"They're shocking everybody," Williams said. "When this all started they were were struggling, bumbling along, a team in disarray. I watched the game when they lost to Dallas at home (Dec. 15). It was the quietest crowd I ever saw. Then they had a horrible West Coast trip. They beat the Clippers and butchered Dallas to salvage a couple victories, but were still 2-5. They were at low tide.
"I remember talking to (Sixers GM) John Nash. He was absolutely depressed. I wanted to fly up there and burp him. He really needed a shoulder to cry on. That was a month ago.
"Nobody could anticipate this. That's the shocking part. Our feeling here was that Minnesota, which traded the rights to Rick Mahorn for the (Sixers') first-round draft pick, could luck into a lottery pick. This was a very troubled team, well on the way down the chute.
"Then, alakazam, the magic hit. And the frightening thing is, the thing could go on. The Warriors have a tough time on the road and the Sixers must be licking their chops about playing us Thursday. They'll be coming in on a mission because we beat them down here."
The Sixers are only vaguely the same team that lost to Orlando, 116-103, on Nov. 18.
"From what I gather just watching, listening and talking, (coach) Jimmy (Lynam) has really sold them on his plan and they're following it," Williams said. "They have such confidence, they believe they can do anything. Success breeds confidence.
"The bottom line is that one Charles Barkley, at age 27 (on Feb. 20), has optimum ability mixed with experience and about as much maturity as he will ever have. All the elements have been clicking together.
