Forgotten Geiger Starts Redeeming Himself

When he finally decided it was time to get back in uniform and try to contribute to the Philadelphia 76ers’ quest for an NBA title, Matt Geiger said it took a big man to admit he made a mistake.

A smart coach knows not to hold a grudge.

So while many Philadelphia fans proclaimed Geiger should never be allowed to wear 76er colors again, Coach Larry Brown kept encouraging his tender center to find the willpower to at least suit up and try to play.

While fans saw Geiger as the 76ers’ lone reluctant warrior, battling a quadriceps problem in his right leg, Brown saw Geiger as another player who could contribute if he would just get on the court.

Wednesday night, Brown’s willingness to forget the past was rewarded as Geiger had his best game in a month by playing 14 minutes and scoring 10 points in the 76ers’ 107-101 victory over the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

‘[Geiger] called me before this playoff series,” Brown recalled, “and said, ‘Coach, I’ll give you anything I have. I don’t know what I have, but I’m gonna do the very best I can.’

“So with that in mind, I felt with the skills that Matt has, that maybe he could be a little bit effective against [Laker center Shaquille O’Neal], stepping out on the floor and having the threat to shoot a jump shot.

“We went to [Geiger], and I thought he responded remarkably well for a guy who hadn’t played all that much. We never would have won the game without him.”

I don’t know about that, since the 76ers have won much of the season without Geiger as he has been sidelined because of various injuries, but he undeniably helped make a difference.

“It felt good,” Geiger said Thursday at practice as the 76ers prepared for tonight’s Game 2 at Staples Center. “I think coach did a pretty good job of not playing me a lot in the last series so I could get healthier, and it feels good to contribute.”

Geiger said he’s here for the duration. He said that, thanks to rest, his body has healed and he no longer feels as if his knee will explode if he plays.

“It was a scary situation,” Geiger said. “I don’t feel that now and hopefully, I won’t feel that again.”

Still, Geiger must know he’s on shaky ground with Philadelphia fans. He must know how it looked when he was wearing designer clothes while guys such as Allen Iverson, Eric Snow and Aaron McKie played with all sorts of breaks, bumps and bruises.

A couple of made jumpers and some tough play against O’Neal will do wonders to help raise a guy’s image, even one whose image has sunk as low as Geiger’s.

“I told Matt, ‘This could make your season. This could make your year,’ ” 76er President Pat Croce said. “He looked like the Matt Geiger of old. That was exactly what we needed from him when we needed it.

“In Philly, if you don’t play, if you don’t play hard, they get down on you. But if Matt continues to play the way he did in Game 1, he’ll get a warm reception on Sunday [in Game 3 at the First Union Center].

“[The booing] hurt him. He wants to please the fans.”

If Geiger keeps playing hard, 76er fans will let bygones be bygones.