Smith, who is employed by FoxSports Radio, is now reporting, in a "Special to FOXSports.com" that Iverson may sign a contract and return to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, the team where he played the best basketball of his career.

Numerous team sources confirmed on Friday that the 76ers' brass has already talked - and talks will only escalate this weekend - about bringing Iverson back to Philadelphia. Possibly as early as next week."

SAS also reports that if Iverson does in fact end up signing with the 76ers, there is no doubt he will start, thereby eliminating the source of much of the friction Iverson caused during his stops in Detroit and Memphis. A source with the team maintains that they have "nothing to lose by bringing Iverson back" and that the team is "very boring right now."

As you may recall, Smith returned to writing columns for The Philadelphia Inquirer on November 12th and the fact that he keeps publishing columns for other media entities is puzzling, to say the least. But of course, there has to be a method to Smith's madness. They don't just hand out acting gigs on General Hospital to anyone.

Sixers appear ready to bring back Iverson [FoxSports]
Columnist Breaks Iverson Retirement Story Elsewhere [Maynard Institute]
(previously on Deadspin) The Trailer Has Cheesy Doodles, Right?

When last we saw them: Finished 40-42, third in the Atlantic Division and seventh overall in the East. Gave Detroit a nice little scare in the first round...until the Pistons woke up.

On the menu: Donyell Marshall, Elton Brand, Kareem Rush, Marreese Speights, Royal Ivey, Theo Ratliff.

Off the menu: Calvin Booth, Herbert Hill, Kevin Ollie, Louis Amundson, Rodney Carney, Shavlik Randolph...in other words, absolutely nobody of note.

The Good: The Sixers already looked like a team on the rise - they went 22-12 over the final two-ish months of the season, barging into the playoffs for the first time in three years. Then they made the free agent coup of the summer: Signing Elton Brand, a certified 20-10 guy and one of the best (and only) low post scorers in the Association. That was a major upgrade, especially for a running team (like Philly) that often struggled in its half court sets last season. And, like I said, this team had been improving even before they added Brand. They developed into an excellent defensive team in 2007-08: Fourth in steals (8.7), fifth in opponent turnovers (15.7) and seventh in opponent scoring (96.2). They were also ranked fifth in rebounding (41.9) and sixth in rebound differential (+2.69). However, they did most of their work on the offensive glass, where they ranked second (behind Cleveland) at 13.0 per game. The arrival of Brand, who has averaged 10.2 RPG for his career, will help their defensive rebounding, which, in turn, will generate more fast breaks...and that’s Philly's bread and butter. Beyond all that, Andre Miller (17.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.9 APG) has developed into a top ten point guard, Andre Iguodala (19.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.8 APG), is one of those "does it all" guys (plus he should be all warm and fuzzy about that huge re-up he just signed), and Samuel Dalembert (10.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.3 BPG) blasts the glass (especially on the offensive end) and plays Dennis the Defensive Menace. With Brand as his new paint partner, look for Sammy to roam around and provide even better help D. Marreese Speights, Louis Williams and, of course, legend-in-the-making Thaddeus Young will provide youth, enthusiasm and talent off the bench, while Donyell Marshall and Kareem Rush give veteran guidance. Edit: They also have Reggie Evans, who is the greatest rebounder IN THIS UNIVERSE AND ANY OTHER. I mean, he really goes after the BALLS.

The Bad: This team is well-stocked for a strong season. But while they're good - really good, even - in most areas, where are they great? Brand fills a box score, but he's never been (and probably never will be) a team leader. The only time one of Brand's teams became successful was when they acquired Sam Cassell, who was playing for a contract...and thus providing the ballsy leadership that Brand does not. In fact, if you take a long, hard look at Philly's roster - or even a quick glance - you'll notice they don't have a single one of those "grab the other team by the throat and squeeeeeze" guys. Where's the killer instinct going to come from? And, for that matter, what about their long distance shooting? They ranked 30th (a.k.a. dead last) in three-point marksmanship at 31.7 percent as a team. Sure, they added Marshall and Rush for help with the three-ball [snicker], but that's not going to exactly dissuade teams from collapsing on Brand. The Sixers also struggle (and by "struggle" I mean "blow chunks") at the line, where they also ranked 30th at 70.6 percent. They've been almost universally proclaimed as "This year's Celtics." That's a lot of pressure on a young team that's wedging in a huge new puzzle piece. Can they handle the expectations?

Fun Facts: According to Sports Illustrated: "Miller, playing alongside athletic wing players as well as the explosive Dalembert, ranked third in the NBA last season in dunk assists with 149, trailing only Steve Nash and Chris Paul." According to the Sporting News, Philly has won 50 games only once in the last 18 years after winning at least 50 games 10 times in 14 seasons from 1976-77 to 1989-90. According to me, the Sixers team dancers are both hot and brainy. The best Sixers quote ever? "Fo', Fo', Fo'." Speaking of which, Philly has yet to officially retire Moses Malone's number...but they don't let anybody wear it anymore, either. What's up with that?

Videotastic extra: Um...okay.

