Ashley McGeachy reports that Larry Brown is happy with his team. They have won 6 of their last 7, they are now 4 games above .500 for the first time this season and they are 5th in the Eastern Conference Playoff seedings, only 2-1/2 games behind 4th place Boston. Also, they have made this charge with 2 major players on the bench. Aaron McKie has missed 17 of the last 20 games with a nasty ankle injury and Derrick Coleman has been in-and-out of the lineup with a hyperextended knee.

When asked why the team is finally playing well, the players had different answers. Allen Iverson talked about how the team was simply playing good defense. Eric Snow credited mental preparation for games, saying that it had led to better ball movement, easy baskets, and generally enhanced offensive execution. Dikembe Mutombo said that the team has gotten more confidence. And Matt Harpring said that finally, after 62 regular-season games, "we're just playing ball together right now, and I don't know why. It's just what's happened."

"I think," Brown said, "if we can get [Coleman and McKie] back and they can be healthy with Derrick McKey coming on our team, Corie Blount and Speedy, we can get to be a pretty good team, in terms of having good starters and good people coming off the bench. That's what it's going to take.

"We won a game [Saturday] without Allen having to score 40. He did a lot of good things. But the biggest thing with him out on the court is he makes everyone else better. The same can be said when we get Aaron and [Coleman] back. I think these guys that are playing now realize that."