On to the second round: the Sixers??!?

It may need an asterisk but a number 8 seed knocking off a number 1 seed is always a tremendous accomplishment.  The Sixers pulled off that task after beating the Bulls on Thursday and winning their first round series, 4-2.

Fittingly, the hero for the Sixers was Andre Iguodala, who has taken a ton of heat over the years for not stepping up in the clutch and hitting the big shots.  After the Bulls foolishly tried to add to their 1 point lead in the final seconds of the game, Iguodala grabbed a rebound and took the ball coast-to-coast and got fouled with 2 seconds left.  Iguodala had ice in his veins, hitting both free throws to give the Sixers a series win.

The Sixers now await the winner of the Celtics/Hawks series, which will likely be Boston.  Don't expect a Celtics/Sixers series to be pretty but also don't expect the Celtics to simply walk all over the Sixers.  It's been a long, long time since the Sixers got to the second round of the playoffs and they deserve a ton of credit for getting there.  While their path was easier due to injuries, the Sixers still deserve a ton of credit for knocking off one of the elite teams in the league.
(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)