RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- As long as they remain unbeaten, the Philadelphia
76ers can't expect many more easy wins like the one they got Monday
night.
|  | | Chris Herren, left, and Celtics coach Rick Pitino don't know what hit them in the final minutes of Boston's 114-90 loss to the Sixers. |
"Everybody wants to be the first team to beat us now," Allen
Iverson said after scoring 26 points to help Philadelphia extend
its best-ever start to 10-0 with a 114-90 victory over Boston.
"When you start breaking franchise records, everybody wants to
beat you."
Iverson added eight assists and Eric Snow had 12, and Theo
Ratliff scored 21 points for the Sixers, whose previous best start
was 8-0 in 1979-80.
"I don't get caught up in wins and losses," coach Larry Brown
said. "It's nice to get some in the bank, though."
Eric Williams had 22 points for Boston, which never came closer
than 11 points in the second half.
"Tough day at the office," center Tony Battie shrugged as he
left the locker room following his 15-point, 12-rebound
performance. Celtics coach Rick Pitino said it was Boston's worst
game of the year.
"No one knows the 3-point shot (like me). I've lived with it
since its inception," Pitino said after his team shot just 5-of-25
from 3-point range. "It can be a weapon, but it can also be your
enemy."
Aaron McKie scored 16 of his 17 points in the second quarter -- eight of them in a row as the Sixers mounted a 10-0 run that helped
them open a 59-44 halftime lead. Philadelphia, which rallied from
third-quarter deficits with 18-0 runs in each of its two previous
games, then scored 10 of the first 12 points in the second half to
open a 23-point lead, 69-46.
The lead got as small as 11 points, 86-75 with 10:04 left,
before the Sixers scored the next eight points and led by as many
as 24 in the closing minutes.
Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce struggled from the floor, making
just nine of their 33 shots; they were just 1-for-10 from 3-point
range in the first half, and the team was 1-for-15.
With just over 10 seconds left in the first quarter, Iverson
dribbled out most of the clock before faking out Rick Brunson and
making a layup to give the Sixers a 27-21 lead. He had 12 at the
end of one.
Philadelphia led 44-38 before McKie completed a three-point
play, then added a layup and a 3-pointer. Matt Geiger completed the
10-0 run with an easy layup that made it 54-38 with 3:08 left in
the half.
Geiger played for the first time since surgery on his sprained
left knee Oct. 6. He did not start, but had nine rebounds and
four points in 10 minutes.
Game notes
George Lynch came over the press table saving a loose ball
in the second quarter. He was not injured. ... The game began a
four-game road trip for the Sixers. ... The last NBA team to start
10-0 was the '97-98 Lakers and Hawks, who each won their first 11
games. The record is 15-0 to start the season, set by the
Washington Capitols in 1948-49 and matched by the Houston Rockets
in '93-94. ... The Sixers have held all 10 opponents under 100
points this season. ... Walker was booed by the home crowd because
of his shooting performance. But the crowd cheered several times
after nice moves by Iverson.
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NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 114
Boston 90
Charlotte 100
Toronto 64
Dallas 107
Utah 98
Denver 95
Vancouver 92
New Jersey 86
LA Clippers 85
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson and the Sixers are beginning to realize they are the team to beat.
wav: 116 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Coach Larry Brown credits the Sixers success to the attitude of the star players.
wav: 115 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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