After two losses at the hands of the juggernaut known as the Miami Heat, the Sixers know what needs to be done.

In an interview with PhillyBurbs.com on Wednesday, Andre Iguodala summed it up best when he said that he and the rest of his teammates "got to play... near perfect to get a win."

While that may have seemed obvious before heading into this series, the first two games in Miami did nothing but reinforce the point.

The Sixers' game plan worked perfectly for the first 12 minutes of the series as they sprinted out to a 31-19 lead in the first quarter of Game 1.

Then, the roof caved in.


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Show your love.

With their impressive 115-90 victory Friday night over the New Jersey Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time in two years.

That may not seem like a huge accomplishment when taken at face value. For most Sixers fans however, it feels like a quantum leap when compared to last season.

But aside from the confetti that fell from the ceiling shortly after the final buzzer, it was hard for one to gauge the importance of last night's win.

76ers coach Doug Collins flashed his customary smile and gave out his usual post-game hugs, of course. But there were no overt celebrations, no champagne being uncorked in the home team's locker room.

With eight games left to go, and with playoff positioning still in the balance, the Sixers know that they have plenty of work to do before the postseason kicks off two weeks from today.

"The celebration is over," said Lou Williams shortly after the game. "We're excited to be back in the playoffs, but we're a long way from being done."


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All games are created equal, but some are more equal than others.

The Sixers' 97-85 win over the Chicago Bulls Monday night only counts as a single victory in the standings, but the impact that it will have on a young team over the rest of the season is immeasurable.

"When we got together at 9:30 this morning, we won the game," said a beaming Collins after the victory. "We talked about what we believe in, how we do things and how we wouldn't waver from them... I could not be more proud of this team."

It's been an eventful week for Doug Collins and his charges, to say the least. Last Friday, they took their talents to South Beach and battled the Miami Heat in a possible playoff preview. Despite a 16-point second quarter lead, the Sixers couldn't stop Dwyane Wade (39 points) down the stretch and lost to the Heat 111-99.

Against Sacramento on Sunday, not only did the team come out flat, but they wasted several chances to put the Kings away early, and wound up on the wrong end of a 114-111 overtime defeat. After the game, 76ers guard Lou Williams alluded to the fact that he and several teammates attended a Lil' Wayne concert the night before, possibly contributing to the loss.


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After Friday night's 102-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Sixers' coach Doug Collins gave Elton Brand the option to sit out tonight's game against the Portland Trailblazers.

Brand's response? "I’ll be out there. We’re greedy."

Greedy, because the Sixers are inching ever closer to a coveted playoff berth. Friday's win, coupled with the New York Knicks' 99-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons, moved the Sixers into 6th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Sacramento didn't do much to stand in the way of the 76ers' 36th win of the season. After a slow start, the Sixers got hot early in the opening period, ripping off an 11-0 run to take a 32-23 lead after the first quarter.

Jrue Holiday dominated the game's first 12 minutes, finishing the quarter with 12 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

He and the rest of his teammates pretty much controlled the game from the opening tip. At one point, the Sixers missed eight consecutive shots in the third quarter and still outscored the Kings 25-16 during the period.


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There are no such things are moral victories in the Sixers' locker room.

However, after Wednesday's night's disappointing 110-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, many Sixers' fans probably came to a similar conclusion.

We may have something here.

Heading into the game, it was logical - reasonable, even - to have expected the Sixers to lose against the Thunder. Oklahoma City was coming off of a bad loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, and is battling to hold onto the 4th seed in the Western Conference.

Even after the Sixers started out the game on a 12-2 run, it seemed that it would be only a matter of time before the Thunder inevitably came back, which they did in short order in the first quarter.

What happened next was a bit of a surprise.

The Sixers - one of the hottest teams in the NBA - stood toe-to-toe with the Thunder all night, virtually matching them shot for shot. The last two quarters were especially frenzied - the dynamic Oklahoma City duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook carried the Thunder on their backs as they withstood the Sixers' multi-dimensional attack.


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The chorus of fans looking to trade Philadelphia 76ers' swingman Andre Iguodala has become a little less vocal these days.

Those beating the drum for his departure have been a bit more reserved.

Over the past several weeks, Iguodala has transformed his game from one of a scorer to that of an all-around threat; locking down the opposing team's primary wing player while filling the stat sheet on the offensive end.

