Thursday, April 21, 2011
Posted: 10:40 p.m.Updated: April 22, 12:25 a.m.
By Reuben Frank
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
The thing that hurts the most is that deep down, the Sixers believe they can beat this team. They genuinely believe they could have won two of these three games. They honestly believe that instead of being on the brink of a sweep, they should be right in this series.
Maybe even winning this series.
Game 1 Saturday in Miami, they led by 13 early and were within a point in the final minute. And Game 3 Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, they led by 10 late in the first quarter, led by a basket early in the fourth quarter and were still within three with 6 minutes left.
Theyre battling and fighting. Theyre going head-to-head with a Heat team thats won 18 of its last 21 games. With the exception of Game 2an anomaly, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called itthis young Sixers team has shown it belongs on the floor with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the mighty Miami Heat.
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They just dont have any wins to show for it.
The Heat opened the fourth quarter with a 17-5 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead and held on for a 100-94 win over the Sixers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
The win gave the Heat a commanding 3-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series. Theyll go for the sweep Sunday afternoon back here at the Wells Fargo Center.
Its discouraging, Elton Brand said. Its encouraging, because we have a lot of young players, but its discouraging knowing we could have won two of these games. Realistically, we had a good shot. They made big plays, and they took it away from us, but we could have had these games. We could have had tonight.
We had two games that could have gone either way. One point with one minute and six seconds left down there and a lead today in the fourth quarter. So we know we can play with them. We just have to get a win and stay alive in this series.
Brand, limited to one basket and three points in Game 2, was masterful, making nine of 15 shots for 21 points to go with 11 rebounds. Rookie Jrue Holiday had 20 points and eight assists, and Spencer Hawes rebounded nicely from two disappointing games in Miami with 12 points and six boards.
But Miamis Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh piled up 75 points and 31 rebounds and scored 23 of Miamis 27 fourth-quarter points. And the Sixers just didnt have an answer.
Wade was magnificent, making 10 of 19 shots, all 12 of his foul shots and finishing two assists shy of a triple-double with 32 points, 10 boards and eight assists.
We respect all our opponents, but wed be fooling ourselves if we didnt say we want to close this out on Sunday, Wade said. We came up here to win two games. We got one of them, and we want to close it out Sunday. We know were going to take some good shots from them, but we feel like we can withstand those shots.
The Sixers have only been swept in a seven-game playoff series once in 51 best-of-seven series in franchise playoff historythat was the 1999 Eastern Conference semifinals, when they lost all four games to Reggie Miller and the Pacers.
Sixers coach Doug Collins insisted he doesnt believe in moral victories, although he did say this: Were supposed to just be a speed bump.
Theyve been more than a speed bump. But that doesnt change the fact that the Sixers face elimination on Easter.
Holiday said the Sixers will approach Sunday like theyve approached every crucial game this year.
Theres times we lose two games in a row, three games in a row, and we come together and say we have to win the next game, so as a team were going to look at it just like that, he said. We feel we should have won the game. Just like in the regular season, we were in the game until the end. Honestly, we feel like we can win. We feel like we can beat them.
The Sixers have now lost six consecutive playoff games dating back to a two-point win over Orlando here on April 24, 2009. Theyve lost five games in a row dating back to the end of the regular season, and theyre 1-8 in their last nine games. Theyve lost seven in a row to teams with a winning record.
Spoelstra said the Sixers have definitely gotten the Heats attention.
Theyre relentless, he said. They dont stop coming. It doesnt matter whos in the game, they just continue to put pressure on you and they did that tonight. A six-, eight-, 10-point lead against the Sixers is similar to a three-point lead against most teams.
Key moment for the Sixers came early in the third quarter, when they ran off 12 straight points to turn a 56-52 deficit into a 64-56 lead.
Just as quickly as they gained momentum, the Heat took it back with a flurry of dunks and alley-oops.
We went on that 12-0 spurt and took that lead, but then we turned the ball over, they got in transition and they got those dunks, Brand said. If we dont do that, this is our ball game. All credit to them, but we could have had this one.
Lou Williams scored 15 points and four assists in his best game since his late-season hamstring injury.
But the Sixers got very little from forwards Andre Iguodala or Thaddeus Young, who shot a combined 4 for 18 from the field.
Iguodala was 3 for 10 for 10 points and has made just seven of 25 shots in the series, including 1 for 8 from three-point range.
Youngwho piled up 38 points and 17 rebounds in the first two gamesstruggled through 21 minutes, shooting 1 for 8 for four points and just three boards in 21 minutes.
The Sixers inexplicably poor foul shooting continued. They shot 13 for 19 from the line (68 percent), and theyre 27 for 37 in the series (73 percent).
Wade, James and Bosh scored 75 of the Heats 100 points and have scored 201 of their 291 in the series69 percent.
The Sixers made 13 of 22 shots in the first quarter (59 percent), then shot just 23 for 60 the rest of the way (38 percent)almost a carbon copy of Game 1.
The Heat outrebounded the Sixers 50-33, including a hard-to-believe 39-15 edge in the second half. Miami had 20 offensive rebounds, 14 in the second half.
Twenty offensive rebounds, Collins said. Thats the game. It had nothing to do with our offense. Twenty offensive rebounds. Twenty-four points on offensive rebounds. There was nothing wrong with our offense. ... Thats the end of the story. Thats the game.
Collins wouldnt talk about the 3-0 deficit his team faces. All he would allow is that the Sixers will battle in Game 4, like theyve battled this entire series and this entire season.
Ill fight as long as Im breathing, Collins said. Thats what were going to do. Weve done that all season long. Come out with the same kind of effort. Miamis flying home Sunday night after the game. We want to fly with them.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com
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