For weeks, opponents have been saying the Sixers, despite their struggles and their injuries, remain the team to beat in the NBA's tight-packed Eastern Conference. The trouble is, those teams have been doing just that; beating the Sixers on their own floor.

The same Sixers who gamely have swept their last four games on the road have dropped their last three at home. Including last night's 82-77 loss to the Miami Heat, they have dropped those three by a total of 11 points.

"I see the same thing you see,'' Matt Harpring said. "We're winning on the road, then we don't win at home. It doesn't make sense.''

They went to Miami on Tuesday night and took out the Heat, 91-79, then couldn't complete the back-to-back sequence, scoring just two points in the final 3 minutes, 34 seconds, missing seven of their last eight shots from the floor.

In their previous two appearances in the First Union Center, they lost by four points to Sacramento and by two to Orlando.

"If we were getting blown out, it would be a big deal, but each game has gone down to the last seconds,'' Eric Snow said. "Also, we've played three quality teams. I can't really say what the deal is. We've won four straight on the road, lost three straight here; that's a little backwards.''

They remain the No. 6 seed in the scramble for the eight qualifying playoff berths. They also remain tenuous enough that they could fall out of the field as easily as they could climb to the fourth position. And whatever comes in the final 15 games of the regular season, they might not know from day to day about the availability of power forward Derrick Coleman. And they still have no clear idea when to expect the return of Aaron McKie.

Coleman, who has struggled for months with what the Sixers termed a hyperextended left knee, could have a partly torn meniscus; as he awaits reports from consulting orthopedic specialists around the country, there is the likelihood that he will have some type of surgery in the offseason. After contributing 20 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night, he was unable to play last night, finally admitting that just before the players left the locker room.

McKie has missed 22 of the last 25 games with a bone bruise on his left ankle, and is unsure when he will be able to play.

Compounding that last night, Dikembe Mutombo was limited to 25 minutes by foul trouble and Corie Blount left briefly with a bruised nose.