His metamorphosis came full circle on Friday night as he had his best game of the season against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Iguodala single-handedly orchestrated the Timberwolves' demise, scoring 22 points, handing out 13 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Sixers' 111-100 victory.

It was his second triple-double of season, with the other coming on February 16 when he notched 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against the Houston Rockets just prior to the All-Star break.

This is the Andre Iguodala that Sixers' fans have long been clamoring for, the one that they expected at the beginning of the season on the heels of his performance at the FIBA World Championships this summer.


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After beginning the year with a disappointing 3-13 mark, the primary objective for Sixers' coach Doug Collins was to get his team back to a respectable record.

42 games later, they've finally arrived.

Behind a total team effort, the Sixers defeated the Detroit Pistons 110-94 at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night.

The win -- which brings them to 29-29 on the year -- marks the first time they've reached .500 all season.

"This is a great night for our team and our fans," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins following the game.

Prior to the matchup with the Pistons, the Internet was all a-Twitter (pun intended) about the Sixers' opportunity to even their record for the first time in the 2010-11 campaign. The team itself seemed to understand the importance of the situation and came out exceptionally sharp on Friday, shooting 52.3 percent from the field for the game.


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While most of the stars in the NBA's constellation were aligned in Los Angeles this past weekend, the following was posted to Evan Turner's Twitter account on Saturday night:

"Headed to my old high school to shoot some shots."

Minutes after millions watched in awe as Blake Griffin exploded over a Kia Optima, Turner -- the Philadelphia 76ers' oft-maligned rookie swingman -- headed to the St. Joseph's High School gym in Westchester, Illinois to shoot a few hundred jumpers.

As the #2 pick in this past summer's NBA draft, Turner is the face of the Sixers' youth movement - a core of burgeoning stars who hope to lead the Sixers' franchise back to the level of success that it enjoyed in the not-too-distant past.

If Evan Turner's Twitter posts are any indication of the work that they intend to put in, the kids are going to be alright.


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To the average fan, it wasn't pretty.

But if you were to ask Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins, his team's 77-71 victory over the San Antonio Spurs Friday night was one of the most beautiful games he's seen in quite some time.

In a game that was destined to be physical from the opening tip, Sixers' forward Elton Brand battled his way to 8 points and 17 rebounds against a tough San Antonio front line.

But point guard Jrue Holiday was the man of the hour against the Spurs, finishing with 27 points and 5 rebounds in his team's biggest victory of the year.

"I think Jrue did a great job of leading us tonight," said Lou Williams after the game. "Tonight goes to him - I think he was tremendous for us tonight."


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On the unofficial national holiday known as "Super Bowl Sunday," the Sixers defense was anything but "super" on Sunday afternoon.

The Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire and Landry Fields combined for 66 points as they led the New York to a 117-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.

The two teams were less than 48 hours removed from their spirited contest on Friday night, a 100-98 Sixers victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Down by 9 entering the 4th quarter, the 76ers ripped off a 23-4 run as the Knicks appeared to come apart at the seams.

Elton Brand had his best game as a Sixer with 33 points and 17 rebounds. Andre Iguodala, in his new "point-forward" role, was nearly flawless with 18 points, 16 assists and no turnovers.


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Nearly 50 games into the season, and the Sixers are as much of an enigma as they were when they began the 2010-11 campaign more than three months ago.

One thing for certain is that hiring Doug Collins was the best move that the organization has made in quite some time. His tone with this team has been pitch-perfect: stern with the younger players when needed, yet he handles the veterans with the respect they've earned and deserve.

The added benefit of having a former All-Star point guard as a head coach is that he can impart his wisdom on a young guard under his tutelage, provided that the player is willing and eager to learn.

Fortunately, Jrue Holiday fits that bill.

Holiday, who is averaging 14.2 points and 6.6 assists this season, has probably shown the most improvement out of anyone who was on the Sixers' roster last year. The sophomore point guard is tied with the Spurs' DeJuan Blair for most double-doubles by a 2nd-year player with nine.


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This is getting old.

Once again, the Philadelphia 76ers had a victory well in hand before gift-wrapping it and giving it away to a less talented team. This time, they blew a 21-point 3rd quarter lead, losing 99-94 Friday night to the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center.

