"Doug Collins didn't hesitate. The question wasn't fully asked yet – it had merely formed on the tip of one reporter's tongue – but Collins had his reply ready anyway. The anticipation was impressive. So was the comedic timing.

Not long before the Sixers faced the Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, Collins did his usual pregame chit-chat with the media in the hallway outside his team's locker room. Toward the end of the gathering, someone in the pack noted aloud that, in the last two losses at home – to Denver and New Jersey – point guards really damaged the Sixers. It was only a statement at that point. The inquisitor never had a chance to work it into a proper question."