Sore back taking its toll on the Sixers' Iguodala

Andre Iguodala has never missed a game in his three-year career as a 76er, but a sore back has been testing him lately.

The pain was at its worst during Tuesday's 96-75 road loss against the Detroit Pistons, something that Iguodala, who doesn't complain about ailments, acknowledged.

"The back pain has been there before, but it never really bothered me the way it did [Tuesday]," the 23-year-old said yesterday after the Sixers had a team meeting and did some light shooting at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Iguodala said that he hurt the back when he fell about two months ago, but that it had been manageable until Tuesday evening.

"You can play through pain, but it bothered me throughout the game," he said.

The back could be hurting from Iguodala's attempts to carry the Sixers' offense. Though he averages a team-high 18.1 points, Iguodala is going through one of his toughest stretches of the season.

The loss to Detroit marked the fifth consecutive game Iguodala has shot less than 50 percent from the field, going 23 for 68 overall.

"You never want to use it as an excuse, and that is why I never bring it up and just go out there and play," he said. "If I don't have a good game, I try to come back the next game and play well."

Iguodala has started 232 straight regular-season games. (The NBA record is 1,192 consecutive games by A.C. Green, who played for four teams.) Iguodala insists he won't take the court just to prolong his streak.

"I haven't missed a game, and that is a big accomplishment to me, but at the same time I don't want to be out there playing when I'm hurt and hurting the team as well as myself," he said.

The Sixers' next game is tomorrow against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Wachovia Center.

"Hopefully, I will be able to play," Iguodala said.

Coach Maurice Cheeks said that Iguodala had shown resilience in taking the court each night.

"I think his back has been a problem for him, but he's still out there trying to play, and that is a positive for him," Cheeks said. "We need Andre to perform for us to have a chance to win games."

Iguodala and the rest of the team have sore psyches after suffering consecutive losses totaling 71 points against Houston and Detroit.

"You lose by 50 points and 20 points it will be a little bit [embarrassing] there," Iguodala said. "It's a tough situation for us."

Notes. Point guard Andre Miller, who Cheeks said bumped his knee in the Detroit game, was moving gingerly yesterday while doing light shooting. "His knee is a little sore, but he is going to fight through it," the coach said. . . . Cheeks talked to the team at length about the two routs, but as is his nature, he remained calm. When asked whether it bothered him that the coaches seemed to take the loss harder than the players, Cheeks said: "When I played, the coaches were always madder than the players. . . . We don't know what is in each guy, and they could be extremely upset. That is a different side of the player that comes from within that we don't know." . . . Sixers swingman Kyle Korver, who suffered through a 3-for-14 shooting night against the Pistons, said the team was intent on sticking together despite consecutive demoralizing defeats. "Obviously, you should never be beaten by 50 points, and it's very disappointing," Korver said. "We have come too far the last two months to let two games and whatever criticism and what people are going to say ruin what we have done this year."