PHILADELPHIA  — Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner hopped on the scorer’s table and played to the crowd as the catchy 76ers theme song blared in the arena.

Eight years of going home empty was over. The Sixers were ready for a long overdue postseason celebration.

Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and Philadelphia rallied for a 79-78 victory over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.

The 76ers will face Boston, which beat Atlanta in six games, in the conference semifinals.

Omer Asik missed two free throws that would have given the Bulls a three-point lead in the final seconds. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, and was fouled by Asik on the driving layup. He made both and 20,362 fans went absolutely wild.

The Sixers are the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed. Memphis eliminated San Antonio last season, while Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.
 
In his second season, coach Doug Collins had already led the Sixers to their first winning season in seven years. Now, it’s on to the second round for the first time Allen Iverson was an All-Star.

“I don’t know how we won this game,” Collins said.

The Sixers were smiling and mobbed each other as they dashed to the locker room to keep the party going.

The Sixers were 2.2 seconds from playing Game 7 in Chicago.

Now, they will pack their bags for the second round.

Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14. The Sixers won even though the Bulls crushed them 56-33 on the boards.

Iguodala snagged the one that mattered.

“We win on a rebound. Something we don’t get all night,” a smiling Collins said.

Iguodala made nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter in this series after shooting 45 percent (23 of 51) from the line in the period this season.

“I just wanted it for Dre so badly,” Collins said.

Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls. Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Sixers started 20-9 and led the Atlantic Division for the first half of the season until a late fade sent them tumbling toward eighth place.

None of that matters now.

Not even the fact that the series win comes with a bit of an asterisk. The Bulls lost star guard Derrick Rose to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in their series-opening victory. Center Joakim Noah was on the bench Thursday but failed to play in his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Without their stars, the Bulls found it tough to gut one out against the Sixers.

“I thought we had more than enough to win with,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I’m disappointed in the loss but I’m not disappointed in our team.”

Williams, second in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award voting, buried a 3-pointer for a 73-72 lead with 4 minutes left.
The jubilation was short lived.

The Sixers were whistled for goaltending and Taj Gibson later made two free throws for a 76-73 lead.

Spencer Hawes tried to draw the foul but settled for a basket underneath to shrink the deficit to one. Asik scored to push the lead back to three with 25.8 seconds left and Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young made it 78-77 to set the stage for the dramatic finish.

The Bulls had the lock-down defensive effort to nearly pull off the win.

The signature series came in the fourth quarter when the Sixers wasted a forced turnover on the other end with a brutal offensive possession.

Hawes missed a shot, Young missed two straight in the paint, and Hawes missed again against hands-up defense that sent the bench into a frenzy. Noah was the first one up pumping his fist and screaming encouragement for the fantastic defensive effort.

Hawes fired an airball next time down and there was a collective groan from the crowd.

Iguodala made up for a string of Sixers misses with a tying 3 that made it 70-all.

The Sixers tried to get a laugh by showing the Bulls bench on “Kiss Cam.” Noah popped his warmup jacket toward the camera and the crowd booed the oversized “Chicago” on the big screen.

Noah was one of the top offensive rebounders in the league and the Bulls figured on missing his presence in the middle.

Led by Deng and Boozer, the Bulls instead went out and controlled the boards, holding a 49-29 edge early in the fourth.

“We have to use this as motivation to move forward,” Thibodeau said.

Notes: The Sixers scored a measly 26 first-half points in their Game 5 loss. They led Game 6 48-40 at halftime. … The Sixers started 12 of 20 from the field and finished the half at 50 percent. They shot a season-low 32 percent in Game 5 and failed to shoot better than 40 percent in three other games. … The Bulls had a 3-pointer taken off the board right before the first half.

PHILADELPHIA — As the final horn sounds on every home victory, the Philadelphia 76ers blast confetti all over the court and in the stands as a gratuitous gesture of celebration.

The Sixers’ first-year ownership group entered this season overloaded with gimmicks meant to make the game more enjoyable for a fan base accustomed to a decade of rooting for a franchise stuck closer to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings than the top. Slashed ticket prices, over-the-top pregame introductions, and videos tinged with nostalgia from the glory days only go so far for providing memorable moments for the fans in the seats.

Teams have to win to keep a city interested.

