"Doug Collins waited until the second to last game to rest Andre Iguodala and his aching knee.

Iguodala, who has dealt with tendinitis in his right knee for the past month or so, said he hasn't ruled out playing Wednesday in the regular-season finale. But he hinted that it would be unlikely.

The Sixers will begin the playoffs either Saturday or Sunday against either Miami or Boston. Assuming Iguodala doesn't play until then, he will have had eight or nine days off to rest his knee.

Will that be enough?

"Hopefully, it will be," Iguodala said. "But I really need like four or five weeks. We'll see. I hope it helps"

Iguodala missed his 14th game of the season Monday. He had missed 12 games in the first half of the season with a sore Achilles tendon. He missed a game March 19 with the knee problem. But Iguodala has clearly struggled with the knee over the past few weeks.

He said it hasn't gotten worse, though.

"I just want to rest it," he said. "There were some games, I'd be trying to stop and it would give out. I'm just trying to get it ready for the playoffs."

Collins said it was time for Iguodala to rest.

"We're going to do what's best for us, and if it means that Detroit comes in (Wednesday) and we have to play shorthanded again, that's what we'll do," Collins said. "For us to be competitive in the playoffs, we have to have a full deck and we have to be playing well."

Rookie Evan Turner started in Iguodala's place Monday.

"When the game was over (Friday), he spoke to (Trainer Kevin Johnson) and he said, 'I might want to take a few days and rest and see where I am before the Detroit game,' " Collins said. "I took the maybe out of that. There's no need for him to get out there and play and not play to his capabilities."

What's in a number?

The Sixers, who came into Monday's game with a 41-39 record, needed one more win in their final two games to finish with a winning record for the first time since the 2004-05 season."