THIS IS WHY the 76ers need to take care of business over the final nine games of the season.
This is why the Sixers absolutely have to overtake the Miami Heat and gain the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks are the reason.
Get to No. 5 in the East and it means a first-round series with the Hawks - the same Hawks who the Sixers beat, 98-85, last night at the Wachovia Center; the same Hawks whom the Sixers beat in two of their three meetings this season.
Obviously, the Sixers' coaches and players have to play this thing tight to the belt. It's bad form to admit that you would rather face one team over another.
But I don't have to adhere to that rule.
Of course the Sixers want to play the Hawks.
Given a choice between the Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers (61-13), who have the best overall record in the NBA and have only lost once at home, the Orlando Magic (55-18) and the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics (56-19), it's a no-brainer to want to take the trip to Atlanta.
The team that plays the Hawks in the 4/5 matchup has a 50/50 chance of moving on in the playoffs. At the very least, it will not require the minor miracle that will be needed to upset Cleveland, Orlando or Boston.
This is simple.
The Sixers are a combined 0-8 against Cleveland, Orlando and Boston.
Last night they beat Atlanta while playing without forward Thaddeus Young for most of the game.
Young, who had scored 20 or more points in seven consecutive games, played less than 10 minutes before leaving the game with a sprained right ankle.
The Sixers got 16 points off the bench from rookie Marreese Speights, and, more importantly, they played sound defense and forced the Hawks into 17 turnovers.
Leading 80-79 with just under 8 1/2 minutes remaining, the Sixers closed with an 18-6 run, and the defense held Atlanta without a field goal during that stretch.
"Well, that was an important win for us tonight," Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. "Playing at home, playing against Atlanta, a team we're trying to catch, playing maybe against the team we're going to play in the playoffs, that was definitely an important game for us.
"I really like how the team picked it up especially after [Young] was injured."
What I like about the Sixers' demeanor now as opposed to this time a year ago is that this team is not satisfied with just making the playoffs.
