Evan Turner does not have a problem with his confidence.
The Chicago product stirred the pot prior to the start of the playoffs when he said the Sixers were "dodging a bullet" to draw the Bulls instead of the Heat.
He has been rewarded handsomely for those comments with a downpour of boos every time he has touched the ball in the first two games of the series in Chicago.
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After Saturday's contest, Turner said the fans weren't getting to him and he proved it with a big game Tuesday night to help lead the Sixers to victory. His knack for playing the best in the biggest games has endeared him to his teammates and coaches.
"That's what I love about Evan," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. "He feels like he's the best player in the gym. And I love that. I know he made some ill-timed comments and he gets booed every time he touched the ball. He's using that in a very positive way. A lot of guys would maybe cower away from that, but Evan has risen to the challenge."
With the Sixers down 1-0 in the series, the pressure was on, but Turner was up to the task.
"People always talk about guys disappearing in big moments," he said. "I never wanted to be that type of guy. When it comes to big games, I just want to play well, be there and help my teammates.
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"It's the playoffs. Everything is intensified. You have to play with an edge...You have to raise the level of play."
Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday understands the magnitude of each game in this best-of-seven series.
"This is the stage you dream to be on," he said. "Playing against the best team in the East, someone has to step up. It makes it a lot easier when we have guys who have big games."
While Holiday stepped up in his own right, Turner was almost as impressive, scoring 19 points with seven rebounds and six assists.
"Evan played great," Sixers power forward Elton Brand said. "He's a great all-around player. He can rebound for us, score the ball for us, pass the ball, distribute the ball and play defense. He did it all tonight. That's what we need out of him."
After coming off the bench in Game 1, Turner got the start Tuesday night and played almost 42 minutes. Collins designed some plays to get Turner involved in the offense and the young guard said after the game that he was confident he would make the shot when it was given to him.
"Evan had to be out there," Collins said. "He had been playing great. We needed another playmaker.
"I thought Evan hit a couple really big baskets for us when we needed it. They made a little run and I thought he made a couple nice plays that gave us a nice cushion."