The 76ers finally made the playoffs and for that they get the Miami Heat. Add to the fact that one of their more explosive players, Lou Williams, will be trying to come back from injury. Things aren't adding up in the 76ers favor.
Miami Heat:
Yes, they all took their talents to South Beach, yes they had parades and such before they even practiced together, and yes it put the bulls-eye square on their backs for the course of the year. Right now, none of that matters and it's Season 1 - Part Deux, the playoffs. They got Wade, LBJ, and Bosh. They might get Haslem back from injury and as of right now, a healthy crew. They should dominate this 76ers team easily because this is a bad matchup for the 76ers. The addition of Bibby has made this team lethal, when they hit their threes, and this is the time to shine. The Heat get a chance to make it or break it starting now.
Philadelphia 76ers:
The Sixers have played well under the radar. They have some pieces in Iggy, Williams, and the rock, Elton Brand. With Williams, hurt, that really hurts their chances of winning this series. They have gotten a great year out of Brand and they seem to have buy in to follow Doug Collins into a battle. There's not much more I can say about this team, because they are 'Sean Penn', aka 'Dead Man (Men) Walking'. This won't be pretty.
X-factors:
Heat - Mike Bibby and Eric Dampier. Bibby has got to hit his 3's and Dampier has got to clean the boards and be the enforcer. That's what they were brought in for and if they do their jobs, this team is unstoppable. I'll add Haslem to this list because he's been out for a long time and if they are able to get something out of him from a defensive standpoint, that will definitely help.
76ers - Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner. The Heat have problems with PGs that can get in the lane and collapse their defense and Holiday can do just that. He's going to have to have a monster series if the 76ers hope to win a game or 2. The 76ers have been pretty good all year without the play of Evan Turner for the most part. He's struggled at times and has been terrible other times. If he can find some of that juice/magic that helped make him the 'man' at OSU, he can provide some solid minutes off the bench for this 76ers team.
Prediction: No chance, really,...no chance the 76ers win one game. Well, maybe one, but that's it. The Heat should have a cake walk, but this will be an opportune time to work more on their chemistry and their defined roles, while at the same time resting some of their starters. Heat 4-1.
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