Instead he used his old Shawn Bradley jersey ( a collector's item in its own pathetic right) as the blank slate for this creation. His work both symbolizes the exciting new era in Philadelphia professional basketball that is afoot and our fanbase's trashy fashion sense very nicely.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised he didn't put his own last name on the back of it. He'll most likely just wait until the actual #42 jersey becomes available to take that step.

Get along....

Elton Brand On Why He Left The Clippers [SI]
Sixers Ready To Contend [ESPN]

I feel like we've seen this before, Part I. Well, Dirk Nowitzki and his Mavericks got the playoff matchup they wanted...and five games later, they're once again on the outside looking in. Surprise, surprise.

Chris Paul had a triple-double (24 points, 11 rebounds, 15 assists), David West scored at will (25 points, 10-for-17), Jannero Pargo gave a "suck it, Jason Kidd!" performance (17 points, 7-for-9) and the New Orleans Hornets are movin' on up after a 99-94 victory. Man, what I wouldn't have given to be on Bourbon St. last night.

The Mavs didn't go down quietly. Or wisely. Jerry Stackhouse got himself ejected with 1:47 to play for batting the ball out of Paul's hands during a stoppage in play. Then Stack got all up in West's face. Brilliant moves, Jerry, both of them. Still, Dallas cut a 17-point lead to three with 33 seconds to go, and then they forced a big miss by Paul...but failed to grab the ensuing rebound. Tyson Chandler (10 points, 14 rebounds) smacked the rock out to Paul, who passed it to Peja Stojakovic, and Peja sealed the win with a couple freethrows.

Dirk Nowitzki (22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists) did his best, but the results - as always - were the same. Still, Nowitzki offered that "We're better than we showed this series." Sure, Dirk. We hear that every year.

I feel like we've seen this before, Part II. Back in his MVP days, Shaq liked to quote Aristotle, who once said, "Excellence is not an act, but a habit." Unfortunately for the Suns, they have a bad habit of losing big games to the Spurs. Over and over and over again...

Speed it up, slow it down, doesn't matter. San Antonio eliminated Phoenix once again. And the 92-87 loss stung Amare Stoudemire as much as anybody else. "Every year it seems like we always play the Spurs, and they beat us every single time. As long as I'm here we're going to break it sooner or later, because I'm tired of losing to these guys. I'm sick and fed up."

And least Stoudemire is young enough to wait it out. Steve Nash - who lost the ball three big times down the stretch - might be out of time. And he knows what just happened to his team. "I think on paper we have more talent than they do. But I think their experience, their commitment and understanding of what they're trying to do is greater than ours. Their ability to play together and make small plays on both ends of the floor is unsurpassed."

As usual, the Spurs used two guys to do most of the damage. Tony Parker had 31 points and 8 assists, and Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds. No other San Antonio player reached double figures, but, as Nash pointed out, they did all the little things champions do. And the Suns didn't.

Smackdown in Motown. Random statistical phenomenon: The Philadelphia 76ers are now 0-1 since Samuel Dalembert got his crazy-ass new mohawk. And given the importance of the game in question, this was the worst possible time for Sam to go on a spectacular hair adventure.

The Pistons, who have apparently turned their targeting computers back on, hit 58 percent of their shots and regained the series lead with a signature 98-81 win. Chauncey Billups finally had a big game (21 points, 12 assists), Rip was his old basket-making self (20 points, 10-for-17), 'Sheed did his 'Sheed thang (19 points, 6 blocked shots), and Tayshaun Prince chipped in with 17 points.

You know how to tell that Detoit has become totally serious about finishing Philly off? The near-to-complete absence of overconfident trash talk. When asked about his team's chances in Game 6, 'Sheed said: "I don't think they're going to lay down at all. It's do or die for them. It's not going to be a cake walk." Hey...who is that guy and what has he done with Rasheed Wallace?!

Andre Iguodala - who scored a career playoff-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting - finally figured out how to score against the Pistons. Unfortunately for the Sixers, most of his other players forgot. Louis Williams (16 points) and Andre Miller (13 points, 5-for-17) reached double figures, but that's about it. And that amazing first round upset suddenly seems very far away...

Problem solved. The Houston Rockets finally figured out the best (and perhaps only) way to keep Tracy McGrady from suffering his patented fourth-quarter meltdown: Just end the fourth quarter with a commanding 19-point lead. Not to go all John Hollinger on you, but the Rockets win almost 100 percent of the games in which that happens. Behold the power of math!

Thanks to a 95-69 shot to Utah's meaty flanks, the Rockets have lived to fail another day. McGrady finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and he even managed to scored 8 points in the fourth quarter...thanks in part to the fact that the game had already been decided. Now the King of Martyrs is filled with a ridiculous confidence. "We're in a great situation. We know we can win in Utah because we've done it before."

You know, back in college I convinced a friend to hit me with his car after a night of drinking our way through a Jackie Chan marathon. Sure, I survived, but thanks to the wonders of sobriety, I realize that just because I lived through my stupidity once doesn't mean I could necessarily do it every time. My point? Apparently, I'm an idiot.

