The 76ers used the pass to establish the run, played as if they had been in every Seattle huddle. But as the euphoria over winning five straight games despite three major injuries settled, Brown flashed back to the two days he took off from practice after what he felt had been a disturbing Dec. 15 loss to Dallas. I wanted to. When the Sixers stunned Sacramento in overtime Saturday, the Sixers coach said the only thing that could make it better would be the Eagles beating Tampa Bay in the opening round of the NFL playoffs. This time, he seemed to say the same thing about tomorrow's Eagles game against the New York Giants.
Every little bit helps.
Wherever the Sixers found their motivation, they never gave the Sonics a chance, matching their First Union Center floor records with 64 points and 27 field goals in the first half, then finishing with a season-high point total. If you're a fan, a player, a coach, a writer, you can see what's going on out there on the court. There's no sense naming names. What is equally evident is that the Sixers, without injured Speedy Claxton, Eric Snow and Matt Geiger, have almost mystically discovered ways to win when people around them openly wonder whether they can. If you don't believe in yourself first, then it's not possible to win anything, any way.