The Sixers knew, they had to know, that they could not match the Celtics, superstar for superstar, in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

But they could win.

They could win if they played like they did in splitting two games in Boston. They could win if they ran five defensive players back with passion, denying Rajon Rondo open-floor space. They could win if they played physical defense against Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

They could win ... and they still might win.  But not playing the way they did in a 107-91 Game 3 loss at home.

"I thought we got seduced a little bit tonight," Doug Collins said. "I never thought we had any defensive mindset all night. They sliced and diced, got out on the break and scored."

Get seduced in the regular season, there's time to recover. Sleep against Garnett, Rondo and Pierce in the playoffs, and the offseason arrives in a hurry.

The Sixers will return to practice Thursday at PCOM. They know what they did wrong Wednesday. It was easy to see.

Check out my column in the Daily Times and on delcotimes.com Thursday, along with a story on the reemergence of Thad Young.