By all accounts, this was a unique defeat, even for a team that seemingly invents new ways to lose on a weekly basis.

In the NBA, it isn't often that a team loses when they shoot 13-for-20 from beyond the arc. But that's exactly what happened down in South Philadelphia last night.

Early on, the game was relatively uneventful - the Sixers led 44-40 at halftime, with both teams shooting less than 43 percent to start the game. The Sixers' bench, which has been phenomenal over the past few games, outscored the Grizzlies' reserves 21-0 in the first two quarters.

A 25-5 run early in the second half sparked the Sixers to a 70-49 lead late in the 3rd quarter. And that's when the wheels began to fall off.


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Well, at least the Sixers didn't give this one away.

D.J. Augustin scored a career-high 31 points, including 25 in the first half, leading the Charlotte Bobcats to a 100-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

One night removed from a monumental loss against the Orlando Magic, the Sixers came out relatively strong against the Bobcats, shooting 57 percent from the floor in the first quarter.

But Charlotte was just as hot in the first half, led by Augustin, who was 10-for-11 from the field before intermission.

The Bobcats were never able to pull away from the Sixers, due in large part to the play of Andre Iguodala. For what it's worth, Iguodala played the facilitator role rather well, scoring 19 points and tallying 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.

The Sixers were down 6 points at the half, and trailed by as many as 8 in the 4th quarter, but powered back to take a 89-88 lead with 3:23 to go. Thaddeus Young led the charge, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the decisive final period.


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Doug Collins' Sixers continue to mature by the day.


That sound you heard shortly after 9:00 PM Eastern Friday night was the collective groan of diehard Sixers' fans.

After leading by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Sixers found themselves losing 94-92 to the Milwaukee Bucks with less than a minute to go in the 4th quarter.

It was a familiar scene, to be sure. But the ending was one that we hadn't seen this season.

Until now.

Lou Williams took on the starring role last night, hitting a clutch 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds to go to give the Sixers the lead. Two defensive stops later, the Sixers found themselves on the right side of a 95-94 victory Friday night over the visiting Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center.

While Williams was clearly the offensive star with his game-high 25 points off of the bench, the play of Andre Iguodala clearly shifted the balance in favor of the home team. In just his second game after missing two weeks with a nagging right Achilles' injury, Iguodala was stellar on both ends of the floor.

"When he's right, he does so many things for us," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins, referring to Iguodala. "So I was incredibly proud of him tonight."

On offense, he filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. However, his biggest contribution was his exceptional defense on the Bucks' Corey Maggette as Milwaukee took their best swings at the Sixers in the game's final moments.

The game shouldn't have been that close. The Sixers shot a season-high 62.5 percent from the field in the first half, and ripped off a 23-6 run that spanned much of the first two quarters. However, sloppy play in the second quarter - a period in which they allowed 11 points off of turnovers - resulted in a slim 6-point halftime lead.

"The only disappointment I had tonight was I thought we self-destructed in a lot of situations," said Collins, referring in part to the meltdown just before intermission. "Our end of quarter play was terrible."

That end of quarter play, combined with Milwaukee's aggressiveness on the glass - the Bucks pulled down 11 offensive rebounds - led to the final margin being far slimmer than it should have been. Fortunately, the Sixers were able to tighten the screws on defense at the end to pull out the win.

The 76ers won for the first time in eight games this season when the final margin was 4 points or less. For a team that seemingly invents new ways to give away games, last night was definitely a confidence booster.

"It was the first time we got a win in a situation where we lost the lead late," said Iguodala. "So it was good for morale reasons for guys to get a win like that."

Milwaukee was without star point guard Brandon Jennings, who is currently nursing a broken foot. 5-5 PG Earl Boykins did his best Jennings impersonation last night, scoring 8 points and dishing out 11 assists off of the bench. But it wasn't enough against a team that has had the Bucks number recently.

The Sixers have been victorious in 9 of their last 11 meetings with Milwaukee. The last time these two teams met on November 19, Philadelphia was impressive in a 90-79 victory, forcing the Bucks to shoot only 33.8 percent from the field. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams led the charge, combining to score 42 points off of the bench.

That win two months ago brought the Sixers record to 3-10. The recent stretch of good play has the team in a much better place than they were back then.

