Allen Iverson and Chris Webber apologized on Wednesday for being late to Tuesday night's game.

"I definitely wasn't trying to disrespect Mo in any way, or the fans, as everybody is talking about," Iverson said. "I've been here for 10 years, and to deliberately try to disrespect the fans, I would never try to do that in any way. I'm upset it came across that way."

The 76ers will fine Iverson and Webber for not being at the arena 90 minutes before the game against the Nets, leaving Billy King to hold three news conferences to explain their absence, the Associated Press is reporting.

The fans were upset, team president Billy King was irate and coach Maurice Cheeks looked like a fool.

Iverson and Webber did not play because of injuries, did not show up in the locker room until tipoff, did not join their teammates on the bench and missed the 76ers' 91-88 win over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.

"The organization does not condone anything like that," Cheeks said.

Allen Iverson has heard the rumors before and is hearing them again, but despite talk that the Sixers may decide to end the A.I. era, the All-Star wants to remain in Philadelphia.

"Yeah, I mean I want to be a Sixer," Iverson said after Monday's practice. "It's all about if the organization wants me to be here. I haven't changed about wanting to be here. Honestly, I want what's best for me. I owe a lot to the organization, so I want what's best for them as well."

"If I leave Philadelphia, it's not because I want to leave," he said. "If I get traded, then I get traded. This is where I want to be. I haven't changed at all. I'm still in love with the place. I want to be here."

Wins on Sunday by Chicago and Washington sealed the 76ers fate as they were eliminated from playoff contention.

"As a team, we are extremely disappointed that we did not make the playoffs this season," Sixers Head Coach Maurice Cheeks said. "I take every loss hard, and this is as tough as it gets. We have a lot of work to do in the offseason, and I plan on sitting down with (Team President) Billy (King) as soon the season is over. We don't ever want to be in this position again. This is not a good feeling."

The Chicago Bulls blew out the Heat 117-93 on Sunday to secure their second consecutive playoff appearance.

The win came on forward Luol Deng's 21st birthday, and Deng celebrated in style, scoring 17 of his 26 points in the first half to spearhead the Bulls' rally from an early 15-point deficit.

Chicago's win not only spoiled Miami's home finale, it eliminated any hope Orlando had of sneaking onto the East's playoff bracket. Philadelphia remained alive, but barely -- one more win by Washington or one more 76ers loss would put the Wizards in and complete the East field, leaving the positioning as the only deciding factor over the last few games.

The Chicago Bulls need one more win from their remaining three games to clinch their second consecutive playoff berth, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

The biggest challenge left is a tough two-game road trip against the Miami Heat today in a nationally televised game and the surging Orlando Magic on Monday night.

The 76ers are chasing the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, but the Bulls (38-41) are following the Sixers into Florida. Philadelphia lost at Miami on Friday night and at Orlando on Saturday night.

''I don't know why this is so, but it seems like Orlando always seems to benefit with a team playing Miami before they come there,'' coach Scott Skiles said before the Bulls departed. ''We've got to go down there. We face [Shaquille O'Neal] and [Dwyane] Wade [with the Heat], and we're going there to win.''

The Bulls finish the regular season against the Raptors in Chicago.

Dwight Howard scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed a career-high 26 rebounds to give Orlando a 102-97 win over Philadelphia, keeping the Magic's postseason hopes alive and further damaging the 76ers'.

"They stuck with us the whole game," Howard said. "To me it felt like a little playoff game. It kept going back and forth."

Chris Webber has had a return to form this season and Allen Iverson is having one of his finest of his career, but to hear them speak, they are dissatisfied with their peformance.

"At the beginning of the season, I told the guys if we didn't win more than 50 games, we should be disappointed with ourselves," Webber says. "I had (high) expectations. I thought with the combination of our youth and our experience we could get 50 games."

Allen Iverson felt Andre Iguodala was in need of a talking to about being aggressive. It might have done the trick. Monday was the 12th time this season he has scored 19 or more points. The Sixers are 10-2 in those games.

"I asked him why in some games he is not aggressive and some games he is," Iverson said. "He gave me an excuse, and I didn't buy it."

"It's on me," Iguodala added. "I just have to attack when I am in the game and have the opportunity."

According to the Courier Post Online, Sixers president Billy King called this season the most frustrating of his career and also said he knows certain players won't be back next season, saying he wants more defensive-minded players who are tough.

King also pointed the finger at himself for some of the Sixers' problems.

They are 36-41 after beating Washington on Monday and are in the eighth playoff spot. If they were tied, the Bulls hold the second tiebreaker, a better conference record.

"After the trade deadline, I looked in the mirror and said I've got to do a better job," King said. "It's been the most frustrating year in my involvement in basketball."

King added: "There's some guys I know for sure won't be back."

He said he must make "tougher decisions."

"Sometimes it's easy to make a decision, like I'm gonna re-sign this guy or sign that guy," he said. "I'm gonna roll the dice and sign-and-trade this guy to go get that guy."

"Last year, I went in with the approach of retaining our free agents, this year we're going in that we're gonna build a team that starts with defense. Not just defensive guys, guys with an attitude."