Eastern Conference

TORONTO - Like the colorful flags that hang outside most major league ballparks to depict the day's standings, the Flyers have a whiteboard just feet from their dressing room at their Voorhees practice facility, a constant reminder of the sacrifice it takes to remain on top. For the NHL, it might as well be a Wheel of Fortune board. The colors - and teams - can move from top to bottom from night to night. Take, for instance, Los Angeles. Terry Murray's Kings entered last night's action in eighth place in the Western Conference.

After two games of the Eastern Conference semifinal round between the Sixers and Boston Celtics, we know that Boston's wealth of experience gives them the edge at the end of close games and that the Sixers' youth and energy clearly tips a tight contest in their favor. In other words, after the teams traded one-point wins in the opening salvo of the series, we don't know much yet, but we know close games are probably here to stay. "Everybody always focuses on the last play of the game, but that's not really what games come down to. It's everything else that happens before, too," Doug Collins said.

Andre Iguodala is a first-time all-star, a selection in which winning trumped individual scoring statistics. The Sixers are 18-8 and entered Thursday as the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference. Iguodala, 28, was among the seven Eastern Conference reserves named Thursday night. The NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 26 in Orlando. Last week, the starters - selected by the fans - were announced. The Eastern Conference head coaches picked the reserves. The coaches had to select two guards, two forwards, a center, and two wild cards; they could not vote for their own players.

The Flyers have released the schedule for their first season in the new Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, and, as you might expect after expansion and realignment, it looks a little different. Under the old format, the Flyers competed against five other Patrick Division teams for four playoff berths. This season, the Flyers will be among 14 Eastern Conference teams competing for eight playoff berths. Instead of playing divisional teams seven times each, as was the old norm, the Flyers now play each Atlantic foe five times, and each team from the Northeast Division - the other component of the Eastern Conference - four times.

Pascal Dupuis scored twice and had an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied at home to beat the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, on Wednesday night for their seventh consecutive victory. Jordan Staal added a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to a career-best six games and rookie Brad Thiessen stopped 22 shots. The Penguins started the day by unveiling a statue honoring Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux outside Consol Energy Center. The three-time MVP, now the team owner, watched from his box as Pittsburgh won for the 11th time in its last 12 home games to strengthen its hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Honestly, did anyone think just about one week ago that it would be the 76ers sitting in the catbird seat as the NBA and NHL playoffs moved to the next level? Of course not. Not after the Flyers had dismissed the Penguins and then gone on to take Game 1 from New Jersey. The narrative then (it's a bit more tempered today) was focused on the infinite possibilities of this Flyers team, about the playoffs possibly even concluding with a Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, even after the Chicago Bulls lost reigning MVP Derrick Rose for the playoffs - and probably for a good part of next season - many of the denizens of this metropolis still figured the shorthanded Bulls would need just five, maybe six, games to dispatch the Sixers.

      Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Wizards dealt a crippling blow to the Milwakee Bucks' attempt to make the final playff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 121-112 defeat in Washington. Milwaukee began the day 11/2 games behind the 76ers for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland. Monta Ellis had 31 points for Milwaukee, which has lost four of five.

The seventh-seeded 76ers hope they fare better against the Miami Heat in the playoffs than they did in the regular season. The Sixers' 95-85 loss to Orlando on Monday gave the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference to the New York Knicks, who will take on the third-seeded Boston Celtics. Miami earned the second seed in the East after beating Atlanta and seeing slumping Boston lose in overtime to Washington. The playoff series will begin Saturday or Sunday in Miami. During the regular season, the Sixers were 0-3 against the Heat, losing by 97-87 at home on Oct. 27 and suffering two defeats in Miami, by 99-90 on Nov. 26 and by 111-99 on March 25. - Marc Narducci  

LeBron James had 29 points and 10 rebounds and the Miami Heat beat the host New York Knicks, 93-85, on Sunday and clinched the Southeast Division title. Dwyane Wade - playing his 594th game with the Heat to break Alonzo Mourning's record - added 28 points. Chris Bosh finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who pulled away in the fourth quarter of a possible playoff preview. Miami is second in the Eastern Conference. New York, which came into the game tied for seventh, fell into eighth, a half-game behind the 76ers.

Andre Iguodala is a first-time all-star, a selection in which winning trumped individual scoring statistics. The Sixers are 18-8 and entered Thursday as the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference. Iguodala, 28, was among the seven Eastern Conference reserves named Thursday night. The NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 26 in Orlando. Last week, the starters - selected by the fans - were announced. The Eastern Conference head coaches picked the reserves. The coaches had to select two guards, two forwards, a center, and two wild cards; they couldn't vote for their own players.