"No moral victories. We had to have this win," said Williams, following the game. "I don't sleep well at night with those circumstances."
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The Sixers went from 3-13 to 13-21; good for 9th place.


Who says you can't go home?

After two-and-a-half grueling weeks, the Sixers have finally returned to Philadelphia after concluding their longest road trip of the season. While their 3-5 record on the journey isn't all that remarkable, the trip could be considered moderately successful, given the circumstances.

Andre Iguodala missed the last four games of the trip due to a sore right Achilles' tendon. Lou Williams didn't play in two games due to the birth of his daughter, and Spencer Hawes was out against the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night because of back spasms.

A 4-4 record under any conditions would be a great road trip. But to pull out three wins when 3 of the top 6 guys in your rotation miss time is a pretty decent effort.

On and off of the court, the past eight games have been an adventure, if nothing else. It all began in Orlando on December 18, with the Sixers pulling out a victory against a Magic team that had traded away nearly half of its team earlier that day.

Three nights later, the Sixers were blown out by the Chicago Bulls 121-76. But much to everyone's surprise, they fought the Boston Celtics tooth-and-nail the following night, and only lost by four points, 84-80.

They alternated wins and losses for the next four games until they arrived in the Staples Center on New Year's Eve. Without Andre Iguodala, and with Kobe looking to improve on his 9-point effort in the teams' first meeting earlier this year, it didn't bode well for Doug Collins's squad.

So, of course, they found themselves tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with 90 seconds to go before Bryant iced the game with a 12-footer - the game-winning basket in a 102-98 Lakers' win.

On Monday night, the Sixers looked every bit of a team that was just playing out the string. "Lifeless" would be the best word to describe their performance during the final three quarters against the Hornets, finishing the game 19-for-66 from the field.

Despite all of that, the Sixers return to the Wells Fargo Center 13-21, solidly in the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference - pretty much where they were when the trip started. But even after these past 17 days, we haven't learned much about the team that we didn't already know.

34 games into the season, Evan Turner remains an enigma. In Phoenix on December 29, he had his best game of the year, scoring 23 points in the Sixers' 123-110 victory. However, in the other seven games of the road trip, he shot a combined 16-for-62 (25.8 percent) and even racked up a DNP-CD (Did Not Play - Coach's Decision) against the Boston Celtics on December 22.

Simply put, Evan Turner doesn't do anything exceptionally well. He's a solid defender who gives you 100% effort, and he rebounds well for his size. However, he isn't a very good shooter (38.8 percent on the season) whose jump shot is somewhat of a liability.

With Iguodala out for at least another three games, Turner should get some additional experience that will prove invaluable down the road. But there are and will be some growing pains - a side effect that many fans didn't expect with a player selected #2 overall in this year's draft.

On the flip side, Thaddeus Young appears to be developing rather nicely under the tutelage of Doug Collins. Despite his decreased scoring output (11.7 PPG vs. 13.8 last season), Young is a more effective player than ever, shooting a career-high 54.2 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, he's stuck in a logjam at small forward with Iguodala, Turner and Andres Nocioni. So that, along with the fact that the Sixers decided not to extend his deal earlier this season, means that Young might take his emerging game elsewhere next season.

One young star who won't be leaving any time soon is Jrue Holiday. One of the benefits of hiring a former point guard as a head coach (Collins) is the fact that he can impart his wisdom on a player such as Holiday, who is fast become one of the better PGs in the East.

He's second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is an impressive 2.4 to 1. Holiday is clearly part of the team's foundation, and as he grows, so will the Sixers.

The 76ers will have plenty of chances to grow over the next few weeks. With a travel-heavy schedule early in the season (20 of 34 games have been on the road), comes a reward. 27 of the Sixers' final 48 games are at the Wells Fargo Center, where they've played pretty well this year (8-6).

Even though the roster is the same, this is a different team than the one that started the season 3-13. So with the help of a little home cooking, Doug Collins and his young squad could finally start to put it all together.
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Losing Iggy will mean more time for Evan Turner.


Sixers' forward Andre Iguodala will miss the next five games due to right Achilles tendinitis, the team announced Friday morning. In 25 games this season, Iguodala is averaging 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists.

