Gargano
May 22, 2003: Gargano: So What's the Future?
So what of the future? It’s as murky as the weather this May. Truthfully, there are a lot of hard questions on the horizon, and I’m as strapped as the capped.

Sixers Playoffs 2003
May 15, 2003: Betson: A Bold Prediction
What did we all do to deserve this? Why does there appear to be curse on all Philadelphia sports teams, which demands that whatever we do, it isn't enough?

May 10, 2003: Gargano: Situation Desperate
"We enter situation desperate. So like Larry Brown says, it’s not criticism, it’s coaching, and the play needs to be called now. It’s a Code Red, and it’s for Keith Van Horn. "

May 1, 2003: Betson: Credit to the Opposition
"Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit. Sometimes in the shifting sands of an NBA playoff series the other coach makes the right adjustments. And always it is the fourth victory of a seven-game series that is the toughest to attain. "

April 25, 2003: Gargano: Yo, DC: I Was Wrong
"Truly, I fight myself. Dare I say it? I mean, a noble man would say it. A noble man is fine with fallibility and rebuffs stubborn thoughts and vindictive thoughts, and he doesn’t mumble when he says it."

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May 29, 2003: I'll Miss Larry
"Now that we all have had time to digest what happened on the most depressing Memorial Day on record, maybe we should be surprised by the reaction of some in this community who are actually reveling in Brown's departure...remember what it was like around Philadelphia professional basketball before Larry Brown arrived?" Oh, and he has a suggestion for Sixers President Billy King on who should replace Brown.

April 17, 2003: One Last Moment from the Jordan Era
The game was no longer in doubt and neither was the crowd's desire as the final regular-season game at the First Union Center wound its way into the fourth quarter Wednesday night... "We want Mike'' they shouted at every break in the action, spurred on by the high tech Sixers sound and light show on the scoreboard.

April 3, 2003: One Little Play, So Many Ramifications
Midway through the third period of Wednesday night's 108-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls, Allen Iverson drove to the basket and dished off a perfect feed to Brian Skinner. Before Skinner could put in the easy basket, the whistle blew and a foul was called against Chicago's Corie Blount. Even though he was going to the foul line, Iverson stamped his foot in disgust and was obviously frustrated because instead of an assist, he was going to have to settle for foul shots.

March 20, 2003: A First Rate Second Half
After 17 games the Philadelphia 76ers are 15-2 in the second half of the NBA season and within easy striking distance of the top seed in the East.

February 27, 2003: A Phenomenal Snow Season
He is the perfect compliment to Allen Iverson. And despite his critics, Eric Snow is proving why he is the kind of player Larry Brown loves to find and then coach.

February 13, 2003: The Key to the Second-Half
It's always been the points with Iverson. That's what you hear on ESPN and Comcast SportsNet. But more and more this season its about the assists. Iverson had seven assists to go with his 36 points in the 119-111 overtime victory against Chicago Wednesday night at the First Union Center.

January 30, 2003: Times That Try Sixers Soul
The Sixers are 24-22 and right in the middle of the playoff hunt. The long and winding road that is the NBA season will take more twists and turns and there inevitably will be more meandering thoughts from the most revealing coach in Philadelphia right now.

January 16, 2003: The Team's True Nature
It is (Coach Larry) Brown's job to make sure his team doesn't ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean. A six-game losing streak can become a four-game winning streak in the blink of a 24-second shot clock. It's hard to get a feel for this team's true nature right now.

December 19, 2002: It Must Be the Jersey
After Iverson's 41-point scoring outburst against the Timberwovles Wednesday night, Chuck Betson sends a message to the media , fans and sports talk show hypsters in Philadelphia: "enjoy Iverson for the way he plays, not what he wears after the game."

December 5, 2002: A Season of Giving
After 19 games last season, the Sixers had 354 assists as a team. After 19 games this season, that total is 417. That's 63 more assists in 19 games, an average of three more per game. One of coach Larry Brown's mantras is "to play the right way.'' His team is doing it this season.

