And on Saturday, after a victory over the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers were a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat for the fifth seed in the East and a playoff matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.
Instead of stepping up to the occasion, they sank into a hole.
On Sunday, it was a pathetic trip up the Jersey Turnpike and an embarrassing 96-67 loss to the New Jersey Nets, and on Tuesday, the Sixers fell behind by 20 points before losing at Charlotte, 101-98.
So, with a higher seed theirs to control, the Sixers gave it away by losing to teams that won't even finish with winning records or qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
That's unacceptable.
It also has the potential to be deja vu all over again.
Last season, the Sixers were 39-37 with six games remaining.
They limped into the playoffs with a 1-5 finish and were dispatched by the Detroit Pistons in six games.
That, however, was almost excusable.
The Sixers were a young team that overachieved just to make the playoffs.
Despite missing out on a chance for a winning record and possibly a better playoff seed than seventh, simply making the playoffs was viewed as a positive for that squad.
I can't say the same for this year's team.
There is no reason these Sixers (40-37) cannot win at least two more games and finish with their first winning record in four seasons.
Given the position they were in starting this week, I can fault them if they do not finish ahead of Miami and end up with the sixth, seventh or eighth seed in the playoffs.
If that happens, getting swallowed up by one of the teams in the Bermuda Triangle would be completely on the Sixers.
Just making the playoffs cannot be viewed as a success this season.
It's not that they have to win a series, because when free-agent signee Elton Brand was lost for the season, the expectation of winning in the first round had to be lowered.
But the Sixers, who have already clinched a playoff spot, have to go into the postseason the right way.
