"I've always been a big third-quarter guy from my TV days," Collins said. "I've seen teams come out in third quarters and not warm up properly and all, and I just think that if you can get a big hit in that first 5 or 6 minutes, it can change the whole game, and so we talked about that. Let's come out and let's get off to a good start."
A five-point Sixers lead at the half, in which reigning MVP Derrick Rose had a hand in 28 of the Bulls' 44 points, turned into a 20-point advantage after three as the Sixers held the Bulls to 3-for-16 shooting, turned them over six times and limited them to only 11 points. Collins seemed a bit uncomfortable on the sideline when the Bulls started creeping closer in the fourth, cutting the lead to 12 a couple of times, but Rose never got off the bench in the final quarter as coach Tom Thibodeau decided to rest four of his five starters for the final 12 minutes.
"Our starters were so lethargic in the third, quite honestly, if we had gotten it closer, I was going to finish with the group we had in there," Thibodeau said. "The group that was out there were the ones fighting to get us out of the hole. So, that's basically the reason why the starters were sitting."
Rose finished his night early, but still managed to gather 18 points and six assists. Certainly not the kind of game he's used to, though, especially after averaging 34.3 points over his previous three games.
"We were out there sluggish," said Rose, whose team fell to 18-6 and is mired in the middle of a nine-game road trip. "The energy wasn't there. I really can't explain it. We played a messed-up game. We rubbed off on everyone else. This is something we're not going to forget. I know I'm not."
If there is any doubt how confident the Sixers are becoming, three plays in the third quarter by forward Andre Iguodala drove home the point.
