Just like their fellow Philadelphians, the Flyers, the 76ers blew a late game lead in Miami after keeping it close and leading for much of the game. The Heat, excuse me, El Heat, entered this match up with a 16 game winning streak, and the Sixers entered with.... well... 1 win in 11 games. But the game was much more exciting then expected thanks to a valiant effort by Philadelphia.
The Sixers jumped out to a quick lead in the 1st quarter off great play by Spencer Hawes on both sides of the ball, as he scored 9 of his 13 in the first quarter. But the Heat wouldn't take it sitting down. Miami would regain the edge with a minute to play in the quarter off a transition alley-oop from Norris Cole to James. Ray Allen would hit his signature corner three to close out the quarter, with the Heat leading 28-24. The Sixers shot extremely well beyond the arc in the 1st half (7-10) which was key in retaking and maintaining their lead. Thad Young and Spence both had 13 points off very efficient shooting in the first half. Philadelphia took the lead into the break, up 51-47, even with their floor general, Jrue Holiday, missing all 5 of his first half shots. Holiday was still able to dish out 7 first half assists.
The 76ers were able to keep the advantage through the 3rd quarter as Holiday regained his offense and the team continued their defensive effort and were able to stop Miami in transition where they are most dangerous. One turning point for the Heat came on a bad charge call that negated what should have been a three-point play by Hawes but instead led to 8 unanswered Miami points as they tied it up at 62. Miami would take the lead a minute later but the Sixers kept fighting. The game changed hands multiple times for the rest of the quarter but a buzzer-beating 3 pointer from LeBron would give the Heat a 76-75 lead and momentum going into the 4th. The Sixers started to slip at the start of the 4th as fatigue appeared to set in and as LeBron caught fire. James made an impact on offense and defense as he switched to defend Holiday. The deficit reached 13 with a little under 3 minutes left as the Heat shot much better. James remained on the bench for the final part of the 4th as Bosh and Wade cemented the win for the Heat, 102-93. The Sixers have yet to defeat Miami's big 3 in the regular season. These teams play each other 2 more teams this season.
Thaddeus Young had a team high 25 points but only 3 rebounds for Philly. Spence was much quieter in the second half because of foul trouble and finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Jrue scored only 9 points but had 13 assists. Lebron finished with 25 points, 10 boards, and 5 dimes for Miami. Wade had 22 and Chris Bosh scored 16 points.
Although they lost, imagine if the 76ers came out with this effort against teams like the Magic and Wizards. On the road, against the reigning champions, the Sixers played their hearts out, played smart, and defended well for most of the game. The second half of the season could look very different if they always performed like this. The Sixers play in Orlando on Sunday and I for one hope we don't see a repeat of their performance from last time against the Magic.
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