Spencer Hawes

JORGE BERGOGLIO didn't make an appearance at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night, as he was busy being elected Pope over in Rome. If anyone is going to beat the Miami Heat any time soon, some divine intervention may have to occur. With their exciting, 98-94 win over the 76ers, the Heat has now won 20 games in a row, tying for the third-longest streak in NBA history. It was also the 14th straight regular-season victory over the Sixers by the Heat, who improved to 49-14. The Sixers, who meet Miami one more time this season, fell to 24-40.

There have been few reasons for levity in the 76ers locker room lately, so after they ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Brooklyn Nets, Dorell Wright couldn't resist the opening that Spencer Hawes gave him. "Shout out to that shirt!" Wright, a few locker stalls down from Hawes, said jokingly to his teammate. Hawes wore a red, white and blue shirt that was the subject of kidding from his teammates, but he could afford to smile Monday night. The center went for 24 points, a season high, and pulled down 10 rebounds in a 106-97 win at the Wells Fargo Center.

MIAMI - For three quarters, the 76ers looked as if they might accomplish what no team in the league has for the better part of five weeks: Beat the Miami Heat. But in LeBron James, Miami has a player that affects games in so many different ways that the Heat can never be counted out. They feed off what he does, and on Friday, as the Heat extended their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games with a 102-93 victory, James struck with subtlety. Facing a spirited 76ers team that desperately wanted to end a streak of its own, James, who finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, sank a three-pointer with time running out in the third quarter that gave the Heat a 76-75 lead.

MIAMI - For three quarters, the 76ers looked as if they might accomplish what no team in the league has for the better part of five weeks: Beat the Miami Heat. But in LeBron James, Miami has a player that affects games in so many different ways that the Heat can never be counted out. They feed off what he does, and on Friday, as the Heat extended their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games with a 102-93 victory, James struck with subtlety. Facing a spirited 76ers team that desperately wanted to end a streak of its own, James, who finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, sank a three-pointer with time running out in the third quarter that gave the Heat a 76-75 lead.

NEW YORK - Answer: The Academy Awards. The NFL Scouting Combine. Daytona Speedway. Question: Where would the 76ers rather have been Sunday than Madison Square Garden? During the first 5 minutes of the second quarter against the New York Knicks, it appeared the Sixers were at least mentally at those other events as they offered very little resistence during a 17-2 splurge by the Knicks that carried them to a 99-93 win. The result snapped New York's four-game losing streak, extended the Sixers' to five and dropped them to 10 games under .500 (22-32)

IF MORE INJURIES don't creep up, and if Doug Collins stays true to his word, and if Nick Young and Spencer Hawes continue to play well, and if the first-team offense can overcome the second team's lack of it - it appears that, perhaps, the coach has settled on a rotation. It has been that kind of year for the 76ers as injuries and inconsistent play have forced Collins to shuffle and reshuffle, think and rethink who should be playing when and where. Since his implementation of Hawes and Young to the starting lineup, Collins' team has played some of its best basketball of the season, albeit a small sample of just three games.

As the 76ers on Friday prepared to face the Atlantic Division-leading New York Knicks (26-14), a team that has won both meetings with the Sixers this season by an average of 19 points, coach Doug Collins referenced the Boston Celtics in an attempt to motivate his team. The Celtics (20-22) would be the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs started Saturday. They are only 31/2 games ahead of the flagging Sixers (17-25), winners of just seven of their last 26 games. On Thursday, New York extended the Celtics' losing streak to a league-high five games.

Coach Doug Collins said that the challenge in the early part of the 76ers season has been getting more production from more players. It's not an unusual challenge, Collins said, but better play must coaxed out of about three quarters of his team. Following Monday's practice, Collins said that the rest of the 10-7 Sixers have to produce as effectively as Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner. They are combining to average more than 47 points per game. "I have three guys playing at an extremely high level - Jrue, Thad, and Evan," Collins said.

THOUGH DOUG Collins' bench wasn't short of players Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, it was hurting. Starting shooting guard Jason Richardson was in the starting lineup despite missing the second half and overtime in Saturday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore left ankle. Earlier in the season Richardson missed most of five games after he fell over a cameraman in Madison Square Garden in the opening minutes of a game against the New York Knicks and rolled the ankle.

FOR NEARLY 2 months, the 76ers have gone through training camp, seven preseason games and now 14 regular-season contests. While much is known about the team - particularly that Jrue Holiday is flourishing at point guard - there are still many, many questions. It can't be forgotten that this team was built around the thinking that Andrew Bynum would be manning the middle offensively and defensively and that the pieces gathered would be suitable for that foundation. There are plenty of good three-point shooters (38 percent overall)