Philadelphia
76ers

76ers Team Report

Updated: May 28, 2012 04:17 EST

The 76ers were done in by Boston point guard Rajon Rondo in losing Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series to the Celtics on Saturday night, 85-75. But they were also done in by their own anemic offense.

The Sixers' point total and shooting percentage (35.0) were series lows, and they made just 27.8 percent of their 3-point attempts.

For coach Doug Collins, it was the continuation of a trend. The Sixers averaged just 93.6 points a game during the regular season, equaling the 22nd-best output in the NBA, and shot 44.8 percent from the field, which was 15th.

"I thought if we could get 85 (points) today, we could win," he said. "It's just our inability to score that has sort of plagued us throughout the season."

The Sixers never led after the first quarter but were within three, 71-68, when one of Boston's biggest guns, Paul Pierce, fouled out with 4:16 left in the game.

But Rondo, who fashioned his ninth career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds), scored the next nine Celtics points, and had 11 down the stretch. Never known as a great shooter, he nailed a long jumper from the left wing to push the Boston advantage to 75-68 with 2:47 left, and he added a 3-pointer from the opposite wing on the next Celtics possession to make it a 10-point game.

That was more than enough to keep the punchless Sixers at bay.

"I sit over on that bench and you don't know how I agonize about what I can do to help get us a basket," Collins said. "It's just been a nightmare for us to try to score."

The Sixers figure to have a busy offseason. Starting center Spencer Hawes will be an unrestricted free agent, and sixth man Lou Williams, the team's leading scorer, is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract. Other players could be on the move as well.

"We have to add some more pieces," Collins said. "This team will not be the same team next year. That's the nature of sports."

--The Sixers played their first Game 7 since beating Milwaukee at home in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals that year.

--The Sixers, who averaged an NBA record-low 11.2 turnovers a game this season, coughed it up 15 times in Game 7, leading to 15 Celtics points.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we learned a lot. We have a really young team. ... Playing against a veteran team like this really helps us grow." -- G Jrue Holiday after Saturday's 85-75 Game 7 loss to the Celtics in Boston.

PLAYER NOTES:

--F/G Andre Iguodala, who scored a team-high 18 points, shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 5-for-8 at the foul line. In the series he made 53.8 percent of his 3s (14-for-26) and 48.6 percent of his free throws (18-for-37).

--G Jrue Holiday collected 15 points, nine assists and five steals but shot 5-for-17 and turned the ball over four times. It equaled his worst shooting night and worst turnover game of the postseason.

--F Elton Brand, who shot 6-for-11 for 15 points, was the only Sixer to make more than half his attempts from the field.

MEDICAL WATCH:

Nothing of significance.

ROTATION:

Starters:

--Point guard Jrue Holiday

--Shooting guard Evan Turner

--Small forward Andre Iguodala

--Power forward Elton Brand

--Center Spencer Hawes

Bench:

--Guard Lou Williams

--Forward/guard Lavoy Allen

--Forward Thaddeus Young

--Guard Jodie Meeks