Playoffs an education for young Sixers

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BOSTON -- They werent supposed to be here. They werent supposed to get this far. No one expected it.

It seems like so long ago when Sixers fans and members of the Philadelphia media were busy debating whether the team would even make the playoffs. Toward the end, when the Sixers looked like they might slip quietly into the downtime and vacation portion of their year, there were all sorts of people who lobbied for that very thing to happen. The thought process then was that the organization would be better off landing in the lottery than backing into the postseason. Doug Collins never subscribed to that notion. Still doesnt.

For anybody who said be in the lottery as opposed to being in the playoffs was missing the point when youre trying to grow a young team, Collins said. Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen and Spencer Hawes and a lot of these young guys who have never had this opportunity, for us to be able to play like this and see our guys perform under pressure and do the things we have to do, its exciting.

Collins made it sound as though the playoffs serve as an extended and much-needed education for a team of young players thats still learning. If thats the case, then the Sixers ought to send the Celtics a nice thank you card for Saturdays free and painful public lesson. Boston schooled the Sixers in several disciplines in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, including tutorials on the importance of protecting a lead and what happens when you fail to do so. The Sixers had a 10-point cushion in the fourth quarteronly to surrender that advantage, and the game, to the veteran Celtics.

The game was the Sixers to win all evening, but in the end they lost because they were unable to hold off an experienced squad that did just enough to pull out a playoff victory. While that was no doubt frustrating and disappointing for Collins embryonic crew, the coach insisted it was a crucial moment in their on-going growth.

You come to play Boston, and Kevin Garnett is playing as well as Ive seen him play in a long, long time, Collins said. We know Paul Pierce. Rajon Rondo was incredible in the way he orchestrated that game. And we were right there. I told our guys, and they shared some things with me, but as you watch the tape, they understand how important it is to execute and be tough and do all the things under pressure that you have to do, and thats what were continuing to learn how to do. You cant get that in a film session. You have to get out here on the court. Youve got to feel it. Youve got to feel the heat. Youve got to feel the fans. Youre on an opposing court. Youve got the Celtics. Youve got the Sixers. Youve got all these things, so its invaluable. I cant even tell you how much its worth to our guys.

None of that would have been possible had the Sixers missed the playoffs. When Collins reflected on his teams late-season struggles, it didnt appear to bother him. He didnt sound disappointed by the late-season struggles. If anything, he talked about that time as a crucial catalyst in the Sixers ongoing evolution.

We had to play ourselves into the playoffs, Collins said. Nine of our last 11 were on the road. I think that helped our guys. I think we went out on the road and our guys pulled together. That was a huge lift for our team. We built on thatweve shown some growth. Thats a fun thing to see.

What youre seeing, Collins said, is a team thats still trying to figure things out as it goes along. While that learn-on-the-job approach doesnt always yield the results that the players or fans want, Collins said that it remains an important part of the organizations plans for the future.

The best way to evaluate players is in the playoffs when youre playing a team six or seven times and theyre locking in on you and theyre taking away your strengths and how youre responding to that, Collins said. It gives us a better evaluation heading into the next season about what we have to do to continue to do better.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com

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