Andre Iguodala is playing hurt.

The chondromalacia in Iguodala's right knee, a chronic condition that dates back more than 5 years, flared in mid-March.

Had the Sixers been out of the playoff picture, Iguodala would have been shut down.

Instead, he played for the next month. The knee cost Iguodala only the last two games of the regular season, when Sixers management insisted he sit, general manager Ed Stafanski said.

"It hurts, because you can't really lift," Iguodala said. "You go into a jump shot and you feel like it's going to give at times. You feel a pinch. You don't know if the pain is going to come back. You're thinking about it every shot. Every plant. That's probably the toughest."