Why I’m more excited than ever about the Sixers

As a 33-year-old Philadelphia sports fan, I haven't had many good Sixer moments. Yes, I was alive for the team that went to the Finals in '82 and won it all in 1983, but I wasn't old enough to appreciate it. Sure, I was around for the Charles Barkley era, but it was spoiled by years of mediocre teammates and, ultimately, a trade that sent the future league MVP to Phoenix for Jeff Hornacek and a bag of Spalding basketballs.

No, my "golden years" of basketball were spent watching Allen Iverson cheat passing lanes and overdribble for 20 seconds of every possession. The result? Four scoring titles, three frustrated coaches, two court cases, one Finals appearance, and zero championships.

In the post-Iverson era, I sat helplessly as Billy King, the worst GM this side of Isiah Thomas, crippled the team with his pesky penchant for giving exorbitant contracts to undeserving talent. At the same time, I had to stomach a dizzying coaching carousel that finally ended with the firing of Eddie Jordan, who is now coaching the freshman team at a D.C. high school.

Nope, my basketball life ain't been no crystal stair.

Still, game after game, year after year, I have remained a loyal fan. I have entered each season with the belief, typically against all evidence to the contrary, that the team would turn itself around.

Those days have finally arrived. No longer is the team a perennial doormat. No longer do we have to hang our heads in shame as we confess our fandom. Without question, this is the best time in 30 years to be a Sixers fan.

From a basketball perspective, there is much to be excited about. Elton Brand has not only restored his health, but has rediscovered his passion for the game. Andre Iguodala, bloated contract and erratic jump shot notwithstanding, continues to be a premier defender and steadying force on the floor. Young studs like Thad Young, Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday are developing rapidly, a testimony to their tremendous talent, impressive work ethic and valuable playoff experience against the Miami Heat last year. Although the jury is still out on Evan Turner, he's undoubtedly returned this season with greater confidence, increased court awareness and a far more dependable jump shot. Even if he doesn't reach his full upside, he still is a solid player who contributes greatly to one of the best benches in basketball.

The Sixers are also fun to watch because of how they play the game. In the current AND1/ESPN era, where flash and raw athleticism trump discipline and fundamentals, this team is a throwback. They play both ends of the floor. They talk on defense. They set picks. They make the extra pass. They move without the ball. They don't worry about who's going to be the leading scorer. In the words of Larry Brown, they play the right way.

Even coach Doug Collins, who has a reputation of working players' nerves to the point of ineffectiveness, seems to have found a new comfort zone. This new-and-improved Collins is still a teacher and stern disciplinarian, but manages to get his message across without infantilizing veterans or deflating rookies. In an era of pampered and thin-skinned athletes, this is no small feat.

But this isn't just about the game itself. It's also about culture. Barring the five-year window of Pat Croce's leadership, the Sixers have had serious problems cultivating and sustaining a devoted fan base akin to the Flyers' and Eagles', who have managed to hold on to their fans even during the lean years. This is why the Eagles can be 4-8 and still pack the Linc while the playoff-bound Sixers play in an arena so empty that I'm tempted to call "next" when I enter the building.

Of course, much of this has been due to the leadership of former owner Ed Snider, who always treated the Sixers as the ugly stepsister of his darling Flyers. Under the leadership of Snider, the team had no identity and little collective character. This, combined with mediocre teams and an apathetic fan base, meant that the Sixers long ago stopped mattering to the city.

But all that changed in October, when Joshua Harris and his group of wise men delivered us from Snider. In the short time that they've owned the team, Harris and his crew have made a series of moves reminiscent of early Mark Cuban. They fired Ed Stefanski, who should have been targeted by the tea party for his long history of redistributing wealth to the league's poor and aging talent. They slashed ticket prices, making a night at a game financially viable for the city's working-class families. They brought the team into the 21st century by creating a Twitter account and engaging fans in real time. And most mercifully, they retired Hip-Hop, the least- cool mascot in local sports history.

Although we have yet to see how they handle basketball-related issues - with the exception of the Thaddeus Young extension and the low-stakes Marreese Speights trade, the team has yet to make any noteworthy personnel moves - their attention to these other areas inspires confidence that the team's future is in good hands.

And yet, as excited as I am about the Sixers, I haven't lost my grip on reality. Without question, the team is two major pieces away from being an upper-echelon squad. Absent those pieces, the Sixers will enter the dreaded basketball purgatory, where they are not good enough to win a title and not bad enough to get a game-changing draft pick.

The good news is that we've never been better-positioned to pick up those needed parts. With young talent, expiring contracts, new ownership, and a top-5 media market, Philadelphia can once again be a real player in the free-agent market. Why, for example, wouldn't someone like Dwight Howard want to come to a big-league city like Philadelphia and be surrounded by young, athletic pieces and adoring, star-craved fans? Who better to sell Howard the merits of our team and town than Doug Collins and the new ownership group?

Yes, I'm dreaming big. But now is the time to dream big again. Now is the time to place our hoops hopes back in the hands of the home team. It's been a long and painful road, but we now have a new driver and a new direction. It's safe to be a fan again.

Basketball is back, Philly.

Marc Lamont Hill is Daily News editor-at-large, an associate professor of education at Columbia University, and a 76ers season-ticket holder.