Bulls-76ers Preview

By DAN GELSTON
Posted May 09 2012 5:39PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) As the final horn sounds on every home victory, the Philadelphia 76ers blast confetti all over the court and in the stands as a gratuitous gesture of celebration.

The Sixers' first-year ownership group entered this season overloaded with gimmicks meant to make the game more enjoyable for a fan base accustomed to a decade of rooting for a franchise stuck closer to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings than the top. Slashed ticket prices, over-the-top pregame introductions, and videos tinged with nostalgia from the glory days only go so far for providing memorable moments for the fans in the seats.

Teams have to win to keep a city interested.

The 76ers are one Game 6 victory against the Chicago Bulls away from the franchise's biggest win in nine years.

Allen Iverson left. And came back. And left again. Larry Brown won an NBA title in Detroit then trekked to New York and now, improbably, back to college at SMU. Billy King bet the future on Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green. Former No. 1 overall picks Joe Smith, Glenn Robinson and Chris Webber all made pit stops in Philadelphia. The Sixers won with Jim O'Brien on the bench and suffered with Eddie Jordan. Ed Snider sold the team.

All of it happened (and so much more they'd like to forget) since the Sixers last won a playoff series in 2003.

Beat the top-seeded Bulls on Thursday night and the Sixers will truly have a milestone worth celebrating.

The Sixers might even shoot that confetti budget right out the door.

"This is what we fought all season for," forward Elton Brand said Wednesday. "To be on our home court, in front of our fans with a closeout game."

The Sixers are trying to become the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed. Memphis eliminated San Antonio last season, Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.

The Bulls have no interest in joining the wrong side of history. It only seems like the Sixers have pulled pins out of their spell kits and poked the voodoo dolls of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Rose, the defending NBA MVP, tore the ACL in his left knee late in the Bulls' Game 1 win, Noah missed the last two games with a sprained left ankle, and Gibson left Game 5 clutching his right ankle, though he vowed to play Thursday.

Clearly, the Sixers have the injuries to credit for their 3-2 series lead.

They certainly can't celebrate their shooting. The Sixers haven't cracked 90 points in any of their last three games and were held to 69 in the Game 5 loss. The desperate Bulls held the Sixers to season lows for points and shooting (32.1 percent), in fact. The Sixers shot 39 percent from the floor in a Game 4 victory, 34 percent in a Game 3 win, and 40 percent in a Game 2 win. Those percentages are only going to beat a team like the Bulls ravaged by injury.

"The Bulls aren't one of the top defensive teams for no reason," Brand said. "They have some good defensive principles. We're getting shots that we're orchestrating through the offense."

Getting them, yes. Making them, not so much.

Sixers coach Doug Collins gave his team the option Wednesday of watching game film of the first half of their brutal Game 5 loss. The Sixers agreed to the viewing in hopes of finding the flaws that led to their disastrous effort.

The slow pace of the game prevented the Sixers from getting the transition baskets they love. The Bulls locked down and stripped the Sixers of what they do best. Collins said the Sixers played too much "random offense." Meaning, the Sixers were forced out of position and stuck playing 1-on-1 ball.

That's not how they win games. The proof was in the video.

"We tried to make it as positive as possible because tape can be very, very negative," Collins said. "Especially coming off a game like that, I want our guys to be incredibly positive about what we have to do. I don't want them to have negative feelings at all. But I wanted them to see how they could be better."

The Bulls liked that pace and believe, no matter how dire the series looks, they can win Game 6 and take their chances at home.

"You know how we feel. We feel like we let two get away in Philadelphia," forward Carlos Boozer said. "We thought that we played well enough to win, but we just came up a little short."

Gibson has vowed he'll be in the lineup for Game 6. Noah is still listed as day to day. The Bulls reached the conference finals a year ago and believed after Game 5 they still had at least another round in them left this postseason.

