PHILADELPHIA -- Around 2 p.m. on Monday, Robert Covington embraced T.J. McConnell, hugged him, gave him a message of encouragement and congratulated him for, well, stealing Covington's spot in the Sixers' starting line-up. It was genuine.
"Rob's one of the best dudes I've been around," McConnell said. "He went out of his way to come up to me (Monday) and said 'you're starting. Go out there and make a difference.'"
Covington has struggled, shooring just 33 percent from the field during the playoffs. The Sixers -- down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Celtics, on the verge of season-ending elimination -- needed a spark.