That's what the Sixers were, as usual, Saturday night in the Verizon Center, where they held their ninth consecutive opponent to under 100 points in a 103-90 victory over the Washington Wizards.

“I think our team's DNA is defense,” Doug Collins said. "I think that's one of the things we established when we came in here. All of the teams I've been with, most of them played good defense. In Chicago, we had a good defensive team. In Detroit we were very good defensively. And we've become a good defensive team.”

In a short NBA season with few off days, only the truly deep teams will have the stamina to defend like the Sixers. That's been the story of their 9-3 season, a season that has a chance to be special.

Check out my column in the Daily Times Sunday and, as always, on delcotimes.com