There are only 15 games left in the regular season, but the Sixers (33-34) are apparently beginning to captivate the Philadelphia sporting public.

While much of the area sports fans' concerns still center on whether the Eagles will sign or trade for another wide receiver, or whether the Phillies will find a competent No. 5 starter (or even a No. 4 for that matter), the Sixers are starting to be noticed and appreciated.

And for good reason.

Despite being one game under .500, the Sixers have made up a tremendous amount of ground in a relatively short period of time. Since a 96-91 loss at Atlanta on Feb. 4 that dropped their record to 18-30, the Sixers have gone 15-4.

The Sixers have won three in a row overall - and five consecutive road games.

And while the Sixers have yet to clinch a playoff berth, they are closer to being in fifth place than out of the money, where the top eight in the Eastern Conference qualify.

The Sixers began yesterday just two games behind fifth-place Toronto and one behind sixth-place Washington.

The Sixers hold a 41/2-game lead on eighth-place New Jersey and hold a 41/2-game lead on ninth-place Atlanta after the Hawks beat the New York Knicks last night.

What's more, this last week was supposed to be the defining time for the Sixers, with five games in seven days, including matchups with Boston, Detroit and San Antonio. There were also road games with Milwaukee and Chicago, which were not guaranteed wins.

The prevailing thought (in the media, not the locker room) was that the Sixers would be extremely fortunate to go 2-3.

Instead they went 4-1, losing only to Boston.

The Sixers have survived the most difficult portion of their remaining schedule and haven't given any indication that they will let up. In fact after that aforementioned loss to the Hawks, the Sixers developed a different mind-set. That was the game in which the Sixers squandered a 20-point first quarter lead.

"I think we learned from that," said Andre Iguodala, who has averaged 24 points during the current three-game win streak. "It shows a sign of growth and how far we've come."

While the Sixers seem to generate more playoff discussion each day, they are far from out of the woods concerning difficult weeks.

In fact beginning with their next game Wednesday, the Sixers have four games in six days against stiff competition.

On Wednesday, the return of Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets to the Wachovia Center promises to be a mega media event, not to mention a fairly important game for two teams seeking postseason berths.

Next the Sixers visit Orlando on Friday, return home Saturday to play New Jersey, and then visit Boston on Monday. The Sixers are 1-8 against those four teams.

"We just have to take things one game at a time," said point guard Andre Miller, coming off a 32-point performance against San Antonio, despite playing with a sore back that was less than 100 percent.

It sounds so boring, taking them one at a time, but that has gotten the Sixers where they are, which is on the verge of extending their season.