End Of The Road For The Sixers

They played with heart and energy and a whole lot of determination, but in the end the Sixers could not handle the Miami Heat losing by a final of 97-91, and losing the series 4 games to 1.

To start the game, the Sixers jumped out to an early 14-4 lead thanks in part to the strong play of Elton Brand and Jodie Meeks. Meeks was knocking down his early jumpers to score 8, and Elton Brand went 4-5 from the field and he too contributed 8 points. Defensively the Sixers kept the Heat in front of them and didn't allow any easy baskets. Jrue Holiday played with a ton of energy and not only scored but also dove on the floor after loose balls which really motivated his team mates. But the Heat had an answer to the early Sixers start and responded with a 16-4 run late in the quarter. Mario Chalmers came off the bench for the Heat and provided a big spark with 11 points most of which came from beyond the arc. Chalmers provided a dagger 3 pointer at the buzzer to give the Heat a 27-23 lead after the opening quarter.

The Sixers did a good job of just hanging with the Heat in the second quarter. They successfully pushed the ball in transition and got the ball to Elton Brand who had the hot hand. Evan Turner got some minutes in the first half and ripped down 8 boards. The Sixers locked down on Lebron who went 1-6 from the field in the first half and was limited to just 3 points. In the second quarter the Sixers also did a good job of limiting Mario Chalmers to just 3 points. Going into halftime the Sixers trailed 45-42, a one possession game.

The third quarter included some extremely exciting and entertaining basketball. Mario Chalmers knocked down some early threes to give the Heat the early second half edge. But the Sixers responded behind Andre Iguodala who did an excellent job of pushing the ball. Iggy also knocked down some key shots in the third and had 11 of his 14 points in the quarter. Lebron James also heated up towards the end of the third and had 10 points in the quarter.

In the 4th the Heat jumped out to an early lead and at one point early in the quarter they led by as many as 10 points. The Heat brought defensive traps that caused Sixers turnovers. Thadeus Young played with a lot of heart and made some great hustle plays diving all over the place to save the ball. Lebron continued to drive and get to the basket and D-Wade silently burned the Sixers. The Sixers were also burned by their play on the boards as the Heat grabbed 5 offensive boards in the second half which led to extra opportunities. The Heat continued to knock down their 3 pointers but the Sixers were able to hang tough. Andre Iguodala played out of his mind and had 22 points on the night. He continued to push the ball and knock down countless jumpers with a hand in his face. The Sixers kept it close and were down by as little as 1 in the final moments. But down by 3, Andre was unable to come up with a bucket in the final minute. Eventually the Sixers lost by a final of 97-91.

It's tough to lose especially when the Sixers were that close. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala played so great tonight. They played with heart and both came up with some big shots and both finished with 22 points to lead the Sixers in scoring. Jrue Holiday and Thad Young played hard and finished in double digits for the Sixers. Jodie Meeks also finished in double digits and overall as a team the Sixers played great. They went into Miami and played one of their best games this year.

But the Heat went 12-30 from 3 point land and they had 15 offensive rebounds which is simply unacceptable. And D-Wade and Lebron went on their little spurts which really hurt the Sixers.

Although the Sixers lost the game and the series they sent a message to the rest of the league that Philadelphia basketball is back. The Sixers are now a time that you have to take seriously and will be a force in the upcoming years.

Check back to the blog in the upcoming days for more on this series as well as this overwhelmingly positive Sixers turnaround season.