Including Wednesday's contest against the Phoenix Suns, Iguodala had already missed seven games this season because of the same injury. His next scheduled on-court activity is January 10, with the goal of having him return the following night against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Clearly, the player who stands to benefit the most from Iguodala's absence is rookie swingman Evan Turner. When Iguodala has been out of the lineup the year, Turner has averaged 13.1 points per game, nearly double his season average of 6.8 PPG.

So although Turner appears the most comfortable at point guard, he's going to get a lot of work at the wing positions over the next couple of weeks. With the Sixers visiting the Staples Center tonight to face the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Turner's baptism by fire begins now.

For this and more Philadelphia sports breaking news, please visit here.
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Collins must dream about this type of performance.


Early in Wednesday night's Sixers-Suns game, a track meet broke out.

Such occurrences are common in Phoenix's US Airways Center, especially considering that the Suns are 2nd in the NBA in scoring at over 107 points a game.

"I felt like I was a car going downhill without brakes," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins, describing the frenetic pace of last night's game.

So that fact, combined with the absence of Andre Iguodala (who missed his second straight game due to a nagging right Achilles' injury), did not bode well for the Sixers as the night progressed.

However, as one of the youngest teams in the NBA, Collins's team has the legs to keep up with the Suns' fastbreak mentality. But the Sixers did Phoenix one better on Wednesday, beating them 123-110 in impressive fashion.

Seven players finished the game in double figures for the 76ers, led by Jrue Holiday, who had 25 points to go along with 7 assists. Most encouraging was the play of Evan Turner, who received an emphatic hug from Collins after his career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting.

"I told him I was so proud of him," said Collins following the game. "He was aggressive and assertive the whole night... Tonight, he was fabulous."

It would be irresponsible to say that Turner has now "arrived" strictly based on a single performance. However, the rookie swingman out of Ohio State looked more comfortable with his role on this team than ever before, even cracking a few smiles as his shots were falling last night.

Then again, everyone else's shots were falling, too. The Sixers were scorching hot in the first half, shooting 61 percent from the field. In fact, five Sixers had already reached double figures by the time both teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

The track meet slowed down a bit in the second half, but the Sixers still put up an impressive 57 points in the final two quarters. Andres Nocioni, who replaced Iguodala in the starting lineup, scored a season-high 22 points and played exceptional defense in his 41 minutes of work.

Even without the services of Iguodala, Collins tightened up his rotation, with only 8 players receiving any time last night. The only player who saw action who didn't score 10+ points was Jodie Meeks, who was 0-for-3 from the field and finished with only two points.

So it's safe to say that Wednesday's game in Phoenix was the most solid showing for the Sixers all season. It should be noted that the result was due in part to the general play of the Suns, whose "seven seconds or less" offensive philosophy often results in high scoring affairs.

However, that doesn't explain how Nocioni (12 rebounds), Spencer Hawes (11 rebounds) and the rest of their teammates dominated the glass, outrebounding the Suns 46-31. Or, even more importantly, how the Sixers were clearly the aggressor on offense, getting to the line twice as often as the Suns (35 free throw attempts to 17).

Of course, pessimists will point to the box score and obsess over the fact that Phoenix scored 110 points and shot relatively well (49.4 percent). Or that the Suns made 9 three-pointers - the second straight game in which the Sixers gave up a healthy number of threes (Golden State shot 15-for-23 from behind the arc on December 27).

Negativity aside, the Sixers should feel pretty good following Wednesday's result, their third win on their oft-discussed eight-game road trip. Games against the Lakers and the Hornets close out the journey before the team returns home on January 5 to face the Wizards.

For the 76ers, this is their 4th victory in their last 7 road games - a vast difference from when they began the season 1-10 in their first 11 games away from the Wells Fargo Center. The team is clearly headed in the right direction, and their coach couldn't be more pleased with his young charges.

"I love the spirit of my guys, I loved the way they played," said Collins, noticeably excited by his team's effort last night. "It was a great win."
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Holiday is a rising star for the Sixers and the league.


Although Sunday's Eagles-Vikings was canceled due to blizzard-like conditions at Lincoln Financial Field, there was still one Philadelphia team that was victorious last night.

Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young combined for 42 points as the Sixers overcame a 12-point 4th quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 95-89 at the Pepsi Center.

