembert is at the heart of the defense that has the Sixers on a path to the postseason. At the start of this improbable season, that's a path virtually no one thought the Sixers could follow. *