The 76ers are one Game 6 victory against the Chicago Bulls away from the franchise’s biggest win in nine years.

Allen Iverson left. And came back. And left again. Larry Brown won an NBA title in Detroit then trekked to New York and now, improbably, back to college at SMU. Billy King bet the future on Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green. Former No. 1 overall picks Joe Smith, Glenn Robinson and Chris Webber all made pit stops in Philadelphia. The Sixers won with Jim O’Brien on the bench and suffered with Eddie Jordan. Ed Snider sold the team.

All of it happened (and so much more they’d like to forget) since the Sixers last won a playoff series in 2003.

Beat the top-seeded Bulls on Thursday night and the Sixers will truly have a milestone worth celebrating.

The Sixers might even shoot that confetti budget right out the door.

“This is what we fought all season for,” forward Elton Brand said Wednesday. “To be on our home court, in front of our fans with a closeout game.”

The Sixers are trying to become the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed. Memphis eliminated San Antonio last season, Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.

The Bulls have no interest in joining the wrong side of history. It only seems like the Sixers have pulled pins out of their spell kits and poked the voodoo dolls of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Rose, the defending NBA MVP, tore the ACL in his left knee late in the Bulls’ Game 1 win, Noah missed the last two games with a sprained left ankle, and Gibson left Game 5 clutching his right ankle, though he vowed to play Thursday.

Clearly, the Sixers have the injuries to credit for their 3-2 series lead.

They certainly can’t celebrate their shooting. The Sixers haven’t cracked 90 points in any of their last three games and were held to 69 in the Game 5 loss. The desperate Bulls held the Sixers to season lows for points and shooting (32.1 percent), in fact. The Sixers shot 39 percent from the floor in a Game 4 victory, 34 percent in a Game 3 win, and 40 percent in a Game 2 win. Those percentages are only going to beat a team like the Bulls ravaged by injury.

“The Bulls aren’t one of the top defensive teams for no reason,” Brand said. “They have some good defensive principles. We’re getting shots that we’re orchestrating through the offense.”

Getting them, yes. Making them, not so much.

Sixers coach Doug Collins gave his team the option Wednesday of watching game film of the first half of their brutal Game 5 loss. The Sixers agreed to the viewing in hopes of finding the flaws that led to their disastrous effort.

The slow pace of the game prevented the Sixers from getting the transition baskets they love. The Bulls locked down and stripped the Sixers of what they do best. Collins said the Sixers played too much “random offense.” Meaning, the Sixers were forced out of position and stuck playing 1-on-1 ball.

That’s not how they win games. The proof was in the video.

“We tried to make it as positive as possible because tape can be very, very negative,” Collins said. “Especially coming off a game like that, I want our guys to be incredibly positive about what we have to do. I don’t want them to have negative feelings at all. But I wanted them to see how they could be better.”

The Bulls liked that pace and believe, no matter how dire the series looks, they can win Game 6 and take their chances at home.

“You know how we feel. We feel like we let two get away in Philadelphia,” forward Carlos Boozer said. “We thought that we played well enough to win, but we just came up a little short.”

Gibson has vowed he’ll be in the lineup for Game 6. Noah is still listed as day to day. The Bulls reached the conference finals a year ago and believed after Game 5 they still had at least another round in them left this postseason.
   
“This is all for nothing if we don’t come out with the same intensity and urgency on the road,” Chicago’s Ronnie Brewer said. “We know they’re going to play just as hard as they’ve been playing this whole entire series. We’ve got to match that intensity.”

On Tuesday, May 8, the Chicago Bulls grabbed a much-needed victory and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 77-69. The Bulls are now one game behind in the series and have gained hope to remain in the series.

After falling short in the last few games, coupled with the Derrick Rose and now Joakim Noah injuries, it was time for some other players to show up and get their groove.

Here are a few difference makers from Tuesday’s scrappy win that will be keys for the remaining game(s).

The Starters: Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer

With the shifts in the starters the last few weeks, two seasoned ones finally showed up on Tuesday and appeared to have a rhythm.

Luol Deng had a great game and looked like the all-star player that Bulls’ fans expect. After his eight-point average in the previous three games, Deng had 24 points and eight rebounds. He went four for five in 3-pointers, grabbing three during the fourth quarter.

He emerged as the team’s much-desired leader.

