QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS
First quarter: Charlotte came into their game against the Sixers missing three of their five starters with Brevin Knight out with an ankle injury and Kareem Rush (knee sprain) and Gerald Wallace (bruised ribs) on the injured list. Philadelphia came out hot from the opening tip hitting four of their first five shots to build an early 8-4 lead on the visiting Bobcats. With the Sixers holding a five point advantage at the 3:02 mark after a running jumper by Allen Iverson, Charlotte, behind buckets from Malik Allen, Cory Alexander and Bernard Robinson, went on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 20 at the end of one.

Second quarter: Charlotte's offense went ice cold to start the second as they did not record a field goal in the first 5:51 of the quarter. With the Bobcats only points coming on two free throws, Philadelphia, spurred on by six points from Kyle Korver, took full advantage, outscoring the Bobcats 19-2 over that span. A hook shot by Okafor at the 6:09 mark ended the field goal drought, but the Bobcats could not close the gap as Philadelphia continued to hit on all cylinders from the field. The Sixers shot 52% from the floor in the quarter, helping them build an 18-point (57-39) advantage at the break. Philadelphia finished the half with four players in double figures, led by Allen Iverson's 15 points. Emeka Okafor had 13 points for the Bobcats.

Third quarter: Philadelphia's hot shooting continued as the two teams returned to start the second half. The Sixers, capitalizing on a three minute stretch where the Bobcats committed three turnovers and missed three of four shots, went on an 8-2 run to build their lead to 26 with 6:12 remaining in the quarter. Allen Iverson scored 10 points in the period as the Sixers extended their lead to 31 at the end of the third. Philadelphia shot 55% in the quarter and committed only one turnover while the Bobcats shot 43% and had six turnovers. The Sixers dominated the inside, outscoring the Bobcats 16-6 in points in the paint in the third.

Fourth quarter: The game was never in doubt, as the Sixers extended their lead to 35 early in the fourth quarter. Allen Iverson led all scorers with 25 points and added 12 assists as Philadelphia recorded their largest margin of victory of the season. The Sixers were also aided by a 17-point performance from Kyle Korver and 16 points from Chris Webber. Philadelphia's starters contributed 81 of the the team's 112 points. Emeka Okafor led the Bobcats with 17 points and eight rebounds while Malik Allen chipped in 12 off the bench.

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GM & HEAD COACH BERNIE BICKERSTAFF SAYS...
(on tonight's loss) "It's real simple. We ran into a wounded tiger. Everybody has been all over the 76ers about the (Chris) Webber situation, and their lack of compatibility. What they really don't understand is, that it just doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. They came out with a sense of purpose tonight. Their intensity level was good and even the mascot made a shot from half-court tonight when we saw him. They played well, they played with intensity, they stepped up and showed the people and the media what they are capable of doing. That just kind of eliminated some of the negativity that's going on. For us, they took us out of everything we wanted to do. Offensively and defensively we didn't get it done."

(on his team's performance) "We got selfish offensively and defensively. We started to play one-on-one. That was probably because the Sixers were disrupting a lot of the things we were doing. Their energy level was much higher than ours. They were running. When you start dunking the basketball, then the fans get into it. They had a good time on us."

(on the Sixers) "You can't guard Allen Iverson. They've been trying to do it. The guy makes plays off the dribble and he's as good as any I've ever seen in terms of that. It'll hook up with he and (Chris) Webber also. Webber can pass the ball and Iverson can make plays. That'll happen, but its not going to happen overnight."

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INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM

MELVIN ELY
(on tonight's 32-point loss) "I've had a few bad ones. But the test is to see what we do tomorrow. Some teams take this, lay down and accept it, other teams take it and get upset. It should be on some of our minds tomorrow morning to come out and play well and just try and get a win. It's embarrassing to us, our fans, our organization and coach. We feel it just like everybody else, and hopefully we can make up for it tomorrow."

"I've experienced it both ways. I've had the kind where you took the loss, laid down, and then you take another butt-whooping the next day. I've actually seen it fire up teams. The team I was on with the L.A. Clippers, we got our butt kicked, then the next day we beat somebody we had no business beating. That's how this league is. Sometimes you need little things to motivate you. That's how I'm using it, and I think that's how Coach Bickerstaff and everybody else is using it too."