"This is all for nothing if we don't come out with the same intensity and urgency on the road," Chicago's Ronnie Brewer said. "We know they're going to play just as hard as they've been playing this whole entire series. We've got to match that intensity."

76ers beat Bulls 79-78 and advance to 2nd round

By DAN GELSTON
Posted May 11 2012 4:19AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Omer Asik placed his hands on his hips in disbelief as an improbable 76ers' celebration erupted around him.

Derrick Rose was lost for the series in Game 1. Joakim Noah hit the bench for good in Game 4.

Now all the Chicago Bulls are headed home after a tough tumble from the top of the East to postseason punch line.

Andre Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and Philadelphia rallied for a 79-78 victory over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.

"I really thought we'd take it back to Chicago," forward Taj Gibson said.

Instead, the Sixers will move on and face Boston, which beat Atlanta in six games, in the conference semifinals.

Asik missed two free throws with 7 seconds left that would have given the Bulls a three-point lead. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, and was fouled by Asik on the driving layup.

The Sixers put their season in the hands of one of the worst fourth-quarter free-throw shooters in the NBA.

Coach Doug Collins was hunched over with his hands clasped while Iguodala was at the line.

He made both - and 20,362 fans went absolutely wild.

Iguodala made nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter in this series after shooting 45 percent (23 of 51) from the line in the period this season.

Iguodala changed his approach at the line this series. He started thinking what it would be like to teach his son how to shoot free throws.

Dads don't miss.

"I was like, `Son, this is how you shoot free throws,"' Iguodala said.

Asik stood motionless on the free-throw line when the stunning upset was completed. Philadelphia cheerleaders stormed the court and danced around him before he trudged off the court.

The Sixers are the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed. Memphis eliminated San Antonio last season, while Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.

In his second season, Collins had already led the Sixers to their first winning season in seven years. Now, it's on to the second round for the first time since Allen Iverson was an All-Star.

Iguodala hopped on the scorer's table and played to the crowd as the catchy 76ers' anthem blared in the arena.

His teammates joined Iguodala and danced along as confetti fluttered around them.

"Number one, Philadelphia. Here they come, team of the year."

Team of the first round, for sure.

"I don't know how we won this game," Collins said.

The Sixers were smiling and mobbed each other as they dashed to the locker room to keep the party going.

The Sixers were 2.2 seconds from playing Game 7 in Chicago.

Now, they will pack their bags for the second round. They went 2-1 against the Celtics this season.

Collins had a catch in his voice at the postgame podium and was joined by his 4-year-old grandson, Cooper. Collins held back tears while talking about faith, family and his guys in the locker room.

"I'm a Sixer for life," he said.

Collins and the Sixers hardly cared the series win comes with an asterisk.

The Bulls lost Rose to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in their Game 1 win. Noah missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle.

"I thought we had more than enough to win with," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I'm disappointed in the loss, but I'm not disappointed in our team."

Without their stars, the Bulls found it tough to gut one out against the Sixers.

Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14 for the Sixers, who were outrebounded 56-33.

Iguodala snagged the one that mattered.

"We win on a rebound. Something we don't get all night," a smiling Collins said.

The Sixers started 20-9 and led the Atlantic Division for the first half of the season until a late fade sent them tumbling toward eighth place.

None of that matters now.

Not even the fact the Bulls were down two stars.

The 50-win Bulls are heading home early a year after they reached the conference finals.

"We were on the ropes and we battled," forward Carlos Boozer said. "In the end, it came down to the very last second. So, it's tough. We were right there, given everything, right there. It will be a long summer."

Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls. Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Sixers tried to get a laugh by showing the Bulls bench on "Kiss Cam." Noah popped his warm-up jacket toward the camera and the crowd booed the oversized "Chicago" on the big screen.

Noah was one of the top offensive rebounders in the league and the Bulls figured on missing his presence in the middle. Led by Deng and Boozer, the Bulls instead went out and controlled the boards, holding a 49-29 edge early in the fourth.

