A good friend of mine likes to annoy me by referring to NBA teams by the names of their star players. Houston doesn’t play Dallas; it’s T-Mac versus Dirk. This has been going on for nearly five years, and it’s almost a reflex of mine to correct him, but I make an exception for Philadelphia.

The 76ers, more than any team since the Bulls of the late’80s, are a one-man show. That man, Allen Iverson, led Philly to the Finals four years ago, but since then, the team has suffered an inexorable decline. Last season, they sunk to a 33-49 record after Iverson and his then-sidekick, Glenn Robinson, missed a combined 74 games.

Despite the trip to the lottery last spring, it looked like a decent supporting cast might have formed in The Answer’s absence. Kenny Thomas added a nice mid-range jumper to his repertoire and emerged as one of the better power forwards in the conference. Center Samuel Dalembert quickly became one of the best shot-blockers in the league.

Guards John Salmons and Willie Green showed flashes of promise and rookie Kyle Korver established himself as a zone-busting marksman, nailing 40% of his 3-point attempts. The geriatric Derrick Coleman, who was little more than dead weight on the bench, was traded for Corliss Williamson, a viable low-post option on the second unit.

The optimism in Philly was solidified by the arrival of Jim O’Brien, the former Celtics coach. O’Brien took mediocre Boston teams deep into the playoffs in 2002 and 2003, and brought with him a reputation for demanding solid defense – a bedrock of the Sixers’ Finals squad. While none of this added up to a formidable team, it was enough to make the 76ers the hip choice to win the feeble Atlantic Division.

Fast-forward to midseason. The Knicks have tanked, Toronto and New Jersey are sorting out different stages of rebuilding, and rumors swirl daily about a Boston meltdown. With no division rivals even threatening to crack the .500 mark, the Sixers should have run away and hid with the Division. It hasn’t happened.

Things went awry early, and injuries were only partly to blame. Robinson’s ankle woes shelved him for the season before the end of training camp. Dalembert’s game regressed and he lost the starting center job during the preseason to journeyman Marc Jackson. Green began emulating Jamal Crawford’s worst tendencies, and he was dropped from the rotation after a 1-for-14 game early in the season. Around the same time, Salmons went down with a leg injury.

Such setbacks would have completely discombobulated the Sixers if they played in the West. They’re 7-13 in inter-conference play, but 14-10 against their Eastern competition.

Until now, Iverson, though probably in the late prime of his career, has been forced to perform his patented one-against-five act, scoring 40 or more points in five games already. But as the team has healed, things have started to gel. Depite playing without Iverson for a three-game stretch last week, they’ve won five of their last eight games, including victories against Miami and Dallas. Their 89-88 win over Indiana on Monday night moved them into first place in the Atlantic at 21-23.

The 93-89 win in Dallas Saturday night was particularly instructive about the Sixers’ progress. Local fans might remember two early-season losses to the Knicks, during which the Philadelphia offense consisted of rotating the ball around the perimeter for 20 seconds before handing it to Iverson and hoping for magic. But facing the Mavericks with Iverson on the shelf with leg troubles, the team smartly yoyoed the ball inside and outside to create space for open mid-range jumpers.

After a consistent outside game was established, the team then attacked the rim, ultimately outscoring the Mavs in the paint, 42-32. The Sixers also ran more, outscoring Dallas 17-10 on the fast break. This reflects a season-long emphasis on upping the tempo: After finishing 23rd in the league with a Pace Factor (the average number of possessions per game) of 89.7 in 2003-04, the team has improved under O’Brien to 97.8 this year.

At the other end of the floor, the entire team has begun playing swarming, urgent defense, as evidenced by their performance in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki shot just 7-of-25 thanks to constant harassment from Thomas; Michael Finley was guarded by a combination of Green and Korver, and finished 6-for-23.The Mavericks are shooting 44.8% for the season but on Saturday, they managed only 36.7%. Even an end-of-the-half heave from 60 feet was contested by Korver, who is known as a one-dimensional player but contributed 10 rebounds and two blocks against Dallas.

The Sixers are still coming together, which isn’t unusual for a team facing health issues in their first year under a new coach. But most of the signs are positive. Although Dalembert still looks lost on some possessions, his game is returning; last week he dropped 24 points on Orlando on 11-of-13 shooting. Salmons, too, has improved as the season’s progressed; he shot a scorching 40.6% from 3-point range in January. Green, on the other hand, remains an enigma. He put up 32 points against Washington last Wednesday, but was glued to the bench during Monday’s win over the Pacers.

O’Brien, meanwhile has worked hard to create an offense that suits the talent at hand. His Celtic squads were addicted to 3-point shots, but in Philadelphia his players try to create mid-range jumpers and attack the rim rather than settle for long bombs. It helps that he can rely on Iverson to score his league-leading 29 points a night.

By dint of geography, the division is the Sixers’ to win. The schedule is also in their favor as they play 23 of their remaining 38 games at the Wachovia Center. If the solid play they’ve exhibited lately continues, the team could (gasp!) finish above .500.Further down the road, if swingman Andre Iguodala lives up to his immense promise, the Sixers could move into the Eastern Conference elite. And if that happens, I’ll have to start correcting my friend when we talk about the Sixers.