Eric Snow admits that, with Allen Iverson back in the 76ers' lineup, perhaps he was passive in Games 1 and 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Perhaps he passed up open shots. Perhaps he tried to involve Iverson too much in the offense.
With the Sixers trailing Boston by two games to none, however, Snow on Sunday exchanged passivity for aggressiveness, and the results showed. Instead of his 4-for-25 performance of the first two games, he was a splendid 9 for 14 for a career playoff-high 23 points.
The Sixers needed every one for a 108-103 victory that forced Game 4 tomorrow night at the First Union Center.
"Maybe I was just trying to get Allen off and get our big men off, and at the same time get shots on the fly," Snow said yesterday after the Sixers had a light practice and a film session. "That's an accurate statement, but I think - no, I know - I was more aggressive [on Sunday].
"All the guys encouraged me to be more aggressive, and it's not necessarily always taking shots. It's pushing the ball up, creating, driving, and trying to get [the Celtics] to help on me, because they do help a lot."
On the Sixers' second possession Sunday, Matt Harpring got Snow the ball along the perimeter. Without hesitation - no dribble, no fake, no glance at a teammate - Snow drilled an 18-footer. With 7 minutes, 45 seconds left in the quarter, he made a tough turnaround jumper from nine feet out, and a couple of minutes later he made a 20-footer off a feed from Iverson that put the Sixers up by 19-10.
Those hoops set the tone for Snow, who insisted after Game 2 that he had not lost his confidence. His shot simply was not falling.
Snow's only bucket of the second quarter came on the last possession of the half. With a 15-2 run, the Celtics had cut the Sixers' 16-point lead to just three until Snow, a career 20.1 percent three-point shooter who was alone in the right corner, made his fourth three-pointer of the season.
In addition to his 23 points, Snow had five assists, two rebounds and a steal and committed only one turnover. He was 4 of 4 from the foul line.
"He's going to hurt us if he doesn't shoot open shots," coach Larry Brown said. "When he's open and shoots it, I always feel good. I don't like him to take shots that don't come out of our offense or when he's not open, but I never worry about him shooting an open shot, and he needed to make some to get some confidence.