Sixers roll past Raptors

Philadelphia, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - You may think the Philadelphia
76ers have been a disappointment this season but remember...everything is
relative.

If you were one of the 17,292 people at the Wachovia Center Wednesday night
you found that out, as the Sixers trounced the NBA's biggest underachievers,
the Toronto Raptors, 115-106.

Dreams of a 50-win season in Philly turned into just that as the team's high-
priced free agent acquisition, Elton Brand, failed to fit in with his new
teammates. Meanwhile, coach Maurice Cheeks proved that nice guys truly do
finish last and was sacrificed to the basketball gods for the sins of his
general manager, Ed Stefanski.

Of course, Brand is now out of the picture with a torn labrum and Tony DiLeo
took over for Cheeks as the Sixers settled in to exactly what they were last
year, a .500-or-so team gunning for the seventh or eighth spot in the Eastern
Conference.

It could have been worse. Despite the presence of All-Stars Chris Bosh and
Jermaine O'Neal, a former No. 1 overall pick in Andrea Bargnani and a talented
point guard in Jose Calderon, the Raptors can't even manage that.

Head coach Sam Mitchell is long gone in favor of Toronto's own DiLeo in Jay
Triano, while the team gave up on the O'Neal experiment just before the trade
deadline, sending him to Miami for Shawn Marion. None of it has worked as the
Raptors strolled into the Big House with a dismal 23-41 mark.

After a nip-and-tuck first frame, the Sixers got a burst of energy from the
bench early in the second quarter and led by as many as 20 points in the
stanza. Marreese Speights and Lou Williams combined to score 13 points in the
first six minutes of the quarter as the Philly exploded for 37 points and took
a 56-39 advantage into the locker room.

Andre Iguodala, who hit two threes early in the second but was forced to leave
with a lower back strain, was back on the floor for the third quarter and
Philadelphia, which has had trouble finishing teams all season, held the
Raptors at arm's length, taking a 92-74 edge into the final frame. Thaddeus
Young was the star in the quarter, depositing 14 points in the stanza.

The Sixers rarely make things easy and Toronto ripped off a 9-2 run to start
the fourth despite playing with also-rans like Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Roko
Ukic. Anthony Parker's three from deep in the left corner capped the burst and
pulled the Raptors to within 94-83 and forced DiLeo to call timeout with 9:47
remaining.

A conventional three-point play by Bosh with 7:04 left got the Sixers lead
under 10 at 99-90.

A Reggie Evans layup followed by an Iguodala steal and ensuing free throws
restored order and Philadelphia costed to the finish line from there.

"This was a good bounce back game," Dileo said. "We came out with energy and
defensive intensity. Any time we get deflections and turnovers, we are able to
get out in the open floor."

Young finished with a career-high 29 points, while Samuel Dalembert added a
double-double with a season-high points, 19, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

"If he plays with energy Sam will be fine," DiLeo said of Dalembert. "He's
such a key for our defense. He fuels the fast break."

Bargnani had a game-high 21 for Toronto, while Bosh had 17 but was just 6-
of-16 from the floor.

Things were tight in the first quarter. The Sixers played their usual poor
perimeter defense, allowing Bargnani to get three clean looks from beyond the
arc. The 7-footer buried all three and paced Toronto with 11 points in the
frame as the teams played to a 19-19 stalemate. Young had eight for the Sixers
on 4-of-7 shooting.


Game notes:

The Flyers' Scotty Hartnell and his goofy hair were both in attendance...Young
matched his previous career-high of 27 points late in the third
quarter...Sixers are just 4-7 since the All-Star break (1-3 at home). "We have
to be more consistent," DiLeo said. "We had that rhythm before the break and
we are trying to regain it."...Sixers are 15-2 when they outshoot their
opponent from the floor...Calderon is seven assists shy of tying Alvin
Williams (1,778) as the Raptors all-time leader in assists...The Sixers will
make the short trek across the parking lot for their next game and play for
the final time at the Spectrum.