Sixers have chance to bury depleted Bulls Posted: Sunday, May 6, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:30 am, Sun May 6, 2012. By Tom Moore Staff writer | 七六人板之友！！ http://tinyurl.com/7gj23l2 PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers, seemingly in danger of not making the playoffs three weeks ago, find themselves with a legitimate shot to beat the Bulls and reach the second round. How did it happen? The April 21 overtime road victory over the red-hot Pacers was a turning point. The scuffling Sixers had lost seven of their previous 10 and the Bucks were right on their heels. But the Sixers outlasted the Pacers 109-106 in a grind-it-out, playoff-type game. It marked the team’s only victory all season by four or fewer points (they finished 1-8 in such games). The result helped the eighth-seeded Sixers to four straight victories that secured a postseason spot and instilled confidence they could win those games. “I could just see our guys — there was a real sense of purpose and focus that they had,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. The Sixers, who bring a 2-1 lead into Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 (1 on ABC), have also benefited from the top-seeded Chicago’ s injuries. The Bulls losing 2010-11 NBA MVP Derrick Rose to a torn ACL was a crushing blow. Chicago went 18-9 without Rose in the regular season, but also knew he would eventually return. Knowing that he won’t be back until sometime next year isn’t the same feeling. Bulls center Joakim Noah, who Collins had called “the key to the series,” rolled his ankle midway through the third quarter in a cringe-worthy moment. He played a total of three minutes the rest of the way, but had to leave for good with 7:59 remaining. “Derrick Rose is their motor,” Collins said. “I’ve always felt that when Noah plays great, he’s sort of the soul of their team.” Still, the Bulls led by 14 points with a little over 10 minutes to go, some Philly fans were serenading the home team with boos and a few left, Evan Turner said Saturday. The bulk of the game was a low-scoring, half-court affair — a style to which Chicago is best suited and tends to thrive. The Sixers want to run whenever possible. But the depleted Bulls wore down and sputtered, missing 10 straight shots in the fourth quarter as the Sixers closed the game on a 26-7 run. Andre Iguodala, who Collins said is “really playing on one foot” due to his Achilles tendinitis, has still limited Chicago’s Luol Deng to 13-for-33 shooting in three games. That leaves Carlos Boozer and Rip Hamilton to handle the scoring load. Rose is out and Noah, who left the building on crutches and was still using them Saturday, is doubtful for Game 4. Omer Asik, Noah’s replacement, is bigger, but not nearly the rebounder, scorer or fiery presence that Noah is. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau realizes injuries are a part of the game. “The next guy up” has to do the job, he said. “That’s the way it is. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have more than enough to win with.” Collins, while insisting he doesn’t feel good about the Bulls ’ situation, said, “When injuries occur, you’ve got to try to take advantage of those situations. You may never get another chance.” Since the NBA expanded the playoffs to eight teams in 1984, only one Eastern Conference No. 8 seed has advanced (the Knicks edged the Heat 3-2 in 1999). In the nine years since it went to best-of-seven, no Eastern team and only the Grizzlies last year in the Western Conference prevailed. If the Sixers can hold serve Sunday, they could clinch their first series victory since 2003 as soon as Tuesday night in Chicago. To write those words after how things looked three weeks ago is a huge surprise. Tom Moore, 215-345-3127; email, [email protected]; Twitter, @tmoorepburbs --

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