Milwaukee loses again, Sixers close to playoff berth
The Indiana Pacers defeated Milwaukee on Thursday, dropping the Bucks to 29-33 and three games behind the Sixers for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee loses again, Sixers close to playoff berth
Bob Cooney
It's getting close to the point of not wondering if the Sixers are going to make the playoffs, but who are they going to face.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, 118-109, its third-straight loss and dropping them to three full games behind the Sixers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers (32-30) and the Bucks both have four games remaining.
Each of the Sixers' remaining games are on the road: Saturday at Indiana, Monday in New Jersey, Wednesday in Milwaukee and Thursday in Detroit.
Milwaukee will host New Jersey on Saturday, Toronto on Monday and the Sixers on Wednesday before finishing out its season at Boston on Thursday.
Should the Sixers clinch that spot, they will face either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat. Chicago's lead in the Eastern Conference dropped to 1.5 games over Miami Thursday as the Heat beat the Bulls, 83-72 . In order to win the East, Miami would have to win out and Chicago would have to lose to a divisional foe. That would give Miami the second tiebreaker if the two teams finished with the same record. The first tiebreaker would be negated as the teams split their four meetings this season.
The Bulls (47-16) have just three games remaining, hosting Dallas on Saturday, at Indiana on Wednesday before hosting Cleveland on Thursday.
Miami (45-17), which beat the Sixers in five games in the first round of the playoffs last season, has four games left. The Heat wil host Washington on Saturday and Houston on Sunday before finishing out the season in Boston (Tuesday) and Washington (Thursday).
Should the Sixers make the playoffs the challenge that will await will obviously be a daunting one. While Miami has owned the Sixers over the past few years, Chicago has proven to be an interesting matchup. But the way the Sixers are playing right now, losers of 13 of their last 20, there is no matchup against any Easter playoff team that would be in the least bit favorable.
- Sleepin you are in the minority with the belief that Holliday is better suited for the PG than the SG. So I can't be that crazy.
— blah - Reading is fundamental! I said he has the skill set to be a pg meaning he has more of the physical tools...ballhandling, quickness, can penetrate and has a jumper with range. It remains to be seen if he can put it all together. Turner's high dribble and lack of jump shot means he lacks certain pg skills
- LOL...if my LSAT was formatted this way, I'd have a seat first row like that other high powerd attorney sitting next to th eopponent's bench at WFC...I also enjoyed your post last week regarding lineups with the top 5 scorers being passe, as if it were still "middle school". — bearsfriend
- Holiday and LouWill matchup well vs a gimpy D-Rose and an old gimpy Rip. The Bulls have a small PF so EB and Thad won't be overwhelmed. Despite how they limped into the playoffs I think the Sixers can compete vs Bulls. The Heat, well that's another story...— Cole_World
- Sixers will beat the Bulls in 6. Mark it down. Ironic that I would make such an outlandish prediction on 4-20.— Bobby V
- I don't think the Bulls will hold that top spot. Mentally prepare for Miami. Hope for the Bulls. ANTICIPATE CJ WATSON STARTING IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH ROSE!. Not Rip. If rip starts run him out of the gym. V Miami Focus on scoring 100. WE ARE NOT GOING TO STOP THEM IN A HALFCOURT GRIND! PRESS and SPRINT lebron and wade out of the gym. Wade and Bosh look heavy. VERY HEAVY! Battier, James jones, mike miller, Howard, dexter Pittman, eddy curry, Joel Anthony can run but not a threat on the offensive end count him. That leaves wade, james, chalmers, Norris and bosh. Get rid of wade and James. KEEP PRESSING 94' and SPRINTING until both are OUT OF THE GAME! Eric Spoelstra was quoted "we gotta find a way to match that speed". Collins look at the names above. THEY CAN'T! IMPOSSIBLE! Lebron and wade can't go 48 min at that pace. At a hagler v hearns pace. Hearns didn't last 3 rounds. Hagler dictated the pace AND MAINTAINED IT until tommy fell. Hearns hit him. Miami will hit us. NO QUESTION.! But hagler REFUSED TO LET UP until hearns hit that canvas. At the opening tip don't meet at the center meet them on THEIR SIDE of the time line. They want a fight give it to him. James jones and wade acted up last night. Jones was thrown out of the game. Wade threw rip out bounds. Jones did it v us last playoffs. Speed the game up jones miller or chalmers never gets their feet set or balanced for a shot. If you sneeze on Shane and he's off balanced he will miss. 48 minutes of hell. WHO's IN SHAPE! WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE LOCKOUT! Find out. Run. Finding you shot is one thing a the season progresses is one thing. Being in TOP shape is another.— combocancer1975
- That would be a shame after watching the Sixers struggle so these past 3 weeks...The slumping Bulls are the dangling carrot that they best get. — bearsfriend
- LouWill and Holiday all day long. I'd go to war with the 2 of them, we need offense and they get it done together. Get me a sniper to come off the bench with Turner and get me a beast inside.— Cole_World
- Will not get into our usual debates over the backcourt, but in the grand scheme of things, Eddie Jordan's reign of error has skewed everyone's vision. Five seasons ago, this team, with some of the same core, finished 41-41, lost first round of the playoffs, then four seasons ago, they finsihed 40-42, lost first round of the playoffs. Then Eddie Jordan took the same team and led them to 27 wins. Last season, the Sixers were back to 41-41, lost first round in the playoffs, and this season will finish either 2 or 3 games over .500. Thus in FIVE seasons they have improved by 2 or 3 victories, and have many of the same problems they have had during those five seasons. Moreover, they are not "limping" into the playoffs, but rather "crawling." This is not the 20-9 team and has not been for quite some time. They are 12-21 down the stretch, and yet folks here are thinking they will take the Bulls in seven games, against a coach who I would argue can coach rings around Doug Collins, a coach who kept the Bulls going toward the top seed without Derrick Rose. What magic have the Sixers shown in half-court games against good defensive teams? Teams like the Bulls and Heat, and even the AARP Celtics and Spurs, live for the playoffs. Can the Sixers win a game in the first round? Yes. Can they win two games? Highly unlikely. Can they win a series. NO!!! I have followed this franchise longer than anyone on this board, I would wager, and wish them the best, but I am tiring of seeing them as little more than first round playoff cannon fodder.— chuckw
- chuck:glad you finally got on...missed you the past 2 days, although I read your fine post last night (7:26?)...While we're all wondering if Mayberry Jr. will go to a 4rth new batting stance of the season this weekend, I'm wondering if DC goes with LaVoy, or returns to Nik Vucevic against the Pacers Saturday...I agree with CChere that the Pacers are REALLY dangerous come playoff time, as they mix size and physicality with strong 3 point shooting and a sensational bench....Do you believe Jrue will get similar looks that he had in the last game, or doies Vogel switch attention off Lou onto Jrue?...Gotta keep focus one game at a time...get better, one game at a time...Hawes is the key, he has to keep getting better..He's getting closer.— bearsfriend
- This comment has been deleted.— alphamale
- Excellent observation — bearsfriend
- Classic Chuck "reign of error"... If we had half a season to gain some momentum I would say there is some hope. This mess falls in Collins lap. We can talk about killer instinct but when is the coach going to will call a play and have the team execute it. The lack of post ups is a glaring issue. He coached Jordan one of the best post up guards ever. That should be their bread and butter. Those pre-Eddie Jordan teams scrapped their way to the playoff. They were hungry. This team has no hunger. They don't have fun. If we were all getting paid to do something we love you would think we would be having the time of our lives. They look beaten. The internal issue need to be resolved.— BigVilFromWestPhil
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
