A year ago, the Sixers shot 41.4 percent from the field during the playoffs and were sent packing in five games by the Miami Heat. No, it wasnt that shocking considering the Heat cruised through the Eastern Conference playoffs on the way to the finals.
Besides, to shoot it at a 41-percent clip, the Sixers summoned some of their best basketball and offensive execution of the season. Until the Mavericks beat the Heat in the NBA Finals, the Sixers gave them their toughest battle.
Flash ahead to this week where the Sixers have surprisingly built a 3-1 series lead over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. To build that lead the Sixers won back-to-back games where they shot 39.2 percent or lower. Since 1986, there have been just 10 other teams to win two playoff games when shooting 39.2 percent or worse.
In Game 3, the Sixers beat the Bulls by five points while shooting 34.2 percent from the field. Since 1986, only seven other teams have won playoff games while shooting worse. Six of those teams eventually advanced to the conference finals. Five of them went to the NBA Finals.
We get tight at home sometimes and we want to make every shot, said Andre Iguodala, who has made just six of the 30 shots he has attempted outside of the paint in the series. We appreciate the support we get from our fans, but sometimes we want to do so well that we get tight, so we have to get back to the main message, which is to keep playing and keep shooting.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves with the Sixers just yet. A 3-1 series lead doesnt guarantee anything even though the Bulls are without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah is likely again out for Game 5 at the United Center on Tuesday night. Its no sure thing given the way the Sixers shot the ball in Games 3 and 4, where they got plenty of clean looks, but didnt bury the shots.
Then again, this is already a known entity of the Sixers offense. The Sixers shot 44.8 percent during the regular season, which was right on the league average, and their half-court offense has been a thorn for coach Doug Collins all season. When the opposition can force the Sixers out of their transition game, it usually doesnt end well for Collins bunch.
NBA
We havent been settling for the half-court offense, Iguodala said about the victory in Game 4. We didnt do the whole game because the Bulls made adjustments and they made runs at us and we got flat at times, but when our defense is rebounding the ball and pushing it, our offense is at its best.
When the Sixers transition game hasnt led to baskets, it has generated whistles and with that, foul shots. In what can only be looked at as a statistical anomaly, the Sixers have attempted 30-plus foul shots in three games of the series after doing it just four times in the regular season. In fact, the Sixers were far and away last in the NBA in free-throw attempts yet suddenly are at the top of the pile for all teams in the playoffs.
Additionally, the Sixers have continued to take care of the ball. During the season they committed the fewest turnovers in the league and havent topped eight turnovers in the three victories.
In other words, the Sixers are winning because of the intangibles.
Ive watched a lot of championship basketball. Derek Fisher, Dennis Rodman., whoever, they get a tip, a putback or a steal, said Elton Brand, whose 48.5 shooting percentage is the second-best on the team. Something big, that helps get a team another possession.
One has to believe that the Sixers will shoot the ball better in Game 5. They did in Game 2 at the United Center, hitting at 59 percent, which as extremely good as the shooting in the past two games has been extremely bad. Moreover, in Game 5 its doubtful that Jrue Holiday will miss 13 of his first 14 shots like he did in Game 4.
Clearly the Bulls had their chances and like the Sixers from the perimeter in Games 3 and 4, they missed.
Coach tells me every game that if Im not shooting well to keep shooting, said Holiday, who leads the series with 79 points. I think as everybody knows, he was a scorer so he understands. It came down the stretch and we hit some big shots. For the first three quarters my shot was either short or long. I was overshooting it or over thinking it, whatever it might be. I just had to get into a rhythm.
Yes, that is how crazy the NBA playoffs can be. Somehow the Sixers found their rhythm by missing shots and now they seem poised to send the top-seeded Bulls to a vacation built on bricks.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com