"This one hurts," Noah said. "We battled. We believed. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I will think about this one all summer."

Notes: The Bulls had a 3-pointer taken off the board right before the first half. ... The Bulls missed 11 of 13 3-pointers. ... The Bulls averaged 80.6 points over the final five games after scoring 100 in Game 1. ... The Sixers had lost their last five playoff series.

Notebook: Sixers 79, Bulls 78

Posted Thursday May 10, 2012 11:14PM

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the Philadelphia 76ers have advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Andre Iguodala scored 20 points, including the game-winning free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining, to lift the eighth-seeded Sixers past the Chicago Bulls 79-78 Thursday night before a sellout crowd of 20,362 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers captured the series 4-2. Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams added 14 points each and Evan Turner had 10 points for the Sixers, who overcame a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton scored 19 points each for the top-seeded Bulls. Taj Gibson scored 14 points and Omer Asik had 10. Center Joakim Noah (sprained left ankle) was active but didn't play for the third straight game. Deng also pulled down 17 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "He's gone through a lot here. I told him no one deserves this more than you do."
-- Sixers head coach Doug Collins, on Iguodala.

THE STAT: The Sixers won despite being outrebounded 56-33. Amazingly, the Sixers didn't pick up their first offensive rebound until the 9:49 mark of the fourth.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 78-75 with 25.8 seconds remaining, the Sixers never wilted. Thaddeus Young hit a tough layup with 12.0 seconds left and Iguodala forced the issue and drew the foul before eventually winning the game. Four clutch points in the final 25.8 seconds was the difference.

HOT: Iguodala was 7-for-12 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

NOT: Carlos Boozer struggled, missing 10 of his 11 shots. To his credit, he did sweep 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE II: "We gave it everything we had. It wasn't for lack of effort. It just didn't happen for us." -- Boozer.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The sellout crowd was buzzing, especially down the stretch. When Iguodala's second free throw dropped through the net, the crowd exploded. Former Philadelphia Eagles star running Brian Westbrook was in attendance and received a standing ovation.

QUOTABLE III: "When you win like that, you can't draw it up. That's what makes this sport so great. Crazy things happen. We kept working and fighting and fortunately, we were able to get the win. It feels great."
-- Sixers center Spencer Hawes

GOOD MOVE: The Sixers kept attacking the basket, even when their shots weren't falling. That strategy paid huge dividends in the waning seconds.

BAD MOVE: The Bulls were struggling to make shots and could have used more minutes from Kyle Korver and John Lucas. Korver and Lucas played a combined 14 minutes.

QUOTABLE IV: "We did everything we could not to win the game up until the last two minutes. In the last two minutes, we did just enough to make it happen. It was a crazy night."
-- Williams

ROOKIE WATCH: Chicago swingman Jimmy Butler was scoreless in a brief 27-second stint. Philadelphia forwards Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic didn't play.

NOTABLE: Iguodala shot 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter this series. During the regular season, he shot 23-for-51 (45 percent) from the free throw line in the fourth. ... The Bulls shot 29 percent from beyond the arc in the Sixers' four wins this series. In Chicago's two wins, it shot 11-for-24 from 3-point territory. ... The Sixers became the fifth No. 8 seed to win a playoff series. Memphis was the last team to accomplish the feat with a first-round upset of San Antonio last year. ... The last time a team won a playoff game when being outrebounded by 23 or more came all the way back on April 18, 1986 when the Washington Bullets defeated the Sixers. ... Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, on losing the series: "I thought we had more than enough to win with. I'm disappointed in the loss but I'm not disappointed in our team."

NEXT: Game 1 @ Boston, Eastern Conference semifinals, Saturday (TBD), Game 2 @ Boston, Monday (TBD).

• Bulls: Rose
• 76ers: Silas

• Bulls: Gibson
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #13 Monty McCutchen, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 20362
• Duration: 2:36