DiLeo Loses First Game

Tony DiLeo was an undefeated NBA coach going into Saturday night's game against Indiana. And no doubt the Las Vegas oddsmakers figured he would stay undefeated. The Sixers were at home, they seemed to be building a little confidence in the last few games, and the Pacers were a 9-17 team. And there was more. Indiana was decimated by injury or illness with three top players out and a couple more under par. Not since Washington wintered at Valley Forge has such a rag tag team passed through the Delaware Valley. The only thing missing was the fife-and-drummer. Actually, life was less complicated for General Washington as there was no 24 second rule or three-point line back then. If Larry Bird had been in town on Saturday, no doubt he would have been activated.

So naturally the Sixers lost. This was the kind of game that is very frustrating to analyze. The home team seemed to do a lot of things right. They started the game according to script, running up a double digit lead early but of course in the NBA that means little. In the second quarter, they went flat, allowing the Pacers back in. Iguodala and Miller had strong games, with the latter notching a triple double. Dalembert had one of his best games of the year, with 14 rebounds in 36 minutes. Speights scored 12. Williams cooled down from his recent torrid pace but still was a factor offensively. In fact, a half-a-dozen Sixers scored in double figures, not a common occurrence. Only two negatives really stick out. One was a bagel from three-point land, 0-8. The other was giving up 26 points in the fourth quarter whereas in the previous two games they had held their opponent under 20 points in the final quarter. The bottom line last night was the Sixers really didn't have an answer for T.J. Ford who scored 25 and buried the winning pull-up jumper with Iguodala's hand in his face.

A four-game winning streak would have been nice, but the rubber hits the road in Boston on Tuesday night where the Sixers will take their mid-term examination.