76ers not going away

PHILADELPHIA – Joe Smith keeps disappointing all those Philadelphia fans who want the 76ers to win the No. 1 draft pick.

For the diehards clinging to postseason dreams, Smith, Andre Iguodala and the rest of the Sixers are giving them a reason to believe.

Iguodala had his third triple-double of the season and Smith swished the winning jumper with 14.4 seconds left to lead the 76ers to their fifth straight win, 92-89 over the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night.

“The more we win, the more they’ll appreciate us,” Smith said. “I don’t think we’re going to go out there and try and blow any games and win any lottery picks.”

Iguodala finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Andre Miller had 17 points.

Once a leading candidate to earn the most Ping-Pong balls in the draft lottery, the Sixers instead are talking about the playoffs. The postseason is still a long shot, for sure, but thinking about it beats another dreary end to the season – only don’t tell that to Sixers fans who want their team to lose and get that No. 1 pick.

“Hopefully, I’ll keep getting them angry if that’s the case,” said Smith, himself a former No. 1 overall pick.

Samuel Dalembert grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end. Steven Hunter had 13 points and the Sixers extended the longest active winning streak in the Eastern Conference.

Ray Allen led Seattle with 29 points. The SuperSonics had their three-game winning streak snapped a night after an emotional 100-99 win at New York.

The Sonics have suddenly become used to these late-game finishes, only this time they were on the losing end. They even missed the final-minute free throw, too, after they held on to beat the Knicks when Stephon Marbury missed a tying free throw with 0.9 seconds left.

Allen was fouled by Kyle Korver on a driving layup that tied the score at 89-all with 36 seconds left. Allen, a 90 percent free-throw shooter who had made his first six, missed this one.

Then Smith, considered a throw-in player in the Allen Iverson trade with Denver, showed again that he’s more valuable to the Sixers than just an expiring contract. He came off a screen and made the 18-footer for the winning basket.

Iguodala went 1 for 2 from the line and Allen was off on his last-ditch 3-point attempt.

“I was surprised I was so open,” Allen said. “I think I rushed it a little bit. I wish I could have it back and I would take a second longer and set my feet.”

Here’s something else besides close wins that was missing from the Sixers earlier this season: some fun. Smith’s winning bucket came from a pass by Iguodala that gave the swingman his 10th assist of the game and his fourth career triple-double.