It was as easy as stepping into an old pair of slippers.

Matt Harpring didn't even have to wiggle his toes to know the fit was a good one.

The Philadelphia 76ers -- who reached the NBA Finals last season on the wings of Allen Iverson and the backs of gritty role players -- have embraced Harpring's football mentality.

If everyone blocks correctly for Iverson, he will carry them back to the Finals. And that's just fine and dandy with Harpring. It's the same reason that former Magic coach Chuck Daly loved Harpring during the player's rookie season in Orlando. Harpring put on blinders and plowed full speed ahead.

"Looking in from the outside, you would think, ?Allen gets 30 shots a game. What kind of team is that?'. " Harpring said. "But when you're with this team, it's just part of him, part of us. If he doesn't get 30 shots, it's like, ?Allen, what's wrong?' He needs to take that many for us to be good."

Harpring, now on his third team in four NBA seasons, has hit the jackpot in Philadelphia, a team that has embraced him. He will be negotiating a new contract next summer, and it couldn't come at a better time.

He's getting more playing time (35.3 minutes per game), scoring more points (13.3 per game) and grabbing more rebounds (7.6 per game) than ever. Opportunity doesn't have to knock twice for him.