Houston got some additional anti-elimination support from Luis Scola (18 points, 12 rebounds), Rafer Alston (14 points, 6 assists) and Creaky Mutombo (10 rebounds). Utah got double-doubles out of Carlos Boozer (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Mehmet Okur (14 points, 10 rebounds), but the Jazz shot 36 percent as a team and seemed to have developed a case of Let'swinitathomeitis.

Certainly, the general consensus was that the Pistons lost Game One more than the Sixers won it, but hey, a win's a win. It would certainly appear unlikely that the Sixers would pull off another one, but man, if they did ...

It's most likely that we'll have three blowouts tonight. But you never know. Whatever gives us more of that crazy grizzly Reggie Evans is enough to make us happy.

Don't get me wrong. Detroit established a little dominance early on, and they were even leading by 15 points midway through the third quarter. But nobody sent Philly the script, so they forgot to just roll over and die. Willie Green (17 points, 7-for-11 shooting) hit a couple buckets in a 10-0 Sixers run that gobbled up most of the lead and killed the Pistons' swerve. By the time Detroit realized they were in trouble, it was too late. The game was a dogfight, and the dogs won. Andre Miller led Philadelphia with 20 points and 6 assists, Andre Iguodala added 16, and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 10 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace pumped the Pistons with 24 points, but he missed a big layup near the end that would have tied the game. Said 'Sheed: "I'm going to put this on me. There's no excused. The last bunny, that was a bucket I should've made. I'm going to take this one on the chin." Meanwhile, Detroit took it up the...

Wow Gasol. Watching Pau freaking dominate in an enemy uniform still makes me feel like I'm playing NBA Live against some crazy Lakers fan who turned off the trade controls to bring Gasol to L.A. It's just surreal, you know? Spain's favorite watch salesman had 36 points (a career playoff high), 8 assists (ditto) and 16 rebounds in his first-ever playoff victory, a 128-114 win over the Denver Nuggets. Gasol was also 14-for-20 from the field, 8-for-8 from the line, had 3 blocked shots, and delivered early Christmas presents to all the children of the world ... even the bad ones.

As for Kobe, he played Robin to Gasol's Batman by hitting for 32 points on 9-for-26 shooting. But 18 of those points came in the final eight minutes, so thanks for the cleanup, Robin. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are searching high and low for their defense. Did they leave it unattended at the airport? Did they lose it on their way to the arena? Did they leave it at home by mistake? When was the last time they even saw it? While everybody's looking for their missing "D," I'll go ahead and tell you that Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony both scored 30 points, and Linus Kleiza added 23. But unfortunately for them, it looks like outscoring the Lakers isn't the best plan for playoff success.

Duh-duhduhduh-duh...DUH DA DA!! Superman returns! Dwight Howard had 25 points, 22 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots and the Orlando Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 114-100 to win their first playoff game since 2003. And after that super-game, Howard got all super-emotional too. "It felt real good — it was an amazing feeling for me. Actually, I almost got some tears." Say it with me everybody: Awwwwwwh!

The Magic put the Raptors in an early hole by taking a 43-23 lead after the first quarter, but the mighty dinos battled back into the game behind Anthony Parker (24 points) and some three-point sniping from a dude who traveled to the future from 2006-07...he sort of looked like Jason Kapono (18 points, 4-for-6 from behind the arc). But Rashard Lewis put a spell on Chris Bosh (4-for-11) and Toronto's guards forgot which basket they were supposed to be shooting at (T.J. Ford shot 1-for-9, and Jose Calderon was 3-for-11). Meanwhile, Maurice Evans and Jameer Nelson combined for 38 points on 12-for-20 shooting, making me eat my "Orlando's biggest weakness is its guard play" words. Mmm ... tastes like grits.

Prepare to not be surprised. At all. The Celtics did what the they do — holding Atlanta to 38 percent shooting and forcing 15 turnovers — and slowly crushed the Hawks in their vise-like grip, 104-81. The game was surprisingly close through the first two quarters — Boston led by only nine points at halftime — but just like a highly paid dominatrix, the Celtics took complete control in the second half. Ray Allen had 18 points for the Celtics — including 10 straight during a big "we'll be pulling away now, thanks" third quarter run — and Kevin Garnett showed his MVPism by scoring 16 points, grabbing 10 boards and intimidating the hell out of pretty much everybody. (Except Al Horford; the kid's too young to know any better, I guess.)

Speaking of Horford, the rook had a pretty sweet playoff debut with 20 points (7-for-10) and 10 rebounds. (Can we go ahead and name him ROP ... Rookie of the Playoffs?) Joe Johnson scored 19, but he and Mike Bibby combined to shoot their team in the talon by hitting only 9-for-32. After the game, Johnson expressed the kind of googly-eyed astonishment that makes me wonder whether he got dropped on the head as a child. "I didn't expect it to be like this, but I'm glad we got it out of the way. Game 2 I expect pretty much a different reaction." Me too. I expect you to lose by at least 30.