After two games of the Eastern Conference semifinal round between the Sixers and Boston Celtics, we know that Boston's wealth of experience gives them the edge at the end of close games and that the Sixers' youth and energy clearly tips a tight contest in their favor. In other words, after the teams traded one-point wins in the opening salvo of the series, we don't know much yet, but we know close games are probably here to stay. "Everybody always focuses on the last play of the game, but that's not really what games come down to. It's everything else that happens before, too," Doug Collins said.

Honestly, did anyone think just about one week ago that it would be the 76ers sitting in the catbird seat as the NBA and NHL playoffs moved to the next level? Of course not. Not after the Flyers had dismissed the Penguins and then gone on to take Game 1 from New Jersey. The narrative then (it's a bit more tempered today) was focused on the infinite possibilities of this Flyers team, about the playoffs possibly even concluding with a Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, even after the Chicago Bulls lost reigning MVP Derrick Rose for the playoffs - and probably for a good part of next season - many of the denizens of this metropolis still figured the shorthanded Bulls would need just five, maybe six, games to dispatch the Sixers.

CHICAGO - The serendipity of tonight's referendum game is delicious. Doug Collins is an Illinois schoolboy legend and college star who got his first NBA coaching job, as a very young man, in Chicago. Tonight against the Bulls, Collins will try to win his first road playoff game as Sixers coach. Evan Turner is part of Chicagoland lore, a pedigreed star out of St. Joseph High, which produced Isaiah Thomas. Tonight against the Bulls, Turner, at the end of his second season, should get his first playoff start.

CHICAGO -  As the game and the season slipped from the Sixers' grasp early Tuesday night, Jrue Holiday grabbed the organization in a deathgrip that he might not release for the next decade. The offense died in the hands of homeboy Evan Turner, whose first playoff start might be his last. It might have been Turner's night, when the No. 2 overall pick from a year ago took giants steps in one glorious evening. But Turner clearly was overwhelmed by the moment; erratic and overeager as his home city booed him on every touch.

CHICAGO — The serendipity of tonight's referendum game is delicious. Doug Collins is an Illinois schoolboy legend and college star who got his first NBA coaching job, as a very young man, in Chicago. Tonight against the Bulls, Collins will try to win his first road playoff game as Sixers coach. Evan Turner is part of Chicagoland lore, a pedigreed star out of St. Joseph High, which produced Isaiah Thomas. Tonight against the Bulls, Turner, at the end of his second season, should get his first playoff start.

With Sunday's victory, the Flyers became the first Eastern Conference team to wrap up its first-round series. Now, they will get a few days to rest, get healthy, and watch as the remaining series play out and their second-round opponent is determined. Because the NHL reseeds the remaining four teams before the second round, the Flyers could play virtually any of the remaining teams. Here is what each combination of results means for the Flyers: If the Rangers, Bruins, and Panthers win, the Flyers will be the lowest remaining seed and play the Rangers.

After their scintillating overtime win against the streaking Indiana Pacers on Saturday night - a victory that pushed their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to one - the 76ers were focused on what they must do rather than what they had just done. Yes, it was exhilarating to end the Pacers' winning streak at seven games. After all, the 109-106 victory marked the first time this season that the Sixers had won a game decided by three or fewer points (they had lost three others)

The return of Jodie Meeks to the starting backcourt for the stretch run might not have been the big move that 76ers fans were waiting for. Many of them still want to find out what the team has in Evan Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft. But as the Sixers try to lock down the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference over the remaining four games, don't expect coach Doug Collins to tinker much with the lineup. Going into the weekend, the Sixers (32-30), who play at hot Indiana (41-22)

      Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Wizards dealt a crippling blow to the Milwakee Bucks' attempt to make the final playff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 121-112 defeat in Washington. Milwaukee began the day 11/2 games behind the 76ers for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland. Monta Ellis had 31 points for Milwaukee, which has lost four of five.

IT WAS ABOUT 30 minutes before tipoff of the Sixers' regular-season home finale Tuesday night. Rich Pickens sat in Section 108 of the Wells Fargo Center, about 30 rows from the court, wearing a vintage Bobby Jones jersey. He was virtually alone. By the start of the Sixers' 102-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Pickens had plenty of other fans around. It was a welcome change for Pickens, a season ticketholder for 12 years. It's been a renaissance year for the Sixers and their attempt to reconnect with their tepid fan base.