Supporting his fellow starter was veteran Carlos Boozer. He added 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, which ties his career playoff high. In the last two games, he has stepped up with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Sunday, May 6 game.

While these two starters got the team the win, fellow teammates Rip Hamilton (six points) and C.J. Watson (five points), came up short and can’t do this again if this team is going to have a chance to win.

The Bench Mob: Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer

Gibson has been solid off the bench (14 points in Game four) and on Tuesday, he contributed eight points, which was the high for the Bench Mob, and five rebounds. He tweaked his ankle in the game but after sitting out, returned in the fourth quarter to help the Bulls take the lead.

Gibson doesn’t foresee the injury being a problem in the next game. He said, “I’ll be fine. Knowing myself, I’m going to play. I’m not going to sit out.”

Brewer came off the bench and added six points with eight rebounds after being benched in the third game (May 4).

Combined, the two players had 21 minutes of play.

The Bulls will need continued strong play from the Bench Mob and more offense coming from players including Kyle Korver.

Defense

Without Rose, the Bulls need to rely on their defense, which hasn’t always been the case in the series but it was on Tuesday. By holding the 76ers to 69 points, it was the first time they have done so in the postseason since the late 1990′s.

The Bulls also held the 76ers to 32.1 percent shooting, which was a season low for the team.

Next up for the Bulls is Game 6 on Thursday in Philadelphia. They are in a dire situation and know that the 76ers will play like it’s Game No. 7. Noah has said he’d like to return for it but will he be healthy enough by then to play at a high level or will his timing be off?

The Bulls like being an underdog. Has their luck changed in Game 5 or was it just a short-term spurt of good play?

As a lifelong Bulls fan and Chicago resident, the Derrick Rose era has been a good one.

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls aren’t quite finished after all. They’re still in a dire situation, though.

Luol Deng scored 24 points, Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Chicago beat the Philadelphia 76ers 77-69 on Tuesday night to avoid a first-round playoff exit.

The top-seeded Bulls finally won without point guard Derrick Rose, building a nine-point halftime lead and staying in control down the stretch to pull within 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday in Philadelphia, and the way Chicago sees it, maybe, just maybe, some of the pressure is now on the 76ers.

”Definitely,” Deng said. ”We’re in a situation where we know if we lose we go home. After tonight’s game, they’re going to feel a little pressure and try to close it out.”

It’s been a brutal series for the Bulls.

Rose tore the ACL in his left knee late in the opening win, casting a huge cloud over a team that came in eyeing another big run after reaching the conference finals a year ago, and things only got worse from there.

In Game 2, there was a second-half collapse at home. In Game 3, there was center Joakim Noah spraining his left ankle, and in Game 4, the Bulls came up short again.

With Rose out for the rest of the season and Noah sitting out his second straight game, Chicago came in looking like a team that was ready to bow out.

Instead, the Bulls locked down the Sixers, holding them to season lows for points and shooting ( 32.1 percent). And with Boozer and Deng coming up big, Chicago kept its season going.

”You can’t let one game all of a sudden get you spinning in the wrong direction,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. ”We didn’t expect to beat the Bulls four straight. This is a damn good team.”

Deng played more like an All-Star after averaging just eight points in the previous three games, hitting 4 of 5 3-point attempts – three in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Boozer tied a career-playoff high with six assists, and the Bulls came out on top just when their season appeared to be unraveling.

They still have no room for error.

A loss Thursday would make them the fifth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in the first round and the second in as many years, after San Antonio fell to Memphis last season. But if they continue to play like this, the Bulls just might have a shot.

”They’re going to treat the game in Philly like it’s Game 7,” Chicago’s Richard Hamilton said. ”They don’t want to come back here. We’ve got to figure out a way to do the same thing we did tonight, and hopefully, we’ll get the win.”

Jrue Holiday scored 16 points for Philadelphia but hit just 5 of 17 shots. Lou Williams scored 13 points and Andre Iguodala and Spencer Hawes both finished with 11 as the Sixers remained one win from their first series victory since 2003.

Hawes grabbed 14 rebounds, but it was a rough night for him after scoring 21 and 22 the previous two games. He wound up with a nasty scratch running from the side of his left eye to below the lip after going up for a shot during the fourth quarter.