Forget the rings and the big gold hoop-and-roundball trophy. The Philadelphia 76ers have won the championship of hearts and nuts this year. In sports, the hardest thing to do is exceed expectations, and everybody on the team, from Mo Cheeks to Iguodala on down to Rodney Carney put in overtime this year to buck all the naysayers.

The Sixers were the NBA's biggest surprise this year, they were the only NBA team that legitimately didn't look like a bunch of wimp millionaires, and they kept their whole ethos so grindstone that they even made Allen Iverson look like he wanted to come back to town.

What I don't get is this: In the Eastern Conference, there are really only two elite teams, Boston and Detroit (I'll get to them in just a moment). Playoff spots six through eight are going to be wide open. So why did it look like everyone out East completely lost their mojo around Christmas (i.e. around the time that Boston started looking utterly invincible and Michael Beasley started averaging 25 and 15)? The Sixers were really the only team in the East to really buckle down and snatch from the sky what was not rightfully theirs. Everybody else started tanking (see Riley, Pat) or acted like they deserved a playoff spot just for showing up (I'm looking at you and shaking my head, Chicago).

The Sixers, for the majority of the year looked like — and I can't believe I'm saying this — a hardcore NCAA team fighting for their lives in the big tournament. Maybe that's because they were made up of greenhorns like Carney and Thaddeus Young and diamonds in the rough like Willie Green and Louis "who?" Williams. At any rate, the Sixers were my personal feel-good story of the year, which is why it's gonna hurt so badly when Detroit pummels them in about four games or so.

The Detroit Pistons, simply put, are built for this. Their core is more experienced than that of any other team. Their big four have been together since 2004, which is more than any other team can say. Rasheed is putting together his best season as a Piston. Chauncey Billups is the most clutch player in the playoffs this side of Bean Thousand. And most important, this group of players are so in sync with each other that the playoff-impaired Flip Saunders has finally become completely superfluous. In fact, screw it. I am picking them to win the whole darn thing.

For one, they are facing certified inferiors in both the first and second rounds (sorry Orlando or Toronto). Second, I strongly believe that they are the most qualified team in the league to beat the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series, simply because their defense can neutralize every one of Boston's big three, and that includes Kevin Garnett. As someone who has watched about 80 percent of the games that KG has played since 1996, I will be the first to inform you that KG's toughest man-to-man opponent is not Dwight Howard, not Karl Malone, and not Tim Duncan. It's 'Sheed. Straight truth. I'm not sure what the stats are to back this claim up, but there is something about 'Sheed's oblong body type that simply envelops KG on defense. Of course, you're not going to beat Boston just by stopping KG, or even just by stopping the Big three. But here is where I'll play the experience card, and say that I trust Detroit's four — and they trust each other — more than any lineup Boston can throw on the floor.

Now assuming that the Pistons get past the Celtics and into the finals, they are in certified John McCain territory. What that means is, while the other conference has been busy beating each other up for months just so some exhausted, beslogged party victor can emerge all tattered from the pack like Benji the Hunted, the Pistons will have been chilling out, resting up, and getting their legs beneath them.* Thus, Detroit will be in perfect shape to bring a surprise-we're-still-here!!!! smackdown on whichever team they face in the finals. Trust me, whoever makes it out of that tarantula-web in the West is going to be bruised and battered going into the finals.

Back to the series at hand, the Detroit Pistons are just playing in a different league altogether from Philadelphia. The Sixers will be a great story next year and hopefully the year after that (could someone please make it possible for them to obtain Ty Lawson?). Andre Iguodala will continue to improve, and aside from Boston, the Atlantic division should stay pretty weak for the next few years. But in 2008 it's Pistons all the way. Philly fans may just want to shake hands with each other, exchange pleasantries, and pat themselves on the back for a great season; but then look away, because this thing is about to get uuuuuuuuuuuuugly.

Also? Let's not forget that the Sixers dance team also made the Final Four of the NBA 2008 Dance Team Bracket, losing out to the eventual champions, the Miami Heat dancers. (The Miami Heat dancers are like the Yankees of NBA dance teams. )

So, for the Sixers dance team, a pack of girls that lack the high-priced talent, recruitment pool and aesthetic enhancement of those teams from LA and Miami to make it that far, it is truly a wonderful achivement. They're like the George Mason of NBA dance teams. Once again, new GM Ed Stefanski deserves all the credit.

Bring it On: Sixers Cheerleaders LIke Booze [Don Chavez]

This series doesn't seem quite as hopeless as Atlanta versus Boston. Instead of having only a snowball's chance in hell, I'd say the 76ers are more like a large, stubborn block of ice in hell. Still melting, but maybe a bit more slowly.

The season series: It was a 2-2 tie, with Detroit winning the first two games and Philadelphia winning the last two.

Good news for the Sixers: They're currently riding a two-game winning streak against the Pistons. And the two games they lost were pretty close: Detroit won 83-78 on November 23 and 86-78 on January 23. (So as long as they don't play on April 23, I guess they'll be okay? Uh oh.)

