SportsLine.com Report
May 22, 2000

1999-2000 in review

The magic could not last forever. As much as Allen Iverson tried to will a Game 6 win over Indiana, the Sixers' magical season ended with a disappointing 106-90 loss in Philly. With the miracle run over, the scandalous underbelly that surrounds the Sixers has re-surfaced in earnest.

On the surface, optimism rules in Philly. This Sixers team was clearly better than last year's, on the heels of an exponentially better season than the year before. Their playoff performances are inching upward and with a youthful core, the team would seem to be built for a time-consuming rise.

"There's no time frame," said Pat Croce, the president. "But we want continuous improvement."

Can that continue to happen? The Allen Iverson-Larry Brown war of words continues to simmer, with Iverson saying he wants to stay but not rescinding his "Him or me" statement from last December. Management is concerned about Iverson's work ethic, his regular tardiness and his apathy toward offseason conditioning.

Sixers fans know all the pieces aren't there for a championship. But their biggest piece could make a summer ruckus that could devastate a rising team in a hoops-hungry town.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: A seven-game win streak from March 17-28 showed fans exactly how good the Sixers could be with all cylinders pumping. The stretch included three two-point wins and two blowouts against five eventual playoff teams. After a month of adjusting to the loss of Larry Hughes and the addition of Toni Kukoc, the new-and-improved Sixers emerged. "I think that stretch really showed the net benefit of what we were trying to achieve in getting Toni," Brown said.

SEASON LOWLIGHT: The old-school-new-school in-fighting that continues. First, Brown clashed with Larry Hughes over playing time. Then, the Iverson battles heated up again -- over dress code, over lackluster practices. You name it, they fought about it. The amazing stat is for all the talk about an adverse effect on team chemistry, the team never had more than a three-game losing streak, which happened three times during the year.

KEY STAT: The Sixers resisted the panic button through Kukoc's mediocre regular season hoping for a big-time playoff payoff. Instead, Kukoc delivered just 9.3 points a game against Indy.

The Personnel File

MVP: Iverson. He achieved a career-high in scoring despite playing much of the last third of the season on one leg. His rebounding was off 1.2 a game from last year and his assists continue to decrease. Yet, for pure net worth to his team, there is few players like The Answer.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Brown continually called George Lynch his MVP. Looking at the numbers, it's tough to argue. In his seventh year in the league, the 29-year-old finished the overhaul of his image -- from decent fourth forward to legit minute eater. Lynch played the most minutes of his career, 32.2, and managed to post career highs in boards (7.8) and points (9.6). "George is a special player," Brown said. "His heart is unbelievable and his numbers are starting to match."

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: It would be easy to dump on Matt Geiger, who continued to play the kind of me-first ball that has made him an NBA vagabond. But the truest letdown was not having the heart of the team at his best against Indiana.

Eric Snow would like to have done more, but the chip fracture in his right ankle, which hindered him since late April, prohibited it. He missed the final two games in the opening playoff series against Charlotte, played in a limited role in the first two games against Indiana, then missed the next four. Even this warrior could not overcome the pain.

"There are openings that you see. Plays I normally can make," Snow said. "You can't do it with the same quickness. With the same bounce. It's tough."

COACH: Sixers management surprised the pundits by choosing Brown in the "Him or me" battle. They shipped trouble maker Hughes out and gave Brown a true veteran in Kukoc. Then came the shocker -- a multi-year contract extension. It's easier to think of Brown as a coaching wanderer, but he's done wonders with this team.

Amidst controversy and endless injuries, Brown brought a team without a center to within two wins of the conference finals. Still, Brown will not stay in favor with the brass with anything less than a conference title next year.

Offseason tinkering

DRAFT: The Sixers have the 20th pick in a draft that can be described at best as paper-thin.

FREE-AGENT MARKET: GMs are scratching their heads wondering how a team that is $10 million over the salary cap could be rumored to be so active this offseason. Yet, the Sixers are just that. The reality, though, is that most of the talk is pie-in-the-sky.

"We are not good enough to win a championship right now," Brown said after his face-to-face meetings with players on May 20. But what's out there? Sixers management are trying to convince Grant Hill to take less money and a one-year deal in Philly, but even with Hill's growing endorsement dollars, that will be a hard sell. The Pistons could negotiate a Hill-for-Iverson sign-and-trade deal, but seem lukewarm to the idea for now.

Eddie Jones and Lamar Odom are also hot names on the rumor mill, but again, that could only happen if Philly decides to ship out Iverson. The first move will be deciding whether or not Kukoc is worthy of a long-term deal. The team's strategy will truly develop once that decision is made.