(Associated Press)

Sam Dalembert and Brandon Jennings are not Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. And Monta Ellis is nowhere near Rajon Rondo.

Still, the point to be made is this: No matter who’s on the floor, the 76ers aren’t going to be “intimidated.” Those are Evan Turner’s words, not mine.

The other day, after the win at Boston, Turner told reporters he and the Sixers from a season ago would’ve coughed up their 106-100 win over the Celtics. He intimated that they would’ve found a way to lose, especially when a veteran Boston team began to close in on their once-14-point lead, in a hostile environment like a near-capacity Boston Garden.

Plain and simple – whether it’s tonight at home against Ellis, Jennings and Milwaukee or Wednesday night against winless Detroit or even rematches with the Celtics or the New York Knicks, the Sixers won’t play scared.

“We’re not intimidated. We want more,” Turner said. “We keep progressing. Every single game is important. We don’t walk out onto the court and go, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s Paul Pierce,’ or ‘Oh my gosh, it’s LeBron,’ or ‘It’s Carmelo.’ You expect to win. That’s progressing.”

Big words from the third-year swingman, who had a solid three-game stretch to help the Sixers sweep a roadtrip of three games or more for the first time since 2003. Let's see if he and the Sixers can use his words as a springboard to further successes.