Bad news for the Sixers: This is Detroit we're talking about. So you can throw all that regular season stuff out the window. Just make sure nobody's standing on the street outside. We don't want anybody getting hurt. Unless it's Bill Laimbeer. In which case, please drop an anvil on him, Wile E. Coyote-style.

Reality check: The Pistons finished the regular season on fire, winning their final four games by an average of 14 points per despite giving their starters plenty of nappy time. Two of those wins — versus Washington and Toronto — came against teams fighting for playoff position. On the other end of the spectrum, Philly limped to the finish, losing its final four games ... including two losses to non-playoff teams (Indiana and Charlotte). Oh, and let's not forget that screw-job against Cleveland.

Basically, the Pistons get to go into this series with confidence, experience and momentum. The Sixers, on the other hand, get to go into it with ... a four-game losing streak. Hey, Sixers fans! What's that over there?! Why, it's Donovan McNabb, and he looks totally healthy! (Are they looking away yet? Good.)

Pistons player(s) to watch: Um, all of them? Detroit's starters can hang with any other starting five in the league, and it seems like someone different dominates on any given night. Oh, and their bench is suddenly capable of beating playoff teams on their own. I don't see any of these games coming down to a final shot, but if they do, I wouldn't bet against Chauncey Billups taking (and making) one. There's also 'Sheed. You've always got to watch 'Sheed.

Sixers player(s) to keep an eye on: In the two games Philly won, Andre Iguodala scored 22 and 25 points, and Samuel Dalembert grabbed a total of 28 rebounds. Iggy's got to score and Sammy's got to rebound for the Sixers to stay competitive. Oh, and Andre Miller has to keep the offense running. Yep. Those three guys have to play at their highest level just to make this a series. And don't think the Pistons don't know that. Also, you should really take a peek at Philly's dance team. Especially Vi.

Key(s) to the series: The Pistons' bench. Detroit's starters have shown a surprising lack of killer instinct in the playoffs over the last couple years. In 2006, they went up 2-0 against Cleveland before dropping three straight. In 2007, they had the Bulls down 3-0 before losing two in a row, then they built a 2-0 lead on Cleveland (again) before getting shut out in the next four games. That's not likely to happen this year, because the Pistons' Zoo Crew brings energy and some big, honking huevos off the bench when the starters begin to relent. Plus, I'm sure Flip Saunders would like to save the "old guys" and their legs for the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston.

Prediction: My brain tells me that this series is going to end in a 4-0 Pistons sweep, but my heart says the Basketball Gods owe the Sixers one for that fiasco against the Cavs. So I'm going to give Philadelphia one inspiring win — probably in Game 4, because the Pistons tend to let up a little when they have an opponent on the ropes — before their playoff dreams are crushed into paste. Detroit wins 4-1.

Was Brown fouled? Sure. Samuel Dalembert got him with the body. Although let's be honest, how often are fouls like that called in end-of-game situations? Here's a hint: Never. Although I guess that should be amended to "almost never" now. Of course, you could argue that officials should make the right call regardless of when it happens and who's involved, and I'd agree with you. But if that's really what they were trying to do, they should have called LeBron for traveling well before Brown got fouled. Seriously. Go back and watch the video again. King James takes three full steps before the ball got batted into Brown's hands.

Did the refs just miss it? Or was somebody clicking madly away at The Stern Button? In general, I hate conspiracy theories. They're bad for any sport, and most of the time they're just smoke and mirrors, angry fans venting because their team lost. But man ... this one is more than a little fishy. The video review, a tough call to decide the game after the final buzzer had sounded ... I could almost let those things go if LeBron hadn't taken a stroll to China to set of the chain of events. It's just, well, wow.

And you'd better believe there were playoff implications:

Cleveland: The loss-turned-win allowed them to clinch home-court advantage against Washington in the first round. And they way they've been playing lately — and considering the fact that LeBron's still dealing with a cranky back — they need every advantage they can get right now.

Philadelphia: The win-turned-loss dropped them from a tie for sixth place into the seventh spot. This means they have to face the Detroit Pistons in the first round. And frankly, if you covered a baby in raw hamburger and dropped it into a cage full of hungry, rabid dogs, I'd sooner bet on that baby coming out on top than I would on the Sixers making it to the second round. Then I'd ask you why the hell you're torturing babies like that. What are you, some kind of sicko?

Toronto: Had Philly won last night, the Raptors would have had to either win in Chicago on Wednesday or hope that the Sixers lost in Charlotte. Instead, they now have sole possession of the sixth seed and a first round date with the Magic. And you'd better believe the dinos would rather play Orlando than Detroit.

Washington: If the refs hadn't given the Cavaliers a gift, Washington still could have stolen home-court on Wednesday if 1. they had beaten Orlando and 2. Cleveland lost in Detroit. Now they have no other choice but to open the playoffs on the road.

Maybe none of it matters. After all, the Basketball Gods take cheater's proof pretty seriously. So maybe Washington will prevail over Cleveland, and maybe Philly won't do any worse against the Pistons than they would have against the Magic. Maybe ... maybe ...

