Heat-76ers Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Feb 02 2012 6:30PM

The Philadelphia 76ers are wondering what it will take to get proper recognition after beating a pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights.

A rare win over the Miami Heat could do the trick.

Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia seeks a fifth straight victory when it hosts Miami on Friday night.

The 76ers (16-6) followed a 74-69 win over Orlando on Monday by knocking off East-leading Chicago 98-82 on Wednesday. They've won 14 games by at least 10 points and lead the NBA allowing an average of 85.9 points.

Only four of their wins, though, have come against teams with a record currently above .500, prompting some to question their solid start.

"'Who've you beat?' I heard that. 'Inferior teams,' I heard that," said coach Doug Collins, whose team is 12-2 at home.

Andre Iguodala, who scored 19 points and added nine rebounds versus the Bulls, has heard the grumblings, too.

"I don't think we've gotten the respect yet from the outside," Iguodala said. "We're starting to get there."

Collins praised Iguodala for having one of his better games of the season, narrowly missing his third straight double-double.

"When we needed him, he really made that huge spurt," Collins said.

Philadelphia also will need him against Miami, which has won 12 of the last 13 matchups including the postseason.

The Heat, who knocked off the seventh-seeded 76ers in the first round of last year's playoffs en route to the NBA finals, had their five-game winning streak snapped with a 105-97 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Miami (16-6) led by 13 at halftime before being outscored 58-37 over the final two quarters.

"What that second half showed is we still have a long way to go as a ballclub just in terms of playing consistently," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We were playing very good basketball in the first half. It's a fragile game. In this league it can go the other way quickly if you're not staying consistent to your identity."

LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points - including 24 in the first to set an NBA high for most points in a quarter - and Dwyane Wade added 23.

"You always give credit where credit is due," James said. "They made some shots in the third quarter and fourth quarter. They got back into it. They made a run. We held it as much as possible."

The Heat didn't have much trouble building on a seven-point halftime lead in their 113-92 victory over the 76ers on Jan. 21 despite playing without an injured Wade.

Chris Bosh scored a game-high 30 points and James added 28 and nine rebounds for Miami, which prevented the 76ers from their first regular-season win over the Heat since an 85-77 victory March 15, 2009.

Philadelphia's only win during the Heat's stretch of dominance came April 24, when Louis Williams hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to help it to an 86-82 win in Game 4 of the teams' playoff series.

Williams scored a team-high 22 points off the bench in the most recent meeting, while Iguodala was held to four points on 2-for-6 shooting.

Wade is averaging 30.3 points in his last six regular-season games versus Philadelphia.

Heat use late run to top 76ers 99-79

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Feb 03 2012 10:50PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) With LeBron James running the show, Miami ran the Sixers out of their building.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

Needing a jumpstart in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky Sixers. James led a makeshift lineup that included Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller to a 15-0 spurt in the quarter. It turned a tight one for 36 minutes into a comfortable victory and handed the Sixers just their third home loss of the season.

Wade used a pair of ferocious dunks during the game-changing run that pushed the Sixers' first sellout crowd of the season toward the exits.

"When he's out there and we're all on the same page on what we're running offensively," Wade said, "it makes us a dynamic team."

Mario Chalmers scored 13 points and Chris Bosh had 12 to help the Heat in a needed bounce-back game. James had six of his eight assists in the fourth.

"Tonight was probably the best game from start to finish, as far as playing hard and communicating on both ends, that we had all season," James said. "So it was a good win."

James scored a season-high 40 points in a loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The Heat held a tough practice Thursday in Philadelphia to get back on track. The Heat went broke down all aspects of the team via film and some honest communication.

"It was no-holds barred, no tongues being held," James said. "If we're going to be held to a championship standard, we need to go out and play like it. No one can take things personal if someone says something to him. We've got to take constructive criticism."

Thaddeus Young scored 16 points for the Sixers, who snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Sixers opened the week with wins against Orlando and Chicago. The Heat squashed the home-week sweep.

Miami's 113-92 win on Jan. 21 was Philadelphia's only double-digit loss of the season. Entering the fourth, duplicating that feat seemed out of reach.

Unlike the Sixers, the Heat can turn to their stable of stars to crank up the pressure.

Wade started the run easily enough with free throws. Haslem and Miller buried mid-range jumpers, James followed with a 3 and the game changed in a hurry.

The Sixers (12-3 at home) had grown used to the confetti gun blasting off after each victory. By the time they dusted off the seldom-used inspirational movie scene video reel, it was too late. Wade, Bosh and James were headed toward the bench, another win over the Sixers in the books.

"They started to crank it up and we took a few bad shots," Young said. "We went cold and didn't play together. We knew there would be some rough times, but we'll be OK. We know we're a good team. There won't be any heads down."

The Heat played in Philadelphia for the first time since they blew a six-point lead with 95 seconds to play in Game 4 of their opening round playoff series. Jrue Holiday hit a late 3 that sliced the deficit to one and Lou Williams made the go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc over a lunging Wade with 8.1 seconds left for an 86-82 win.

"Our first-round series against them was arguably the toughest, outside the finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game.

Last season, opening round. This season, something deeper?

