Michael Curry, associate head coach of the Sixers, has had a big role in improving the team's defense.
"I like to get somewhere and go and concentrate," Curry said. "It's just a place where I can get away from things and get into what I want to look at."
Heading into last night's 120-89 win over Washington, the Sixers led the NBA in defensive field-goal percent (39.4 percent), three-point field-goal percent (26.2 percent) and points allowed (85.5), and were third in the league in rebounding (45.2) and seventh in steals (9.2).
"I think Michael Curry is as good a defensive basketball mind as there is in the NBA," Collins said. "And I think what he does with our guys is terrific in that he puts us in a position so our guys can play to our strengths. We're not asking guys to do things that they are not capable of doing. That's huge. On a night-in and night-out basis, we don't really waver from what we do.
"The thing that Michael does so well is that he gears our defense to our personnel and what we can do. There are certain limitations that our guys have defensively. He's done a great job being able to put the scheme in that we can be successful. We don't have a big shot-blocking guy at the basket, we don't have what you would consider a great defensive rebounder. But what we do is our wings rebound well, which is important to us. We know we have to pressure the ball. Thad [Young] comes in and up the floor changes games just with his speed and quickness. And we've got some good individual defenders. Dre [Andre Iguodala] is arguably a first-team all-league defender. When our pressure on the ball is good and we get in passing lanes and are aggressive and rebound the ball, that really becomes our best offense. Michael has done a terrific job at that."