The four Sixers coaches seated along the bench all decided to wear gray suits Friday night; I’m not sure if this was a group decision, or if subconsciously, they were reflecting the mood of the Sixers’ season. However, when the game got underway, it looked like the Sixers might be on their way to an upset heard ’round the world. In the first quarter, Spencer Hawes was active in scoring 9 points, Evan Turner drained 2 threes and the Heat committed 5 turnovers. Then, midway through the quarter, the Heat called timeout, apparently looking in the mirror and remembering who they were. Suddenly, they were throwing alley-oops, getting out on the fast break, and ended the first quarter on a 17-5 run.
Encouragingly for Sixers fans, they continued to stick around. The long ball was key for Philadelphia, as they went 10-21 from downtown on the game, including a scorching 7 for 10 in the first half. However, midway through the third quarter, the Sixers were up 6 when the turning point of the game occurred. Spencer Hawes somehow found himself leading a fast break when he scored on what should have been an and-one; unfortunately for Sixers’ faithful, the referees called a charge even though Udonis Haslem clearly had his feet in the charge circle. Hawes, who had been playing an excellent game to that point, was clearly thrown off his game and began taking bad shots and missing defensive assignments. What should have been an 8 or 9 point Philadelphia lead, quickly devolved into a one-point Miami lead at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, the Heat finally woke up and went into world-champions mode. The outside shooting for Philadelphia went cold and Miami continued their efficient scoring on the offensive end as the Heat pulled ahead for a 102-93 victory. The usual suspects fpr Miami were in full search-and-destroy mode on the evening. LeBron finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, modest numbers for a man who has made that type of stat line look commonplace. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh finished with 22 and 16 points, respectively, both shooting 50% or better.
Thad Young and Spencer Hawes both did an excellent job of exploiting the Heat’s interior weakness on the defensive end. Young finished 12-15 from the field tying a game-high with 25 points, and Hawes accrued a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, much of which came before the crucial charge call. Jrue Holiday did an excellent job distributing the ball, tallying 14 assists, but struggled to convert from the field, going 3-11 on the evening.
Looking back, this was probably the best case scenario a Sixers fan could have hoped for. Philadelphia played their hearts off and made the Heat play a full game, providing an entertaining viewing experience for the folks at home. In the end, the talent disparity proved to be too great and the Sixers fell short, but it can’t hurt to be encouraged from this game. If Philadelphia can play with this level of energy and focus going forward, they will certainly come out on top more often than not.
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