The Sixers had stamped themselves as a rising threat in the East. The Heat couldn't shake the upstart Sixers in front of 20,694 fans and never led by more than seven in the first half.

The Sixers have done serious damage this season in the third quarter, putting teams away with big runs and tough defensive efforts. The Bulls scored 11 points in the third Wednesday. The Magic scored only nine points Monday.

The defense was as tight as usual, limiting the Heat to 16. The offense (6 of 18) never got going.

"The third quarter was a grind out," Wade said.

Bosh's putback ended an 0-for-10 start to the third for the Heat for a two-point lead. While the Heat struggled, the Sixers couldn't capitalize. Elton Brand and Tony Battie, two frontcourt starters, both went scoreless.

Andre Iguodala, who has cranked up his numbers when the Sixers need him most, continued with the clutch stops. He intercepted a pass from Wade into the post and drove the length of the court for a monster one-handed jam that had fans jumping out of their seats. But he went only 4 for 10 from the floor for 10 points.

The Sixers could never take the lead in the third and that cost them in the final minutes. James scored the last eight points of the third, including a long jumper that made it 67-63. Iguodala buried a 50-footer that was waved off after review.

Philadelphia's winning streak was put to rest in the fourth.

"They just overwhelmed us in the fourth quarter," coach Doug Collins said. "They put a push on us and we didn't have any resistance, so credit to them."

Notes: The Heat only made 11 of 20 free throws. They made up for that number with just nine turnovers. ... The Sixers missed eight of their first nine shots in the third quarter. ... Brand was scoreless for the fifth time in 823 career games and third time as a Sixer. ... Former 76er Rick Mahorn, TV personality Jane Pauley, cartoonist Garry Trudeau and actress Mary Carey were all at the game. ... Not counting playoffs, the Heat have won nine straight over the Sixers.

Notebook: Heat 99, Sixers 79

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Friday February 3, 2012 10:14PM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat continued their dominance over the Philadelphia 76ers in the regular season with their ninth straight victory. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, LeBron James had 19 points and the Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 99-79 victory Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Six Miami players scored in double figures as it improved to 17-6 and 7-4 on the road.

Thaddeus Young paced the Sixers with 16 points while Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks scored 13 points each. It was just the third home loss for the Sixers (12-3). Philadelphia had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 16-7 overall. The Sixers finished their seven-game homestand at 5-2.

QUOTABLE: "In the fourth quarter, we were able to play efficiently and pull away."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, on a 15-0 run in the fourth.

THE STAT: The Heat shot 52 percent from the field and 8-for-13 from beyond the arc.

TURNING POINT: The Heat set a tone with a 7-1 spurt to open the fourth quarter. It extended a four-point lead to 10 and completely turned the momentum in their favor. Later in the fourth, the Heat ripped off a 15-0 run to officially seal the victory.

HOT: Heat guard Mario Chalmers was 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point territory.

NOT: Elton Brand struggled for the first time this season, missing all three shots in 22 minutes for the Sixers.

QUOTABLE II: "This was probably the best game from start to finish in terms of playing together and communicating."
-- James.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Wade (26 points, five rebounds and four assists) and James (19 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots) each played at an extremely high level and keyed Miami's victory.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The buzz inside the Wells Fargo began well before tipoff and continued throughout the game. This was a playoff-intensity atmosphere for a February regular season game and the sellout crowd of 20,694 was loud the entire night. It was the first sellout this season. Former Sixers forward Rick Mahorn took in the action from a front-row seat.

QUOTABLE III: "It doesn't frustrate us. We just have to keep playing hard and keep fighting."
-- Young.

GOOD MOVE: The Heat forced the Sixers further out on the perimeter than they wanted to be. Young and Evan Turner, among others, were forced to take jump shots at times instead of driving to the basket.

BAD MOVE: Philadelphia has been so good at guarding the 3-point line all season. It wasn't a banner night in that respect as the Heat shot 8-for-13 from beyond the arc.

ROOKIE WATCH: Heat guard Norris Cole scored 11 points in 17 minutes. Sixers forward Nikola Vucevic was scoreless in a brief stint late in the fourth. Forward Lavoy Allen was the first player off the bench and wound up with eight points and five rebounds.

NOTABLE: The Heat missed their first 10 shots in the third quarter. ... Andre Iguodala swished a shot from midcourt at the end of the third and the ruling by the officials was no good. A video replay confirmed the ruling. ... Miami outrebounded the Sixers 47-38. ... Sixers center Spencer Hawes missed his 10th straight game with a strained left Achilles. ... James has now recorded at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the 25th straight game. The only other player in NBA history to accomplish that feat is Oscar Robertson. ... Brand went scoreless for just the fifth time in 823 games played and the third time in a Philadelphia uniform. The last time it happened was Feb. 3, 2009 against the Boston Celtics. ... The Heat won by at least 20 points for the fourth time this season.

NEXT: For the Heat, Sunday vs. Toronto, Tuesday vs. Cleveland, Wednesday @ Orlando. For the Sixers, Saturday @ Atlanta, Monday vs. L.A. Lakers, Wednesday vs. San Antonio.

• Heat: Gladness, Harris
• 76ers: Hawes

• Heat: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #47 Bennie Adams, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 20694
• Duration: 2:04