Playoffs will serve as good gauge of Sixers' future

Although the record is a huge improvement over last season, and unimaginable considering the 3-13 start, this is not where the 76ers wanted to be at this point of the season.

Forget about sitting in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, because as we've known for a while, whether they finish at six or seven they are going to face the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

They are an aching bunch right now, as just about every key player is battling an injury. Their offense is as deficient as it has been in quite some time and their defense has been about as erratic as Charlie Sheen's behavior. They are relying on a rookie for major minutes, not long after his coach had shown that he doesn't have much confidence in him.

They have lost eight of their last 15 games after a stretch in which they had a .625 winning percentage over a 48-game stretch (30-18).

So what's a coach to do? Well, if you're Doug Collins, not much. There will be no rest for regulars, he says, or a change of the starting lineup or rotations. The goal for now is a simple one - secure a winning season for the first time since 2004-05.

"We want to have a winning season, and a winning season is 42 wins plus" said Collins, whose team is 40-39 with three games remaining, all at home. "We want to get our identity back, and our identity is our really strong defense, which creates offense for us. When we're defending and rebounding and creating turnovers in the open court, that's when we're really good."

It won't be easy. The fact that Andre Iguodala and his tendinitis-ridden right knee even make it out to the court on some nights is surprising. Elton Brand's left hand, which has a minor fracture, is sore and swollen, and his twice-dislocated right pinkie is just a backward bend away from some serious discomfort.

Almost every time Thaddeus Young stretches his body toward the basket on one of his patented spinning or reverse layup forays, he comes back to the floor wondering if his first step will cause him pain in his sore groin. And the only thing super sub Lou Williams can do between now and the playoff opener, which will be the weekend of April 16, is get treatment on his strained right hamstring in the hopes of being able to suit up next weekend.

With Williams out, rookie Evan Turner, whose playing time had decreased dramatically before Williams' injury, will continue to get a bunch of minutes in these final three games, perhaps showcasing himself to Collins in the hope of gaining back his coach's trust.

"We've got to figure out our rotations and things and what we're going to do without Lou, what sets we're going to run," Brand said.

There lies the problem. Figuring out sets and where certain players can perform best and who plays better with whom is what took Collins 16 games to figure out. His observations paid off, but now he is back to Square One, as the most important time of the season approaches.

Still, the coach remains optimistic, even if it's just a mirage for his young players to reach for.

"I like where we are," Collins said. "If you're gauging on whether or not we've won or lost some games . . . I think, from my standpoint, we're playing good, hard, competitive basketball.

"I think we've had a chance to win all these [recent] games, other than Miami [a 12-point loss on March 25]. Their stars [LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh] had 91 points and we were down five with a minute-and-a-half to go. Milwaukee [a 93-87 overtime loss last Saturday], we had the last shot to win the game, [Monday night] Boston sliced and diced us and [Wednesday against New York at the Wells Fargo Center] we were down [19] and we fought back. Other than maybe the ball going in the basket a little bit . . .

"We're not a great shooting team. Until we get the ball out in the open court, you can see where we struggle."

And there lies the problem. Playoff basketball makes the court shrink from the full 94 to 47 feet on the offensive end. Offensive possessions become as valuable as a full-time job. And, quite frankly, the Sixers aren't qualified, especially over a seven-game series.

So what does it all mean? If Sixers fans, whose interest in the pro team has been stoked mainly due to the new head coach, really thought that a first-round playoff series victory was a possibility, they are a bit dilusional.

What the playoffs are about for this team, realistically, isn't winning a first round. That is too huge a hurdle to clear right now. For this young team, a playoff round is a learning experience. It is a gauge to find out exactly what is needed to put the team closer to the upper echelons of the East in the future.

Collins made a great point a few weeks back when he said what a playoff series would mean: "You learn more about your team during a seven-game series than you do during an 82- game season. In a series, a team attacks your weaknesses. They will also look to find the strength of your team and attack it. That's what makes championship teams champions. And that's where we can learn about our team. We will come out of a series knowing more about ourselves than we did during the season. That is going to be so beneficial to the growth of our team.

"I'm not saying that we will be done in one series. Hopefully, we will advance. The playoffs are such a great learning experience for a young team to know where they are and how they can improve."

Really, that is the best scenario for this team, for weaknesses to be spotlighted, for the organization to address those weaknesses during the offseason so the franchise can get closer to becoming elbow-rubbers with the likes of Boston and Miami and Chicago and Orlando.

Going into the playoffs with anything less than a full, healthy roster will halt that progress. A quick, first-round loss with a diminished lineup, players playing out of position and an unsettled rotation wouldn't help gauge where the Sixers are right now and where they need to improve for the future.

And, after years of mediocrity, that is imperative.

DRIBBLES

UPCOMING GAMES

Tonight vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 o'clock

Comcast SportsNet/ WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: The Raptors (21-57) have won six of their last eight games against the Sixers, thanks in large part to center Andrea Bargnani, who has averaged 23.7 points against the Sixers in three games this season. He is struggling with a sore right ankle, which has caused him to miss four of the last six games. In their last two games, both losses, the Raptors have trailed by 24 and 20 points at halftime.

Monday vs. Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.

Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: In its win at Charlotte on Wednesday, the Magic (50-29) sank 14 of 35 shots from three-point range. Orlando is the league leader in made threes and attempted threes this season and has made 10 or more threes in a game 38 times.

Wednesday vs. Detroit Pistons, 8 p.m.

Comcats SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: This very well could be the last game for John Kuester as head coach of the Pistons (27-51), who have been plagued by team uprisings all season. Rookie forward Greg Monroe has been a bright spot, having recorded 19 double-doubles.

BY THE NUMBERS:

68.4: That's the Sixers' foul shooting percentage over the past three games, after they shot 80 percent in the 33 games prior.

5-29: That's the Sixers' record when their opponents have a higher shooting percentage.