Even Holiday said, ”Wow, what’s that?” as Hawes walked by on his way out of the locker room.

”It’s a physical series,” Hawes said. ”If that’s how it’s going to go, we can play that brand of basketball.”

There was some tension late in the second quarter after Boozer missed a jumper.

Taj Gibson and Elton Brand wound up on the court near the Bulls bench in a scramble for the loose ball, and they kept going at it as players from both sides joined the scrum.

Ronnie Brewer and Evan Turner appeared to exchange some heated words, but Gibson and Brand wound up getting technical fouls with 2:25 left.

”Got an elbow in the face,” Brand said. ”Can’t allow that. But after the play was over, it’s over.”

The Bulls were on a 10-2 run to close the half that gave them a 35-26 lead. They were up 57-48 going into the fourth quarter after another injury scare late in the third.

This time, Gibson came up clutching his right ankle and hit the court after fouling Lavoy Allen underneath with just over 2 minutes left in the quarter. He came back early in the fourth to loud cheers, and the crowd was really roaring when Deng nailed a 3 to make it 67-52, giving the Bulls their biggest lead.

They had more to cheer when Gibson hit a jumper, pumping his fist, and two free throws to get the lead 71-58. And they were really screaming moments later when Brewer blocked Brand on a putback.

Question is: Will they be seeing the Bulls again this season?

”We feel like we can go to Philadelphia and get one great road win,” Boozer said.

Notes: Gibson vowed to be ready for Game 6, saying, ”I’ll be fine. Knowing myself, I’m going to play. I’m not going to sit out.” … Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau again said a timetable for Rose’s surgery has not been set. ”They’re still talking things over,” he said. … Fans gave Rose a loud ovation and he responded with a wave when he was shown seated in a suite during a second-quarter timeout. … Brand had five points for Philadelphia, and Turner scored four.

DEERFIELD — It seemed almost unthinkable that the Chicago Bulls could be in this spot.

Yet here they are, trailing the Philadelphia 76ers 3-1 in the first round and trying to avoid elimination as they return home for Game 5 Tuesday night.

If the Bulls lose, they will be just the fifth No. 1 seed to fall to an eighth seed. It would also give Philadelphia its first series victory since 2003, a scenario few envisioned when the postseason started.

“It’s been a crazy year from beginning to right now,” guard Richard Hamilton said Monday. “We know that.”

They also realize it’ll take a wild comeback for them to advance, particularly given their injuries. They lost Derrick Rose for the remainder of the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the series opener, and center Joakim Noah will likely sit out his second straight game because of a sprained left ankle, leaving them without two of their leaders.

As they staggered back home following Sunday’s 89-82 loss, they sure looked like a beaten team. History says they’re just about finished, too. Only eight teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 series.

Hamilton wasn’t conceding anything. He was with Detroit when the Pistons turned the trick in 2003, beating in the first round Orlando after falling behind 3-1 and advancing all the way to the conference finals.

“When we played Orlando, I remember Tracy (McGrady) made a comment saying that it feels good to be going to the second round, so we kind of took that personally,” Hamilton said. “Right now, it’s personal. It’s not just about business. … It’s personal. This is it. You can win and continue playing, or you can go home, so you’ve got to make it personal.”

The 76ers weren’t making any bold statements after Game 4, even though they’re on the verge of a rare feat. The only other eight seeds to knock off a No. 1 are Denver (1994), New York (1999), Golden State (2007) and Memphis last season, when it eliminated San Antonio, but while they put themselves in a good spot, they also got a few words of caution from associate head coach Michael Curry.

Like Hamilton, he played on that 2003 Pistons team.

“I think Michael Curry was great in the locker room yesterday when he talked about the Detroit-Orlando situation,” coach Doug Collins said.

“You can’t go in with the idea we’ve got three games to win one. That would be very bad psychology. We’ve got to go in with the idea that we want to go to Chicago and we want to finish the series.”

Andre Iguodala agreed.

“We’re hungry and we still want it just as bad as if we were down 0-3,” he said. “We’ve got to come in and play like this could be our last game.”

For Chicago, it has simply been a brutal series.

Rose was looking more like an MVP after missing 27 games during the regular season because of injuries when he went down late in Game 1, and the Bulls haven’t been the same without their superstar.