The Sixers started the game as cold as the drifts of snow currently piling up around the Philadelphia region. They came out of the gate shooting 3-for-17 from the field, finishing the first quarter on the wrong side of a 25-13 margin.

Andre Iguodala (9 points) was especially off last night, finishing the game 3-for-12 from the field and 3-for-10 from the foul line. Truth be told, the whole team struggled at the charity stripe, shooting only 20-for-32 (63 percent) against the Nuggets.

Despite missing the services of Carmelo Anthony, who was away for the third straight game due to personal reasons, the Nuggets appeared to be well on their way to their 13th win at home this season.

Enter Thaddeus Young.

Due to the absence of backup guard Lou Williams (who is currently in Philadelphia, awaiting the birth of his first child), Young was counted on against Denver to deliver off of the bench, and he came through in spades. He was the most active player on the court for either team, scoring 20 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to compliment his solid defensive effort.

Point guard Jrue Holiday was excellent as well, scoring 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, despite playing less than 26 minutes due to foul trouble. But even with the superb play of Young and Holiday, the Sixers still found themselves down 82-70 with 8:11 left in the 4th quarter.

As fate would have it, while the Nuggets would struggle to score from that point on, the Sixers ripped off an impressive 24-4 run to put the game away. The burst was capped off by Jodie Meeks who was 2-for-11 before hitting a crucial 3-pointer to make the score 92-86 with 47.1 seconds to go.

"Needless to say, this was a great win," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins, who was all smiles once the buzzer sounded at the end of the game.

The Sixers took advantage of Denver's lack of size, scoring 48 points in the paint. They dominated the glass as well, pulling down 49 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end.

With Nuggets' Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen getting only limited minutes last night, Elton Brand had his way around the basket, scoring 16 points to go along with 17 rebounds.

And once again, the Sixers were extremely careful with the basketball, only turning it over 7 times on the night. For what it's worth, Doug Collins's team is doing a good job of not beating itself - they're currently averaging only 13.3 turnovers per game, tied for 2nd in the NBA.

With Williams missing and Holiday with foul difficulties, Evan Turner took advantage of his chance at extended minutes, scoring 8 points and filling the box score with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Despite his ability to play the 2 (shooting guard) and 3 (small forward) positions, Turner continues to look the most comfortable when he's running the point for the Sixers. Unfortunately, with both Holiday and Williams on the roster, there aren't too many minutes at the 1 for Turner, who will need to learn how to play without the ball in his hands.

The Sixers are now 2-2 on their infamous 8-game road trip, improving to 4-12 away from the Wells Fargo Center. Visits to Golden State, Phoenix, Los Angeles and New Orleans round out the trip before they return home January 5 to face the Washington Wizards.

"This is a great overall victory for the team," said Young after the game. "We haven't been finishing games well, and we finished this one. And it was great tonight to just come in here and get a win."
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The Sixers were outclassed by the superior Celtics.


The Boston Celtics had won 13 in a row coming their game Wednesday night at the TD Garden. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers were only one night removed from a 45-point destruction at the hand of the Chicago Bulls, the worst loss in the NBA this season.

And while the Sixers wound up losing to the Celtics last night 84-80, their effort was commendable, given the circumstances. So although they're far past the point where moral victories count for anything, Wednesday's performance in Boston was, at the very least, encouraging.

"That's more what our team is like," said Sixers' forward Elton Brand, who led the Sixers with 16 points. "It's disappointing we didn't come with it [against Chicago] and it's disappointing we didn't close out this win [Wednesday]. But we played strong and we played well."

The Sixers, who are now 11-18 on the season, played exceptionally well on the defensive end: On Wednesday, they held Boston - owners of the best field goal percentage in the league at 50.7 percent - to 38.8 percent from the field.

Most of the time in the NBA, when a team holds its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting, it results in a win. Then again, there aren't too many teams that close out games like the Boston Celtics.

In the 4th quarter, Boston converted on 12 of their 14 free throw attempts while the Sixers were only 1-for-2. As a veteran team, the Celtics are well aware that the more aggressive team gets the calls, and they took every opportunity to force the issue with the game in the balance.

The last 12 minutes were a sharp contrast to the first half, when the Sixers were 14-for-17 from the charity stripe, while the Celtics only attempted three free throws in the opening two quarters.

