Sixers playing better, but it's too late

It's not what you want to hear, Sixers fans, but it seems like the players and the head coach really believe what they have been saying.

In a nutshell it is this, in the words of forward Andre Iguodala: "We have points of emphasis for the rest of the year; try to get better and try to play the right way. I think if you play the right way, you build a foundation for how things need to be run. We still have to continue to do the things we need to do to play the right way."

For some reason, the Sixers have performed better the past two games (wins at Milwaukee and at home against Atlanta) than at any other time during the season. They have played well defensively, scored when needed. They've posted back-to-back wins for the first time since winning five straight, a streak that ended Feb. 9.

What does it mean? Well, the improved play probably means less ping-pong balls for a chance at a higher pick in June's draft, which won't thrill fans. And they probably aren't playing well enough to please head coach Eddie Jordan, who probably will be released some time after the season is over.

It appears they are doing it just because it feels good. No matter the circumstances or what may happen after the season is over, a winning feeling overrides everything else.

After Friday's 105-98 win over the Hawks, All-Star guard Joe Johnson said this about the Sixers: "That team is still playing extremely hard. You have to give the Sixers a lot of credit. They are fighting to the end. That really shows how professional they are."

The two good performances come on the heels of an item in last week's Sports Illustrated in which a Western Conference scout was quoted as saying, among other things: "They are running plays sloppily or not all the way through; and they aren't listening to Eddie Jordan. They have quit. They know Eddie is gone [after the season] and they think they don't have to listen anymore. The thing is, they are making themselves look like [bleeps]."

Maybe the SI item has lit a fire under the team, though Iguodala and Elton Brand didn't give any indication of that to reporters after Friday's win.

"I didn't see it," said Iguodala. "Someone mentioned it to me. Not a big deal. I think it's somebody trying to turn something into a story. There's not really anything there."

In the two wins, Iguodala has averaged nearly 20 points and has had an energy level higher than he's had in quite some time. He nearly posted his fifth career triple-double on Friday, collecting 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Said Brand of the SI piece: "We haven't heard about it. Maybe coach has because he's been harping on energy, playing hard and things like that."

Perhaps. In Wednesday's win over Milwaukee, Jordan coached with all the animation of someone trying to win a title. At one point, he nearly threw his jacket off in disgust of a play - while the team was ahead by 15 points.

It has all come too late, of course, with nothing to play for as the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

It just leads to the obvious question: Where was this desire earlier in the year?

Since getting quality minutes in his last eight games, including three straight starts, swingman Jason Kapono has made 16 of 36 three-pointers (44 percent). That is just slightly below his career percentage from beyond the arc (45.4 percent), which is tied with Steve Kerr as the highest in NBA history. The reason? "Just being out there playing," he said. "Knowing I'm going to be out on the court, getting minutes, that gives you a lot of confidence. When I'm confident, I think I can knock down shots. It's what I've done my whole career" . . . Thaddeus Young (fractured right thumb) says he hopes to get back in the lineup at some point this week, but that seems to be a stretch. His injury, which is at the tip of the thumb and split his thumbnail, would probably need more time than that . . . Lou Williams (lower back pain) is still day-to-day . . . The Sixers shot better than 50 percent in each of the past two wins, improving their season record to 13-4 when they have done that . . . Three times this season Andre Iguodala has finished either one assist or one rebound short of a triple-double . . . Sam Dalembert is averaging 14.5 points in the past four games, and has made 24 of 29 shots (83 percent).

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http://go.philly.com/sixerville.