"They're a deep team," he said. "I think the thing that makes them a little bit different is the fact that you have four guys that can handle the ball for them when you look at [Jrue] Holiday, [Lou] Williams, [Evan] Turner and [Andre] Iguodala, so that makes them different.
"Oftentimes they're running their offense through Iguodala, who I think is a tough matchup because of all the different things that he does. And then when they bring [Thaddeus] Young in off the bench it's another guy who can out-quick people, so you're worried about that. And then [Elton] Brand is Brand and [Jodie] Meeks has really come a long way, shooting the ball with confidence. And if [Spencer] Hawes is able to play, he's another skilled guy. [Tony] Battie is an experienced big who, when he's called upon, can play and [Nikola] Vucevic is a very impressive young player.
"They are a complete team. They are very well-balanced, they're very good offensively and they're very good defensively and they're young. As these guys have gotten experience, they've gotten a lot better. Doug has done a great job with them. They never beat themselves, they take care of the ball and if you turn it over against them they'll get out on the open floor and beat you with their athleticism."
Empathy for Hawes
When asked again how starting center Spencer Hawes may be progressing with his strained left Achilles', which forced him to miss his ninth straight game, Doug Collins said the decision to return will be up to Hawes and Hawes alone.
During his playing days, Collins was often questioned about injuries that sidelined him. Ultimately, he says, it cost him his career, so he will not rush Hawes.
"When I was playing people questioned my pain threshold," Collins said. "So I wound up playing on two broken feet and it cost me my career.
"Spencer's a competitor and he wants to be out there and he wants to play. And when he's ready to do that he'll be out there. You're talking to a coach here who is incredibly sensitive to injuries."
Though he won't rush him, Collins is certainly eager to see Hawes back on the floor.
"One of the things that blew me away the other night was just the different team we are offensively without Spencer Hawes," Collins said. "With him on the floor we average 102.6 points a game, without him we're at 90. If you look at our top three scorers and their shooting with him on the floor, our leading scorers were [Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday] and what they're shooting with him not on the floor, I think they're averaging 11 less points a game. It's just because of how ball-friendly he is, and when you're moving, a big man can always be an outlet for you to help create shots, especially the way he plays. Right now I'm concerned about our offense."
Love for Lavoy
Doug Collins said before the game that he would start Tony Battie at center for the injured Spencer Hawes, then go with Lavoy Allen as his next center sub ahead of fellow rookie Nikola Vucevic.
Collins did just that and Allen proved Collins wise, scoring eight first-half points and grabbing four rebounds in just under 10 minutes. He finished the night with a career-high 15 points to go with six rebounds.
Vucevic was dressed for the second straight game after missing four with a quad strain. And for the second straight game, he watched from the bench.
