Dwight Howard was suspended for the Magic’s Game 6 matchup against the Sixers, but apparently nobody told that to the Magic.

Despite being without their best player, the Magic had their best game of the series, eliminating the Sixers with a 114-89  blowout in Philadelphia.

“Personally, I was embarrassed,” said Sixers’ guard Lou Williams after the game.

After going up two games to one early in the series, it looked like the Sixers were going to make another surprising playoff run. Unfortunately, the young team was never able to put together another solid run, losing their next three games.

While the loss was certainly embarassing, it is not entirely surprising. The Sixers, initially touted as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, never came anywhere close to playing to their potential or meeting expectations this season.

They were wildly inconsistent, and had trouble under pressure. With just a few weeks remaining in the season, the Sixers looked like a lock for the fifth seed in the East, and perhaps had a shot for fourth. Instead, they lost seven of their final eight games to drop to the sixth seed, drawing the third seeded Magic in the first round.

The Sixers at times this season, and this playoffs, were brilliant. But they just cannot play consistent, sound basketball. With their season on the line, they had perhaps their worst game of the year.

“This game was, for us, a total collapse,” coach Tony DiLeo said.

Perhaps part of the problem is that it appears coach DiLeo has lost his lockeroom, or maybe he never had it in the first place. DiLeo took over the team from Maurice Cheeks early in the season after Cheeks was fired for the Sixers’ poor start. After last night’s embarassing loss, the wheels appear to be finally flying off the wagon.

The Sixers’ team leader, Andre Iguodala, is clearly displeased with the way this team played, and the way it was constructed. Iguodala believes the Sixers should have been a 50-win team. So what’s his solution for next year?

“Moves. It’s going to be a busy summer,” Iguodala said. “I’m going to sit down with Ed [Stefanski] and discuss what I think will get us over the [hump].”

When he was asked about whether he thought DiLeo should return as coach, Iguodala was non-committal.

“We’ll see about that,” he said. “We’ll talk. We’ll try to get the best-case scenario.”

Veteran backup center Theo Ratliff called out the coaching for not getting the team prepared for the biggest game of the year.

“The coaches are responsible for guys [being] prepared and playing,” he said. “They have to hold guys accountable. It’s been that way all year, so you couldn’t expect anything different.

That underscores something that Iguodala said after the game, referring to the immature play of some of the yeam’s younger players.

“We have a young team. At times, I think we have a tough time understanding the importance of communication as a whole,” Iguodala said.

Iguodala also referenced a measure of inner turmoil and mental lapses. That falls on the shoulders of the coaching staff.

“You have to step up and get into guys. If [as the coach] you don’t have that type of personality, to be able to go at guys . . . ” Ratliff trailed off at the end of that sentence, paused, and then continued. “At the same time, it’s your position. You’ve seen the mistakes and all that going on. Was anybody getting talked to about that? To me, this is losing if you have situations like that.”

Ratliff continued to call out the coaching staff on what he believed was poor preparation for a young team.

“When you see the lack of effort, the lack of concentration, the lack of being able to get things done, and to stick with the same thing, to me you’re just trying to play guys, and I don’t feel good about it.”

While neither Ratliff or Iguodala called anybody out by name, it was clear they were unhappy with the play of the young core of the team, Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, and Williams.

The end of the season leaves the team with a multitude of questions for the coming off-season. Iguodala clearly believes moves need to be made to improve this team. Will DiLeo return as coach? Will Andre Miller, the unquestioned rock of this team, come back? How will Elton Brand fit into this team once he returns healthy next season? And what about the youth and immaturity of this team?

Only time will tell. For now, the Sixers are left to lick their wounds and slink away as the rest of the NBA playoffs continue, again, without them.