Sixers enjoy one another's company during ups, downs

MEMPHIS - The winning hasn't always been there for this 76ers team, but the camaraderie and fun times have been. And because of the closeness, many in the locker think that has been a significant reason the team pulled through its dismal 3-13 start.

"I think this is one of the best groups that we've had, as far as a mixture of players," said forward Thaddeus Young, now in his fourth season with the club. "We've got a good mixture of young guys and a couple of vet guys, and guys in the middle of that bunch. We have a good group here that can do some good things."

Twice before in Young's career, the team started slowly, only to come on strong later in the season to make the playoffs. So this isn't completely new territory, but it isn't the same as before.

"I think, each and every year, we've started slowly and came on at the end, except for last year [when the team finished 27-55]," Young said. "We started slow my first 2 years and made the playoffs, so I'm kind of used to it. But this year is bigger. To come off a year like we had last year and then overcome the slow start that we had is big."

Despite the early-season struggles, coach Doug Collins says he knew he had a special group in his locker room, even if the team wasn't getting wins.

"[Yesterday] at shootaround, our guys were having a lot of fun, getting their work done, having shooting contests against one another, but you could just see they enjoy being around each other," Collins said. "When you spend so much time with one another and you enjoy being around each other, it really helps. When you go through those moments when things aren't going well, you have a tendency to pick up each other's spirits and all. I think our guys have been great, and I think they're getting better as we go along."

That would help to explain the nine wins in their previous 12 games entering last night's contest against the Memphis Grizzlies.

While the coach has nearly 40 years around the NBA game, that isn't a way for him to really relate to his players more closely.

"It's sort of funny, if you want to engage them, you don't really talk so much about the NBA games, you talk to them about the college games," Collins said. "The college guys that are playing now are their peers. A lot of teams will talk about the NBA games. These guys talk a lot about the college games, because those are the guys they played with and are the same age and all.

"These guys are really good guys. A guy like Mo Speights, who hasn't had a chance to play much, you look at the tape and he'll be off the bench cheering more than anybody for our team. I think that says a lot when everybody cheers for someone else's success. Everybody wants to play but when they're not playing they're cheering for that other guy. I just think through an 82-game season that energy is so vital."

Three winners of the 76ers Black History Month essay contest were in attendance at FedEx Forum last night.

Rachel Smith-Nipe, 9, and Trey Fisher, 10, both from Florence, N.J., and Kenneth Alston, 15, from East Stroudsburg, Pa., were treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to Memphis, where they got to meet Sixers players before the game.

The three will be recognized during the Feb. 25 home game against the Detroit Pistons. *