Through four games the Sixers look like the team that everyone thought they would be. At 2-2, Philadelphia has wins over Milwaukee and New York. They also have losses to Orlando and Boston — big losses.

The Celtics defeated the Sixers, 105-74, Tuesday night, imposing their will in the process. Outside of the first quarter where the Sixers jumped out to a 12-4 lead, the game was never close as the Celtics led by double-digits throughout the second half.

Losing to the likes of the Magic and Celtics doesn’t make the Sixers a bad team. Those two squads along with the Cavaliers are expected to compete for an Eastern Conference title.

The Sixers are expected to compete for a 7 or 8 seed.

The team plays with passion, that much is clear. They have nice players and enough talent to finish around .500. The next two games come against New Jersey and Detroit, two teams that figure to be in the mix for a low-end playoff spot by season’s end. Both games are winnable.

THREE POINT NIGHTMARE: One of the biggest factors in the Celtics rolling past the Sixers was the damage done above the three point arc.

Led by Rasheed Wallace, who knocked down six treys, Boston hit on 14-of-20 from the outside. While Boston made it look easy, Philadelphia made it look impossible. The Sixers hit just 1-of-16 three-point attempts, a miserable 6.3 percent.

The Sixers are not a three-point shooting team and they can not forget that. On the defensive side, many of the Celtics’ three’s came uncontested, which is simply unacceptable. The perimeter defense must improve for the Sixers to contend moving forward.

PSB Latest

• Writer thinks Sixers should go “Black Sox”
• McNabb rumors swirl
• Super Squib dominates Wing Bowl 18
• Wing Bowl 2010 arrives
• Sixers put it all together … at least for one night