76ers at Heat
THE STORY: The Miami Heat took a few minutes to get their bearings in their first playoff game together but ended up with the victory. One down, 15 wins to go in the quest for the first of those “six or seven” championships that LeBron James mentioned when he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were brought together last summer. The Philadelphia 76ers proved to be athletic enough on the wings to frustrate James and Wade at times and have to have some confidence moving forward after taking the Heat all the way down to the final minute in Game 1. Miami will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set when it hosts Philadelphia again on Monday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, SUN
ABOUT THE HEAT: After falling behind by double digits in the first quarter, Miami got it back on track quickly in the second on Saturday, outscoring the 76ers 35-18 in the period to take a 54-49 lead into the break. The Heat would stretch it to as much as 16 points in the third and still led by 13 midway through the fourth before going cold from the field and letting Philadelphia creep back into the game. But the end is where all that money paid to James, Wade and Bosh began to pay off, as the “Big Three” combined for the final nine points in the 97-89 triumph. Bosh led with 25 points and 12 rebounds while James added 21 and 14 and Wade chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Philadelphia got pounded on the boards, 52-39, in the first game but can take some positives away from the contest after surrendering only eight turnovers and having success slowing the Heat in transition. The 76ers held the Heat scoreless during a 4:37 stretch in the fourth to draw back within a point at 88-87 but could not take the lead. Thaddeus Young finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and Jrue Holiday added 19 points.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Mike Miller played only three minutes for Miami in the opener, getting held scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting. Andre Iguodala contributed nine assists and eight rebounds but struggled to four points on 2-of-7 shooting for Philadelphia.
KEY STATISTIC: Free throw shooting. The Heat went to the line 39 times on Saturday while the 76ers attempted only 15 free throws, converting 12. Philadelphia needs to figure out a way to keep players like Wade and James out of the lane.
LAST WORD: “I could,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said when asked to talk about the free throw discrepancy. “My grandkids would lose their college fund. So I’ll have to dance around that one. I can’t respond to that.”