Sixers forward Andre Iguodala said: "You feel like you just got seriously slapped in the face. It was like we had the 'W' and it was marked off." Added Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks: "To be a winner, then a loser, that's pretty tough." No kidding. LeBron James led the Cavs with 27 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 22, and Brown had 13 points, including the winning freethrows. Andre Miller paced Philly with 26 points.

Psyche! Part II. The Wizards weren't all that concerned with beating the Pacers — Agent Zero took the night off, Tough Juice sat out with a (fake) bruised knee, and the Locksmith played only seven minutes due to an (also fake) sore back - but the team's reserves, led by Roger Mason's 31 points, still managed to overpower Indiana and take a 117-110 victory. The loss officially eliminated the Pacers from the playoffs, which is the NBA equivalent of a mercy killing. I mean, did Indiana really want to suffer through a four-game ball-busting from the Celtics? Wouldn't that have made Larry Bird's oddly-shaped head explode?

Meanwhile, the Verizon Center public address announcer informed the home crowd that Cleveland had lost. That, combined with Washington's win, kept alive the possibility that the Wiz could end up with home-court advantage in the first round. Too bad for the artists formerly known as the Bullets that somebody in Philadelphia had used The Stern Button to ensure that LeBron James would not open the playoffs on the road. Said Mason: "Somebody told me Cleveland lost. I felt that much better. I come in the locker room and they're shooting two freethrows." Yeah. Bummer.

Raptors "earn" the East's sixth seed. Thanks to the Sixers' victory-turned-loss and their own 91-75 victory over the Washington Generals Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors earned - well, "backed into" is more like it - the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a first round duel with the Orlando Magic. Huzzah! And Chris Bosh? He's stoked. "It's going to be a lot of fun. Dwight (Howard) is a good friend of mine, but he's one of the best competitors that I have in this league. You know he's going to go hard. We have to..." you know what? The rest is just a bunch of blah, blah, blah. But trust me, Bosh is both excited and respectful of Howard and the Magic.

Rasho Nestorvic continued his Resurrection Tour by scoring 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds. Daequan Cook scored 22 for the Heat, who have lost 21 of their last 24 games and are one loss away from the worst record in franchise history. Said Miami coach Pat Riley: "It's been one of those years. I've never been through one like this, with all the things that have happened, never even come close to a season like this." I bet Riles wishes he would have saved the whole "15 Strong" schtick for this season, huh?

Sweet merciful Zeus! Where did that come from?! The Chicago Bulls scored 151 points against the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Do not go check the box score. That is not a typo. The Bulls put up 151 — just four points off the franchise record of 155 set on December 4, 1990 against the Phoenix Suns — on 67 percent shooting. Which begs the questions: Did the Bucks even bother to show up for this one? As a matter of fact they did, because they scored 135 points on 57 percent shooting themselves. Like the old saying goes: "Defense is just waiting to get back on offense."

Some of the other absurd stats from this game include: Luol Deng scored 32 points on 15-for-20 shooting; Chris Duhon had a "trying to save my NBA career" performance by hitting for 22 points and dishing out 15 assists; Ben Gordon added 29 on 10-for-18 shooting; Larry Hughes shot 66 percent (I'm just going to assume that's a career-high); "Razor" Ramon Sessions — who spent most of the season with the D-League's Tulsa 66ers — scored 20 points and handed out a Milwaukee franchise record 24 assists, thus becoming the first Bucks player ever to record a 20-20 game with points and assists; Andrew Bogut notched 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting; Charlie Villanueva added 22 on 8-for-12 shooting. Crazy. I can only hope some of you have multiple players from these squads on your fantasy team.

The "Boston Celtics" beat the Knicks. Doc Rivers gave his Big Three the night off, used a starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey and Leon Powe, and watched his "Celtics" beat the New York 99-93 in what may be — sorry, in what totally was — Isiah's final home game as coach of the Knicks. With his team one loss away from tying the worst record in franchise history, Isiah is still sweating out Donnie Walsh's decision on whether or not Zeke will be asked back for another season. Which has to be like waiting for the guillotine blade to fall. Said Isiah: "There are certain time when you live in uncertainty and you're not comfortable with it, but you have to learn to settle and be patient and see what plays out. And we all want certainty in our life. However, in the uncertain times you have to sit with it and in sports there are a lot of uncertain times." Well, he's certainly more philosophic about getting ready to be fired than I would be. So he's got that going for him. However, the fans still booed him and chanted for his termination in the final minutes.

Meanwhile, Boston got all pumped up by a half-time speech from Masters winner Trevor Immelman. Nobody really knew who he was, but the C's must have liked what they heard. Said Boston coach Doc Rivers: "It was great. Half the guys didn't know him, but most of them did. They gave him a nice standing ovation, shook his hand. We wanted everyone to touch what a champion felt like." Wait...half of them didn't know him, but most of them did...okay. And, Doc wanted his guys to touch what a champion felt like? That sounds more like the opening of Locker Room Jocks 17 than and NBA halftime, but whatever. Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, while his backup Sam Cassell had 22 points, a giant set of balls, and some pre-game "stretching" from Celtics strength and conditioning coach Bryan Doo. Nate Robinson scored 26 for the Knicks, and David Lee added 12 points and 16 rebounds.

