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A hot Philly Sixers a perfect '10' after hammering Celtics
Updated: Tuesday November 21, 2000 7:08 PM BOSTON (AP) -- As long as they remain unbeaten, the Philadelphia 76ers can't expect many more easy wins like the one they got Monday night. "Everybody wants to be the first team to beat us now," Allen Iverson said after scoring 26 points to help Philadelphia extend its best-ever start to 10-0 with a 114-90 victory against Boston. "When you start breaking franchise records, everybody wants to beat you." Iverson added eight assists and Eric Snow had 12, and Theo Ratliff scored 21 points for the Sixers, whose previous best start was 8-0 in 1979-80. "I don't get caught up in wins and losses," coach Larry Brown said. "It's nice to get some in the bank, though." Eric Williams had 22 points for Boston, which never came closer than 11 points in the second half.
"Tough day at the office," center Tony Battie shrugged as he left the locker room following his 15-point, 12-rebound performance. Celtics coach Rick Pitino said it was Boston's worst game of the year. "No one knows the 3-point shot [like me]. I've lived with it since its inception," Pitino said after his team shot just 5-of-25 from 3-point range. "It can be a weapon, but it can also be your enemy." Aaron McKie scored 16 of his 17 points in the second quarter -- eight of them in a row as the Sixers mounted a 10-0 run that helped them open a 59-44 halftime lead. Philadelphia, which rallied from third-quarter deficits with 18-0 runs in each of its two previous games, then scored 10 of the first 12 points in the second half to open a 23-point lead, 69-46. The lead got as small as 11 points, 86-75 with 10:04 left, before the Sixers scored the next eight points and led by as many as 24 in the closing minutes. Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce struggled from the floor, making just nine of their 33 shots; they were just 1-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, and the team was 1-for-15. With just over 10 seconds left in the first quarter, Iverson dribbled out most of the clock before faking out Rick Brunson and making a layup to give the Sixers a 27-21 lead. He had 12 at the end of one. Philadelphia led 44-38 before McKie completed a three-point play, then added a layup and a 3-pointer. Matt Geiger completed the 10-0 run with an easy layup that made it 54-38 with 3:08 left in the half. Geiger played for the first time since surgery on his sprained left knee on Oct. 6. He did not start, but had nine rebounds and four points in 10 minutes. Notes: George Lynch came over the press table saving a loose ball in the second quarter. He was not injured. ... The game began a four-game road trip for the Sixers. ... The last NBA team to start 10-0 was the '97-98 Lakers and Hawks, who each won their first 11 games. The record is 15-0 to start the season, set by the Washington Capitols in 1948-49 and matched by the Houston Rockets in '93-94. ... The Sixers have held all 10 opponents to less than 100 points this season. ... Walker was booed by the home crowd because of his shooting performance. But the crowd cheered several times after nice moves by Iverson.
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