They got plowed over in the second half while dropping Game 2, and things only got worse in Game 3. As if watching their best player go down weren’t enough, they lost one of their emotional leaders after Noah stepped on Iguodala’s foot while driving the lane.

And in Game 4, they again came up short.

Jrue Holiday has been giving them fits, averaging 19.8 points in the series. He nailed two 3-pointers down the stretch on Sunday after struggling most of the game. Spencer Hawes has been a big headache, too, shooting over 57 percent and averaging 12.5 points in the series.

The Bulls, meanwhile, have gotten little from Luol Deng. Carlos Boozer has been inconsistent, and Hamilton can’t even get on the court down the stretch, with coach Tom Thibodeau going with Kyle Korver instead. He sat out the entire final period in each of the first two games and was in for just 27 seconds in Game 4 after playing 9 minutes, 43 seconds in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

“You do (want to play in the fourth), but it is what it is,” Hamilton said. “Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do. My job is if I’m not on the court in the fourth quarter is to cheer for the next guy because I know the next guy would do the same thing for me.”

The Bulls came in with big expectations, eyeing a possible rematch with Miami in the Eastern Conference finals after grabbing the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight year.
Now, they’re in a spot few envisioned.

“That’s where your mental toughness, your physical toughness come into play,” Thibodeau said. “Hopefully, you’ve been building the right habits all season long to get through situations like this. Every team in the playoffs is going through the same thing. There’s going to be ups and downs. You have to be resilient. You have to persevere. You have to get through things.

“But we have more than enough to win with,” he continued. “We just have to finish it off.”

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Chicago Bulls have failed at winning one game without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Somehow, as they head back home, the top team in the East has to win three without the pair to avoid an ugly ending.

Spencer Hawes scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 20 to help the surprising Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 89-82 on Sunday and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Chicago.

The top-seeded Bulls played without Rose (torn ACL) and Noah (sprained ankle). Rose is out for the season and Noah is day to day for the rest of the series.

In NBA postseason history, the eighth seed has won a first-round series against the No. 1 seed four times, including last season when Memphis eliminated San Antonio. Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.

”We have to find a way,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”We’re fighting, but we can do better. We can do a lot better.”

The top-seeded Bulls suddenly fear elimination from a Sixers team one win away from joining the short list of eighth-seeded teams to win a series.

”I’m not worried about it,” Thibodeau said. ”I’m just worried about the next game. We do have more than enough to win with.”

Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who have won the last three games after losing Game 1.

The Sixers won three straight playoff games for the first time since Allen Iverson fueled their run to the 2001 NBA finals.

Holiday was sensational down the stretch after a rocky first 3 1/2 quarters. He missed his first five 3-point attempts until he nailed one to make it 77-73. He hit another the next time down for a seven-point lead to the delight of a roaring sellout crowd.

They were easily his biggest shots on a 7-of-23 night.

”We have to play like it’s Game 7,” Holiday said. ”We want to win in Chicago.”

The undermanned Bulls kept at it and refused to use playing without their two biggest impact players as an excuse. C.J. Watson, who scored 17 points, hit a step-back jumper to make it a two-point game.

In a whistle-happy contest, Holiday went to the line with 51 seconds left and made both for an 84-80 lead.

Suddenly – and shockingly – the Sixers are a win away from taking a playoff series for the first time since 2003.

Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Taj Gibson chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Without a full roster, the Bulls barked at the refs, talked trash on the court and used every self-motivational tactic they knew to gain an edge on the Sixers.

Noah, injured in Game 3, took charge on the bench as head cheerleader. Wearing a protective walking boot, he clapped, cheered and offered instruction in the timeout huddle. Noah was needed more on the court than as a de facto assistant coach.

Boozer actively did his best to keep the Bulls in the game. He played through foul trouble to score 18 points through three quarters (matching his combined total for the first two games) and he fought for some of the tough rebounds Noah would grab.

It wasn’t enough.

The Sixers made 22 of 31 free throws to Chicago’s 11-for-14 effort. The Sixers only averaged 18.2 free-throw attempts this season.

”Bottom line, we’ve got to play better defense without fouling,” Boozer said. ”You can’t cry about the referees. It’s the playoffs. If we could hold them to 17, 18 points in the fourth quarter, maybe we win that game.”

