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.
Omar Asik missed two free throws for the Bulls with seven seconds left that would have sealed the victory. 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. The Memphis Grizzlies eliminated the San Antonio Spurs last season, while the Golden State Warriors (2007), New York Knicks (1999) and Nuggets (1994 vs. George Karl’s Seattle SuperSonics) 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 since Allen Iverson was an all-star.
“I don’t know how we won this game,” Collins said.
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 9-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.
