Sixers capitalize on Pistons' struggles, win easily

THIS TIME last season, the 76ers were in the same predicament the Detroit Pistons are in now.

The players didn't like the coach; the record was abysmal. Playing basketball had become a chore more than anything else.

The train wreck that is the Pistons rolled into town, halfheartedly played a game, lost, 110-94, then headed for the team bus seemingly without a care in the world. And probably without coach John Kuester for too much longer.

But the Sixers can't worry about other teams' trials and tribulations. They successfully climbed to the .500 mark (29-29) for the first time since starting last season 4-4, improved to 19-9 at home and are now 12-4 in their last 16. Their train just keeps on rolling.

"Whatever goes on in their locker room shouldn't affect us any," said Thaddeus Young, who scored 24 points to lead the Sixers. "It shouldn't dictate anything that we do. It's just about going out there and executing the game plan that we know how to do, and I think we did a great job of that tonight. We didn't let whatever was happening with them get in the way of what we wanted."

Five of the Pistons' players decided not to attend yesterday morning's shootaround, and Kuester decided not to play them. So with normal starters Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, Tracy McGrady and Rodney Stuckey, along with sub Austin Dye sitting uninterestedly on the the bench, Kuester decided to go with only six players for the game.

"It's an internal matter right now," said Kuester, who was ejected with 3 minutes left in the second quarter. "There's no way I should have been kicked out of that game; I'm very disappointed. Of all the games I've ever been a head coach, this is the one that I did not want to get kicked out of."

When asked why he went with the six players, Kuester said: "The guys at shootaround were the guys who were going to get the minutes."

The way the Sixers are playing of late, it might not have mattered who played for Detroit. Andre Iguodala collected 21 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, Elton Brand had 20 points and tied his season high with 17 boards, and Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights scored 12 each. Holiday also dealt 10 of the Sixers' 34 assists, which was a season high and tied the highest total posted at the Wells Fargo Center.

At times late in the game, the Pistons decided to forgo the man-to-man defense and play zone. They had to, with only six guys playing. The zone wasn't a two-three or a three-two. It was more of a "you get to the shooter, 'cause I'm not." It led to many open jumpers and driving slams for the Sixers.

"I had no idea what to expect," coach Doug Collins said. "I mean, I knew what to expect from our team, but I had no idea what to expect from Detroit, who they were going to play. I did tell our guys that they are a team very capable of scoring."

Diminutive guard Will Bynum, who played every minute, led Detroit (21-39) with a season-high 29 points, while Charlie Villanueva added 17, and Greg Monroe and Ben Gordon each chipped in 16.

"We did a really good job on Ben Gordon," Collins said. "He was 6-for-17. I thought E.B. and Dre were great captains for us tonight, and we had [46] points off the bench, 34 assists. I think we took care of business tonight. We're 12-4 [in the last 16] and we finally reached that .500 mark."

Which doesn't mean they've reached a goal and are happy. Twenty-four games remain in this season, and Collins and his players are looking to take a huge leap past that mediocre mark.

"This is a game we had to win," Brand said. "They've got turmoil. You don't know what's going to happen; those guys stuck around and hit some shots, and then it's a ballgame late. So I'm glad we got that big lead and finished it off.

"Being .500 is OK, but we aspire to be better. We aspire to catch teams in front of us and keep the teams behind us at bay."

With so many games remaining, they could put .500 in the rearview mirror.

"That leaves a lot of room [to improve on the record]," said Young, who has made 44 of his last 65 shots. "This is a good position to be in. We're just happy that we were able to get to .500 and it's time to just go on with the rest of the games and stay above it."

"We are growing," Collins said. "Now we have to go to Cleveland [tomorrow] and see if we can get another road win. We are looking up; we are not looking down. Our guys feel good about themselves. They have got a nice feeling. A big positive sign for us was another nice night by Mo Speights. He came in and did a great job for us. Elton Brand did not have to play the fourth quarter.

"We are a growing team, and we are a team that is getting a little swagger, which is good."

Craig Brackins and Jason Kapono were deactivated for the game . . . After playing at Cleveland tomorrow, the Sixers will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. It will be the fourth and final Dollar Dog Night of the year . . . The Sixers won the battle of the boards, 49-32. *