Philadelphia 76ers avoid series sweep with a 86-82 victory over the Miami Heat
On Sunday night, the Miami Heat’s fans entered the Wells Fargo Center, planning to celebrate the playoff sweep of their team. The Sixer’s fans, on the other hand, were shaking their heads. By the time game-4 ended, the roles were reversed as Philadelphia celebrated a hard-fought 86-82 victory over Miami.
The stakes were high going into the night as the Sixers not only faced the prospect of the intimidating Miami “Big Three,” they also faced a potential elimination from the Eastern Conference best-of-seven series. However, they passed their most difficult test of the season with excellence.
The Sixers are well aware of the fact though, that no team in the entire history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has bounced back from a 3-0 playoffs deficit. Knowing the fact, that their chances of making it to the next round are still very slim and that the Sixers still may eventually lose this series, the Sixers coach Doug Collins was still hopeful. Collins said, "If you have faith, you have hope. And if you have hope, you have life.”
Miami still lead the series 3-1 and will have a golden chance to close it out at home on Wednesday night.
Guard Louis Williams led the Sixers with 17 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 8.1 seconds remaining in the quarter. Rookie Evan Turner came off the bench with an effective game with 17 points and six rebounds in the victory.
Forward-guard Andre Iguodala ended with 16 points and Elton Brand added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Sixers.
Miami’s 26-year-old small forward, LeBron James continued his excellent run in the series. He not only added a game-high 31 points but also grabbed seven rebounds and six assists for the Heat. Guard Dwyane Wade chipped in with 22 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, and four assists in the defeat. However, he missed a three-pointer and jump shot with 46 seconds remaining in the game, spoiling Miami's chance at a series sweep.
Chris Bosh also had an effective game as he racked up 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks for the third-seeded Heat.
The Sixers went on a 20-6 run early in the first quarter to take an initial lead. The Heat failed to stop Brand, who scored eight of his 15 points in the opening stanza. The Sixers maintained their dominance throughout the first quarter and took a 28-16 lead into the second.
The second quarter was a completely different story. Miami got its traditional hot shooting touch back and limited Philadelphia to 18 points only. Trailing by 12 points after 12 minutes, Wade paced Miami with 14 points in the second as the Heat carried a one-point lead, 47-46, into the locker room.
Miami continued to play offensively in the third quarter. Wade proved to be unstoppable again while King James also started to warm up. The Big Three were hot in the third as the Heat stretched their lead to 66-64, heading into the final stanza.
Miami opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 73-66 advantage. With 01:35 remaining on the clock, Wade hit a tip shot to put the Heat ahead by 82-76. However, as the final stanza came to the last one minute, everything changed as the Sixers scored 10 unanswered points to walk away with a victory.
At the end of the game, when asked about how he felt about the team letting a six-point lead evaporate in the last minute, the Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "In the fourth quarter, we did not execute. There was a little bit of a false sense of security being up six in the fourth quarter with our offense."
Without any doubt, the victory was an encouraging one for Philadelphia. The woeful Sixers gave their home crowd a win they can cherish on to. With three more games left in the series, Philadelphia need to play with same enthusiasm and team effort and see if they want to hold back the Southeast Division Champions. Next game takes place on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Arena, Miami.
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