ITHINK IT'S ruined the game," Larry Brown was saying before the NBA playoffs began last weekend.
"It" is the three-point shot.

Yes, the Sixers' coach played in the ABA. Yes, he coached in the ABA. Yes, he coached Reggie Miller in Indiana.

Still, he hates the three-point shot. If you think the way the Sixers play is an accident, think again. If you think the type of players on their roster is an accident, think again.

Larry Brown is old school. He coaches the game his way. He gets the players he wants.

More than once, Brown has called a three-pointer the first pass to a fastbreak. He has seen nothing to change his opinion.

"Watching high-school kids play, watching kids in the park, watching our players," Brown says. "Guys either dunk the ball or take the three-point shot. I think a lot of it allows people to take bad shots. And that's disappointing."

To Brown, the only thing worse than a bad shot is an uncontested shot. His credo always will be good shots and great defense.

The Sixers' playoff series with the Boston Celtics is the ultimate test case of three-point theory. No two teams could have more different philosophies. The Celtics attempted (1,946) and made (699) more threes than any team in the league this season. The Sixers attempted (715) and made (214) the fewest.

In Boston's Game 1 win Sunday, the Celtics were 8-for-18 from the arc. The Sixers were 2-for-13. That's 24 points to six. The Celtics won by 10.