First round playoff preview? You betcha. The Utah Jazz gave the Houston Rockets a small taste of what to expect if the two teams should meet in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs: Brutal defense (which held Houston to 40 percent shooting), dominance on the boards (which led to a 50-38 advantage, including 16 offensive rebounds), and an early 17-point lead that eventually became a 105-96 victory.

The Jazz and Rockets have identical 54-27 records. But Utah holds the tiebreaker, so if they finish the season with the same record the Jazz get homecourt. And I hate to break this to Houston fans, but that's very bad news for their team. Of course, the Rockets finish up their season at home against the Clippers, while the Jazz have to finish their run in San Antonio ... where they've lost 17 straight regular season games. So, once again, anything could happen. Carlos Boozer broke out of his mini-slump with 21 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, and Luis Scola led Houston with 22 and 13.

It's called "taking care of business." It's what champions do. The Spurs held on to beat the Kings 101-98, thanks to Tony Parker's season-high 32 points and 11 assists (and despite Matt Bonner's mind-boggling six trillion). San Antonio's win + Houston's loss = The third seed in the West. John Salmons had 29 and 10 for Sacramento.

Take off the "We Believe" t-shirts. The party's over. It's mathematically official: The Golden State Cinderellas ... I mean, Warriors ... won't be invited to the 2008 NBA Playoff party. The Phoenix Suns blew a 17-point lead and fell behind by 11 before rallying for a 122-116 win that moved them into a three-way tie (with Houston and Utah) for the West's fourth seed. And that all happened in the second half, during which Baron Davis (2-for-13) didn't play a single second. Said Warriors coach Don Nelson: "I gave Baron a much-needed rest in the second half." So you benched your captain, co-emotional leader, and clutchest player with a shot at the playoffs at stake? Man, I must have missed skipped over that section of the Nellie Ball User Guide.

Amare Stoudemire, who was battling vaginal cramps a cold led Phoenix with 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Said Stat: "I was fighting a severe cold out there. It was hard for me to get my energy up. Fatigue definitely came in a lot faster than normal, but I was able to get it going that fourth quarter and give us a spark to help get this win." Wow. You're a regular Willis Reed there, Amare. Shaq had a double-double (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Steve Nash just missed a triple-double (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 14 assists). Captain Jack scored 23 for Golden State, and Quills had 16 points and 11 boards.

The Philadelphia Daily News spoke with Carey last night and she told the paper Smith was a fan of her films and called her "a goddess" before they made out. Blecch.

Mary Carey Says Sixer Jason Smith Is A Skilled Smoocher [The Mighty Dan Gross]

Unfortunately, Sixers PR maestro Mike Preston isn't returning any of my calls to answer who the lucky/possibly diseased player is.

My money's on Reggie Evans. He looks like he'd be into gals like her.

Porn star Mary Carey makes out with a Sixer in NYC? [The Mighty Dan Gross]
What a time to be a Sixer [True Hoop]

No site captures this feel more than the great Free Darko, which we read like a doctor's chart every day during the NBA season. They understand the dichotomy between individual achievement and collective glory, and how those are not mutually exclusive. And they've got a way with letters too. Right now, they're actually doing a writeup on every single NBA player.

Therefore, we've asked them to look at the arcs of certain players going into this season, what 2007-08 means to them, their teams and their legacies. They'll be previewing a player a day, up to tipoff next Tuesday.

Today: Andre Iguodala. Your author is Billups. His words are after the jump.

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You think when Bob Horry is sitting in his rec room watching his own highlight reel in his underwear with a clothespin clamped to his nipple ...do you think he feels a sense of completion and peace that Charles Barkley lacks? That Patrick Ewing can't fathom?

Nobody's called me Sauron since about 3 a.m. this morning, but I can say this with about as much confidence as the next hobo: NBA championship rings are not forged in Middle Earth. They do not grant special powers. Robert Horry's memories of bodying the Pacers in 2003 are no more palpable than your recollections of making out with some girl named Jenny in 2003. In fact, depending on the amount of Northern Lights Bob smokes, you might be more in touch with your past than he is!

Be that as it may, Horry is probably the envy of his peers. He's got what all card-carrying members of the Players Association long for: Time and time again, after years of racking up personal accolades, players decide that the light at the end of the tunnel is either the shining glory of a championship or an Acela express headed to Dr Phil's or John Lucas' rehab spot.

Basketball is fucking stupid because the season is too long to drum up any ANY GIVEN SUNDAY/TWO SKYNET ROBOTS GO AT IT/DRINK PEPSI/GOD THAT GUY SOUNDS JUST LIKE JOHN MADDEN excitement like the NFL does; and it's too short to give boners to cats like Roger Angell who like thinking about the way grass smells.

