Heat Win Game One Over 76ers, 97-89
MIAMI - (CBSMiami.com) - The arena was adorned in white and the flames shot up from the baskets Saturday afternoon as the Heat started their pursuit of an NBA championship with a 97-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite a strong effort from the 76ers, and the Big Three of Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade being held under 70 points, the 76ers couldn't pull out the victory.
The 76ers came out firing on all cylinders and were abusing the Heat throughout the first quarter.
76ers power forward/center Elton Brand was dominating the Heat in the first on the way to 11 points in the quarter. The 76ers came out on fire from the field and shot 61 percent during the first quarter.
The Heat's defense struggled to rotate as the 76ers quickly moved the ball around the court. The 76ers would hit several clutch 3 pointers to help them build a 12 point lead at the end of the first quarter.
"We were very happy with the way we played in the first quarter," said 76ers power forward Elton Brand. "We defended them well."
Wade said that the speed and aggressiveness the 76ers showed was not a surprise.
"They came out very aggressive," Wade said. "They were reading us very well, you could tell they scouted us very well."
But Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made the switch to the zone defense to start the second quarter lit a fire under the Heat because they were a different team in the second quarter. The switch was predicated on the sheer speed the 76ers have at their disposal.
"That speed is something we tried to anticipate and emulate going into the game," Spoelstra said. "It caught us by surprise and caught us on our heels."
The Heat, led by LeBron and Bosh came out in the second quarter and immediately started to storm the 76ers, thanks in part to the defensive switch.
James and Bosh quickly got the 76ers in foul trouble as the Heat were in the bonus just 3 minutes into the second quarter. That trend would continue through the rest of the game as the Heat continued to go to the basket all night.
When it came to the gross disparity in the free throws shot in the game, 76ers head coach Doug Collins wouldn't go near the question for fear of a fine from the league.
"I can't respond to that," Collins said. "I could, but my kids would lose their college fund."
Once the 76ers were in foul trouble in the second quarter, the Heat began to drive the ball hard to the basket and quickly took off.
In the second, the Heat hit more than 50 percent from the field. The Heat's rally was started with some strong bench play by James Jones, who helped get the Heat rolling to a lead with more than 5 minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Heat would quickly open a five point lead and when LeBron hit an improbable layup with a little less than 4 minutes in the quarter, the Miami crowd exploded in one.
The 76ers quickly took a time out and made a small run of their own, but it wasn't enough to retake the lead.
The Heat lead the Philadelphia 76ers 54-49 when the halftime horn sounded.
"Everybody just had to settle down," Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "Everybody was excited and just ready to go. We missed some easy shots and that got to us on the defensive end."
But the 76ers wouldn't make excuses for what happened in the second quarter.
"We've been seeing zone all season, it wasn't the zone," Brand said. "They raised their intensity."
As the third quarter got underway, it started off slow, but the Heat quickly became the proverbial cat just toying with the mouse, played Saturday by the 76ers.
Wade got the scoring started for the Heat, but it was Bosh who was just on fire throughout the third quarter.
With roughly 6:30 to go in the third, Dwyane Wade hit a jumper to give the Heat a 10 point lead. During a timeout, the Heat golden oldies dance squad came out and destroyed the building to really get the Heat crowd rocking the American Airlines Arena.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas hit a long jumper a few minutes later and then gave a nasty assist to Chris Bosh who dunked the ball to give him 20 points and 10 rebounds through the third quarter.
As the third quarter came to an end, it was the Heat who had pulled out to an eleven point lead over the 76ers.
As the Heat came out in the fourth quarter, they were a little bit out of control. The Heat had two quick offensive fouls on LeBron and Dwyane Wade and that got the crowd after the refs hard.
Several times throughout the game, the refs were hearing it with "Refs, You Suck!" chants.
The 76ers mounted a spirited comeback in the fourth when Dwyane Wade got his fifth foul in the game. The 76ers got within one point as the game wound down in the final minutes.
But, Wade wound getting the final shot at crunch time to push the Heat over the top to beat the 76ers 97-89.
Just don't read too much into the fact that Wade had the big shot in crunch time.
"I think that's probably so overstated, the game will dictate (who gets the ball at the end)," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "We don't want to be so predictable."
Bosh led the way for the Heat with 25 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds; and Dwyane Wade contributed 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Still, Brand said there were things that the 76ers could build on, specifically, keeping the pressure on the Heat's big three of LeBron, Bosh, and Wade.
"Its encouraging that none of the big three shot over 50 percent," Brand said. "I think we can sustain (the intensity in the first quarter). We need to run our sets and execute."
Still, despite the intensity the 76ers showed, they couldn't get it done, despite playing the Big Three so well.
But Bosh said before the fans start celebrating too much, they need to stay focused on the task at hand.
"I don't read too much into too many games," Bosh said. "We expect to make a long run. I just wanna go out there and keep doing what I've been doing. Let's just take it one game at a time."
That idea is shared by the other two members of the Big Three.
"At the end of the day, we want a challenge," Heat forward LeBron James said. "It's about 48 minutes and we've got to be in tune with the game plan."
"It's about the W at the end of the day," Wade said. "You take wins whenever you can get them. You find a way to win by any means necessary."
Wade also had a message to the fans about their performance.
"I think we'll be even better the next game," Wade said.
And that next game is set for Monday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Tip time is set for 7:00 p.m.