Iguodala played through right Achilles’ tendinitis to make so many impact plays for the Sixers. He halted a Bulls run in the third with a 3 for a 57-56 lead. Bad leg and all, he still soared for a thunderous dunk on the break in the first half for an eight-point lead. One of the worst fourth-quarter foul shooters in the NBA, Iguodala even made both with 26.6 seconds left.

”I think the adrenaline carried me through the game,” Iguodala said. ”It’s hard to get on your toes, that’s the hardest thing.”

Game 4 lacked the electric atmosphere early that accompanies a postseason game because the Broad Street Run was routed in front of the sports complex. The Wells Fargo Center was barely half full by tip and the announced crowd of 20,142 needed time to warm up.

By the time Holiday hit his 3s, the arena was going wild.

His sharp shooting in clutch time came at the right time after a slow start.

Holiday and Turner continue to befuddle coach Doug Collins with their inconsistency. The under-25 starting backcourt followed a solid Game 3 with a combined 3 for 22 for eight points in the first half. Lou Williams, perhaps the league’s top reserve, failed to bail them out with a 2-for-10 effort in the game. Their struggles were a key reason the depleted Bulls kept the score tight even without their two stars.

The Sixers crashed the boards early without Noah in the lineup and had 15 second-chance points in the half to grab a 10-point lead.

Hawes hit the go-ahead 20-footer late in the fourth for the Game 3 winner and he continued his hot hand into Sunday. He had made seven of his first eight shots, including a 3-pointer right before the second quarter buzzer to send the Sixers into halftime with 44-42 lead.

NOTES: Boxer Bernard Hopkins, former NBA great Dolph Schayes, former Sixers great Julius Erving and actor Bill Murray attended the game. … Philadelphia last won a playoff series when it beat New Orleans in 2003. … The Sixers hold a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 1984 East semifinals. … 76ers CEO Adam Aron said there was nothing the team could do about the start time.

The Philadelphia 76ers are not in a pretty series with the Chicago Bulls right now. Aside from the second half of Game 2 on May 1, Sixers fans like myself didn’t see Philadelphia play efficient basketball in Chicago. But we hoped the Sixers would take that second half and build on it when they returned to the Wells Fargo Center for Game 3 on May 4 – yet it took about 40 minutes for that to happen.

The Sixers and Bulls each played ugly, low scoring basketball for much of the night, although Chicago looked most likely to survive after Philadelphia was ice cold to start the second half. However, the Bulls got even icier in the fourth and the Sixers finally took advantage, using a closing 26-7 run to steal a 79-74 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

Both teams struggled in equal measure in the first half, with Philadelphia eeking out a 40-39 halftime lead. Yet unlike in Game 2, it was the Bulls who came out on a roll in the third quarter – at least by comparison. While the Sixers skidded out of the gate, the Bulls started cruising to a 14 point lead early in the fourth. What’s more, not even losing Joakin Noah to a sprained left ankle was stopping them at the moment.

However, it took a while in Game 2 for Chicago to collapse without Derrick Rose. Fortunately for Philadelphia, it didn’t take as long in Game 3 for its opponent to fall apart without Noah. On a night where both teams could barely score at times, the Sixers finally pulled out this ugly win by playing beautifully in the final minutes.

The Bulls might have lost even more decisively if they didn’t keep getting offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t like they were doing much with them anyway. Not having Noah cost the Bulls their inside advantage, while Rose’s absence leaves them without an outside shooter to close the Sixers out.

Philadelphia has been lacking a real closer all season, yet it still had Spencer Hawes fill the gap with 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter – including the shot that put it ahead for good. In addition, the Sixers kept forcing their way to the line and made all but one free throw attempt in the fourth, while the Bulls only got there four times and didn’t get a point.

There have only been two stretches in this series where the Sixers have looked rock solid and dominant. Yet those two stretches have made the difference so far, as the third quarter in Game 2 and the fourth in Game 3 – as well as Chicago’s injuries in Games 1 and 3 – have single-handedly given Philadelphia the inside track towards an upset.

Can the Sixers keep playing ugly for long periods of time and then use one perfect run to win? They couldn’t get away with it against a fully healthy Bulls team – yet the more stars Chicago loses, the more Philadelphia’s margin for error increases. As such, now it’s the Bulls who are looking truly ugly and are suddenly losing their margin for error.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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