"Against this team you have to be aggressive," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins. "This is a team that's very physical. You sort of have to hit them before they hit you."

To their credit, the Sixers did their fair share of hitting, due in large part to the play of Tony Battie. Battie logged more than 25 minutes last night, scoring a season-high 10 points, to go along 6 rebounds and with his solid defensive effort against Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the Boston front line.

But when it mattered the most, Ray Allen - who led all scorers with 22 points - and the rest of the Celtics were too much to handle down the stretch. In Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (who finished with 11 after going scoreless in the first half), the Celtics have three battle-tested closers willing and able to hit a game-winning shot.

The Sixers are well aware of the Celtics' ability to finish games. In their previous meeting on December 9, the Sixers had Boston dead to rights until Rajon Rondo found a cutting Garnett for a game-winning layup with less than two seconds left - the decisive basket in a 102-101 Celtics' victory.

Conversely, the Sixers lack of any sort of go-to player is what separates them from the class of the Eastern Conference. Andre Iguodala wanted to be the hero last night, but he turned the ball over twice in crucial situations down the stretch.

Wednesday's game against the Celtics was the third of the Sixers' 8-game road trip. After a 97-89 victory against the Orlando Magic last Saturday, the Sixers followed that up three days later with the aforementioned 121-76 loss to the Bulls on Tuesday.

With a few days off to enjoy the holidays, the Sixers have some time to sit back and reflect before they turn it on again Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets. Hopefully, the extended break will allow them time to regain the form that has been missing over the past couple of games.
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Looks like the Sixers are who we thought they were.


Not even Michael Vick could have engineered a comeback for the Sixers Tuesday night.

There have been plenty of bad losses for Doug Collins's young team this season, but none come close to the 121-76 massacre they suffered at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at the United Center.

While Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 17 points, he had little help from his teammates as the Bulls pretty much did whatever they wanted to on both ends of the court.

Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each scored 22 for the Bulls, who were hitting on all cylinders Tuesday night. As a team, Chicago shot 64.5 percent from the field, scored 31 points off of turnovers and also added 28 fastbreak points for good measure.

On the flip side, the Sixers shot an embarrassingly low 35 percent from the floor, and made only two of their 15 3-point attempts. Aside from Iguodala, the rest of the team shot 20-for-66 from the field.

In his first game in Chicago as a pro, Evan Turner saw his most extensive action in quite some time. He finished the game with 6 points (on 2-for-11 shooting) and 3 assists in nearly 30 minutes of action.

Of course, he was able to get so much run because he and the rest of his teammates were figuratively run off of the court fairly early on.

It was clear that the Sixers were lacking energy shortly after the opening tip. The Bulls shot 62% from the field in the 1st quarter, en route to a 33-19 lead after 12 minutes. Despite missing Joakim Noah (who recently underwent thumb surgery), Chicago dominated on the glass in the first period, out-rebounding the Sixers 12-5.

While the second quarter played out to a relative draw, things got out of hand after intermission. The Sixers were outscored 31-11 in the third period, turning the ball over 7 times in the quarter and looking completely out of sync.

The Bulls pushed the lead to as high as 51 in the 4th quarter as both teams emptied their respective benches. Collins knew early on that his team wasn't going to mark this one down in the win column.

"I knew the first three minutes of the game - we had no juice," said Collins. "I looked at our coaches and said 'Our guys, they're just not there tonight.'"

The 121 points were the most the Sixers have allowed in a road game all year. In addition, the 45-point spread is the largest margin of victory in the NBA so far this season.

Three days after beating the Orlando Magic to kick off their road trip, it looked as if the Sixers might have a shot to catch the Bulls off-guard, especially with Chicago missing its leading rebounder in Noah. But, to put it politely, that clearly wasn't the case Tuesday night.

The good news is that the Sixers have less than 24 hours to dwell on Tuesday night's loss with another game on tap tonight. The bad news is that Wednesday's game is against the Boston Celtics, winners of 13 straight.

Including the Chicago debacle, the Sixers are 8-4 in their last 12 contests. So based on that sample size, this game seems like more of an outlier than anything else.

The true test is seeing how fast they can regain the form they've shown over the past three weeks. That test begins tomorrow in Boston.

"This is not indicative of the way we've been playing or our effort or anything like that," said Collins. "So I would expect our guys to bounce back."
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