<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A couple of months ago, 76ers coach Jim O'Brien spoke of the need for his team to finish with a .500 record because, in his opinion, it would mean a spot in the NBA playoffs. Yesterday, with the .500 mark still as elusive to the Sixers as the definition for the meaning of life, O'Brien stuck to that belief. "That's what I think," he said after practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "You have to finish .500 to make the playoffs, or be in a position to be in the playoffs. I'll stick with that." Here's the math: The Sixers must go 5-4 in their remaining nine games to wind up 41-41. Their two closest pursuers for the coveted No. 8 spot in the East - Orlando and New Jersey - will have to finish 6-3 and 6-2, respectively, to get to .500. The Sixers certainly would be wise to aim at a record higher than .500. Starting with tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Wachovia Center, six of their last nine are at home. All six involve Eastern Conference opponents, against whom they are 16-4 on their home court. Then again, in this season of maddening inconsistency, the Sixers probably would be ecstatic with a .500 mark. "We've got to keep on winning," Kyle Korver said. "Obviously, I haven't been in this situation before, but it doesn't take a brain scientist to figure it out. We've just got to keep on winning. We've got to win more than Orlando and New Jersey." Of course, the Sixers could aim really high and take a shot at first place in the Atlantic Division. The Boston Celtics hold a 31/2-game lead with eight to play, but the Sixers will get one more shot at them while holding a 3-0 advantage in the season series. The Celtics will play seven different teams in their last eight games and are 7-10 against those clubs. The Sixers, who take on nine different opponents, are 18-6 against those teams.</div> Source