But every year—whether it's Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone—players go running to Dallas or LA or Miami in search of jewelry the way Bubbles hit Hamsterdam looking for that WMD. And why? So Jim Gray could ask them what was going through their mind? So they could say they took a giant crap on their opponent?

Not to get all Philip K. Mindblower here, but winning is more or less an Institutional State Apparatus (I went to college) ... I think (I didn't finish), promoted as the pot 'o gold at the end of the journey where you take 'em one game at a time because it's easy to get up in the morning and look at the box score and see the Celtics won or lost and decide whether or not you're happy or not with being a human. Fuck that.

This year, I'm giving up on giving a shit about winning. And Andre Iguodala is going to get me straight.

Philly already lives and dies with the fortunes of the Eagles. When the Birds win, it's like the bongo rave orgy in The Matrix. And when they lose it's like a living breathing Flemish painting complete with domestic violence, rivers of Yuengling and the imposition of mob rule where bands of men in throwbacks scavenge the roads for gasoline and the masses pray to an unseen pagan idol named Howard Eskin.

So under the cover of apathy the Sixers are free to find the meaning in between W and L; and AI vers. 2.0 is the Shackleton of that gray area.

Iguodala is like a YouTube clip that eats and plays Wii. Will he be a folk hero like Iverson? Fuck no. But he will be Richard Jefferson if Richard Jefferson didn't always look like he just listened to the first Sunny Day Real Estate record. Which means he could be a second tier Joe Johnson. Which is really all I want from a player.

On both sides of the ball the action starts in the overture; you can see the storm clouds gathering with Andre; you can hear the opening theme of The Untouchables playing. And when he gets the pill he switches to thermal and goes hunting.

He is dazzling on the break; keeps his cool when shit gets deeper; can play four positions as well as anyone on the team. He's basically a worse version of LeBron without the Sprite commercials.

Dig it: The end is not the end, people. 82-0? 41-41? Two inches or a yard, rock hard or if it's sagging: sit back in the Billy Beane-bag and get hip to this fact: In this here city game , the poetry is scribbled in the margins. You should check for Iguodala because even if he isn't the number one pick to sell bubble gum or property in Arkansas, he's pretty much the best reason to get the NBA Season Pass. Love the game. Don't worry about the rings.

Turns out, not so much. As Rumors And Rants points out, not only have the Nuggets struggled since Carmelo Anthony and Iverson started playing together — they're 6-9 since Anthony returned from suspension — but the 76ers are, by the standards of the Eastern Conference, smokin', going 20-20 since the trade and on a seven-game win streak. (They're only four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, if you can imagine that.)

Everyone could have seen the Nuggets' chemistry problems coming, but that the 76ers have "exploded" is beyond bizarre. (We're told there's some sort of Theory for this.) More proof that the Timberwolves need to trade Kevin Garnett this offseason, not for the picks and salary cap help, but for the championship rings.

How Is The Nuggets' Dynamic Duo Doing? [Rumors And Rants]
Iverson, The Day After [Deadspin]

Brown has a history in Philadelphia, being the only guy who's ever shown he was capable of building a quality team around Allen Iverson. Of course, the downside to that is that Brown traded away a ton of draft picks and signed some veterans to ridiculous deals in the process, and that seems like just the kind of thing the Sixers should be looking to avoid.

Also noted in the same article is that the Sixers are trying to buy out the contract of Chris Webber, who is averaging 11 points per game and is scheduled to make about $43 million over the next two years.

Brown back; source: Webber buyout? [Philadelphia Daily News]

• A Few Nuggets From AI. If you're like us, you have the feeling that Allen Iverson will be griping about the 76ers well into old age, even commissioning a parting shot or two be engraved on his tombstone. Something like, "On the whole, I'd rather not be in Philadelphia." If it were us, we would have shut up about it along about 1998. But then, we can't hit the 3 either. Iverson used up all his energy ripping his old team in pre-game, his Nuggets then going on to lose to the Sixers 108-97 in Denver. Iverson scored 30. But don't worry; he saved some vitriol for the officials ... it's all documented here. Whatever happens in Denver over the next couple of years, it's going to be fun.

• Remember Kids, Don't Do Drugs. Or Be Careful When Leaping. Or Something. It's always fun when the Dallas Mavericks are winning; Mark Cuban is in a good mood, and Dirk Nowitzki is making crazy-ass commercials in German. Nowitzki had 31 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, as the Mavericks won their 11th straight, 112-88 over the SuperSonics.

• Keep Getting Better, Big Boss Horse. Leandro Barbosa doesn't get letters from 58-year-old women in cat sweatshirts — we think — but he can win a game or two on the basketball court for you. His 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left won it for the Suns, 97-96 over the Bulls, on Tuesday. "They (showed) a lot of confidence in me; this was my biggest shot since playing for Brazil,'' said Barbosa, a member of the Brazilian national team.

• No Overtime For You, Isiah. Ron Artest continues putting the pedal to the metal, or something like that, as his career-high 39 points led the Kings over the Knicks 112-100 in beautiful Arco Arena in the River City. Actually it's not so lovely, unless cows are your thing. — RC