November 21, 2002: 40 Seasons of Sixers Basketball
The Philadelphia 76ers were faced with a dilemma coming into this season: How to market the team and the 2002-03 season? The club, coming off a remarkable run into the NBA Finals the season before, suffered an early playoff exit last April.

November 7, 2002: Doing More With Less
Four games into the season the Philadelphia 76ers are an enigma wrapped up in a riddle shrouded by missing pieces of a giant puzzle.


April 10, 2003: What You See is What You Get
The Sixers are hurt, but they have no other choice but to press on from here. No one else in the Eastern Conference, including the Celtics, is going to feel sorry for them.

March 27, 2003: What Did Get the 76ers Back on Track?
If you said a little time for the team to get healthy and develop some team chemistry, you might not be an optimist. You might be right. Go ahead and tell all your friends ‘I told you so!’ if it makes you feel smarter.

March 6, 2003: Thanks to Shelly Brown, Hill Returns
Despite an offer from charismatic Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Tyrone Hill chose to rejoin his former team and coach. Was it his comfort level and relationship with Brown and his former teammates? Hill said the determining factor in his decision was Shelly Brown, Larry’s wife. Go figure.

February 21*, 2003: No Trade Storm
*Special Edition. Shhhhhh. Do you hear that? It's the sound of a gentle breeze as the midseason NBA trade deadline blew through Philadelphia without so much as a sound.

February 6, 2003: Sixers at the Break
They talked about finishing the first half of the season on a positive note, about trying to move forward in their last game before the All-Star break.

January 23, 2003: Honesty is Sixers Policy
Larry Brown is, if anything, brutally honest...Coaching a Sixers team that started 15-4, Brown still implied he wasn’t convinced that his team was as good as its record. And when the Sixers went into a tailspin that saw them lose 16 of their next 22 games, Brown indicated he was frustrated, but not totally surprised.

January 16, 2003: A Good Start
If this team needed a confidence booster, this was about the best way to finally get started. There were other positives as well.

January 9, 2003: Questions and Frustrations
At this point, it’s tough to tell what’s been more perplexing – the blowout losses to Utah, Phoenix and Dallas on the team’s recent West Coast swing, or the consecutive overtime losses to Indiana and Detroit. Nonetheless, the end result is the same either way.

January 2, 2003: Bound by Snow
This must have been what Sixers Coach Larry Brown, General Manager Billy King and Director of Player Personnel Tony DiLeo were talking about when they decided to acquire Eric Snow six seasons ago.

December 12, 2002: The Need for a Solid 48
Keith Van Horn was sitting in front of his locker Wednesday night, trying to explain why the Sixers had blown a 17-point lead in a 92-88 loss to the Seattle Supersonics. “We need to understand as a team that we need to play 48 minutes,” Van Horn said.

November 28, 2002: Pretty Good at Winning Ugly
You look at the numbers, and they’re not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. The Sixers shot a paltry 38.6 percent (32-for-83) from the floor Wednesday night at the First Union Center. Allen Iverson scored 36 points, but he got 12 of them from the line to overcome an 11-for-25 shooting spell.

November 14, 2002: Meaningful Minutes for Skinner
The long, sinewy arms of Brian Skinner, a free agent acquisition who initially did little to send shivers of excitement through Philadelphia, are doing more than just pulling down rebounds and blocking shots. They’re holding this team together at this early point in the season as much as the marquee names Philly fans have grown accustomed to.

October 31, 2002: Shortcomings and Surprises
It’s hard to truly evaluate a team after just two games, especially one so short on depth. But some shortcomings and some nice surprises have already become apparent after just 96 minutes of basketball.

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Kevin Gregg subs for Chuck Betson
March 6, 2003: Gregg: Climbing the Playoff Ladder
Just keep climbing and gain some more ground, but remember, don’t look back. This was the precise approach of the Philadelphia 76ers as they entered Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. With their convincing come from behind win, the Sixers climbed yet another rung on the playoff ladder.