And down the stretch they come
With just 14 games remaining in the brutal 66-game season, the race for the Atlantic Division has intensified for the Sixers. They will have six games against teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference and five others against teams in the division, but first it starts with a game against the one team that has given the Sixers more fits than any other.
Indeed, the stretch run begins with a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday night. Worse for the Sixers, the Heat go into the game after a tough in Boston and an extra day off to stew.
To make matters even more difficult for the Sixers, throw in the fact that they have not beaten the Heat in the regular season since March 15, 2009.
If you want to look at Miami, every time weve played them theyve come off a situation like this, coach Doug Collins said after Mondays practice at the Philadelphia College for Osteopathic Medicine. The last time we played them they lost in overtime to Orlando after blowing a lead and lost to Chicago without Derrick Rose. So this time they lose big to Boston and we can really thank our opponents for every time we have to face them in a foul mood.
The Sixers go into the game trailing Boston by one game in the Atlantic. With the tiebreaker in hand, all the Sixers have to do is finish the season even with the Celtics and they win the division and can go into the postseason with no worse than a No. 4 seed. However, a second-place finish means the Sixers likely will have a first-round matchup against Miamiagain.
Certainly the Sixers arent thinking about playoff matchups just yetits a little too early for that. However, it isnt too early for the Sixers to chase down Boston. The Sixers slid into first place on Dec. 28 and held it until the loss in Washington on March 30. Needless to say, they had grown to like being the top dog in the division and arent too keen on just keeping the top spot warm for a team like the Celtics to come along and move in.Its different because it puts us on our toes now, Thad Young said. We all said we didnt want to babysit first place and then let someone come along and take it. So we have to go back to the drawing board and figure things out, but I think well be alright in the end.
Given the nature of this seasons schedule, the Sixers will have their work cut out for them. After the game in Miami, the Sixers will arrive back in Philly at 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning with a game against Toronto set for that night. Then comes an 8 p.m. game against Orlando on Saturday night followed by an Easter Sunday game in Boston at 6 p.m. that kicks off a three-game road trip.
The final 14 games feature five back-to-backsincluding one back-to-back-to-backand a five-game road trip to close out the regular season. Then, if the Sixers do not climb to the No. 3 seed in the East, they will start the postseason on the road, to boot.
If anything, the final 14 games will show what the Sixers are made out of.
We have to be consistent, Collins said. Sometimes we get a little tired mentally and physically and we just have to be consistent, thats going to be the critical thing. We cant play well and then have a clunker, and we have not done that and we have to make sure that doesnt happen over the last 14 games.
Consistency is something that has escaped the Sixers from time to time over the last few games. The loss to Washington last Friday stands out the most, but more notably, the Sixers have not won consecutive games since March 11. One night they beat the Celtics only to follow it with a loss in San Antonio. Then, after beating Cleveland, the Sixers bounced back with the loss in Washington.
To win the Atlantic, they will have to avoid those swings.
All wins can help us out, Andre Iguodala said. We cant just harp on just one game because you can be a good team and just have a lapse. Like I said, this season is so crazy that you can beat a really good team one night and then lose to a team that people think we should beat. As long as were playing good basketball I feel like were in a good place. We just have to be consistent and try not to play any bad games. Even if we get a win, well take the win but we cant have any bad games.
Regardless, it will all be ironed out in a little more than three weeks and thats just the way Collins likes it.
In 24 days well see if were good enough, the coach said. Thats the beauty of sportsits not gymnastics, theres no judging. Its whats the final score and did you win or did you lose?
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.