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Where Upsets Happen
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Your Mother
Age: 21
Posts: 11,726
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Sixers still focused on winning
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While it has become fashionable for reporters and fans to weigh in on whether the Sixers are: 1) smart, for working diligently to maintain a positive atmosphere and develop their young players, or; 2) foolish (or much, much worse) for not losing as many games as possible and increasing their mathematical odds in the lottery, one truth remains abundantly clear:
Neither the current players nor the current coach have even a remote interest in the lottery. In some cases (say, Andre Iguodala), they are attempting to prove their maximum worth in a contract extension. In some cases (say, Joe Smith), they are trying to show the entire NBA they are worthy of a new contract. In some cases (say, Korver), they are trying to prove that they are better than anyone thought. In the case of Maurice Cheeks, the coach has no interest in adding a larger bundle of losses to his resume.
And just so everyone understands, the Sixers - without absolutely surrendering the remaining 12 games of the season - have little chance of falling behind Memphis (17-53) or Boston (20-49) for either of the worst records in the league. They are more likely to end up with the third-, fourth- or fifth-worst record. Just remember: The team with the worst record has gotten the No. 1 overall pick just three times in 17 years. And, the team with the worst record has only a 25 percent chance of coming up No. 1 in the pingpong-ball drawing. And, despite mounting speculation, there is still no guarantee that Ohio State's Greg Oden or Texas' Kevin Durant, is definitely coming out.
The Sixers, who have their own pick (protected through No. 15), a pick from Denver (protected for No. 1) and a pick from Dallas (protected through No. 7), long ago decided they would play to win and worry later about the lottery and the draft. They did just that against the Heat, building a 26-18 rebounding advantage in the second half, seeing Iguodala come back from a one-game injury absence to play 45 minutes, 53 seconds and contribute 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Korver score 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and Smith sweep 13 rebounds.
Korver, by the way, drained his first three free throws before missing the first of two with 11 seconds left. That meant Korver's career-best streak - and the longest streak in the league this season - ended at 47.
"We showed some fight out there, and that's what's most important," said Iguodala, who had sat out Friday night's victory because of a lower back strain, ending a stretch of 232 consecutive games, the third-longest current streak in the league.
The Heat was without injured leading scorer Dwyane Wade, leading three-point shooter Jason Kapono and backup center Alonzo Mourning. Still, the two weekend victories raised the Sixers' record to 23-24 since the trade of Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets, and 19-16 since the buyout of the remainder of Chris Webber's contract.
The discussion of the relative wisdom of winning, as opposed to playing for lottery positioning, will continue as the Sixers prepare to visit Washington on Wednesday night. The players' position is clear: They have 12 chances left to win. They aren't likely to sweep, but that - whether anyone else likes it or not - is what they intend to try and do.
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Sixers remain focused on winning | Daily News | 03/26/2007
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Sixers still focused on winning
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