Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
76ers win big in playoff opener
Philadelphia’s outside shooters outgun Miami
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown was braced for what was to follow Saturday night against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center, brawl-like intensity at the start of an opening game in what could turn into a grind of a series. And then he counterpunched. Already without sidelined center Joel Embiid, Brown removed any pretense of playing big in the middle in the second half, pulling fill-in starting center Amir Johnson and inserting the outside shooting of Ersan Ilyasova. A three-for-all broke out from there. Ball game. And a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven opening-round NBA playoff series, with a 130-103 victory over the Heat that reduced Heat center Hassan Whiteside to second-half spectator.
Shortly before this 76ers return to the postseason, Brown referenced the 1985 Thomas Hearns-Marvin Hagler fight, or, more to the point, that brutal first round in Las Vegas, when HBO announcer Barry Tompkins bellowed amid the carnage, “This is still only the first round!”
That matchup only went three rounds. This one will go at least four.
Saturday’s game was, as Brown forecast, ugly, physical, contentious during the first half.
But that’s also when the 76ers flipped a switch and flipped the script, now with 17 consecutive victories, after winning their final 16 games to end the regular season.
Suddenly the ball was moving for the 76ers, the shots were dropping from distance, the Heat were left scrambling, unable to match the energy, pace, crowd-inspired fervor.
It ended with 76ers sharpshooters J.J. Redick, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova
feasting from long range, with Redick closing with 28 points, Belinelli 25 and Ilyasova 17. It was orchestrated by 76ers rookie point guard Ben Simmonds, who closed with 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.
From the Heat there were 26 points from Kelly Olynyk and not much else of substance.
Philadelphia was without Embiid for a ninth consecutive game due to a facial fracture. Embiid worked out on the court before the game and then rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell at midcourt before the game in a Phantom of the Opera mask, expected to return at some point in this series — if needed — with facial protection.
That had Amir Johnson starting at center for the 76ers, flanked at forward by Dario Saric and Robert Covington, and at guard by Simmons at Redick.
The Heat had guard Goran Dragic back after the point guard had missed Wednesday’s regular-season finale due to knee soreness, but he struggled from the outside with his offense. He was joined in the starting backcourt by Tyler Johnson, with Josh Richardson and James Johnson at forward, and Whiteside at center.
The Heat opened defensively with Richardson defending Simmons, with the rotations shuffled early with Redick exiting in the first minutes after a hard fall, but returning later in the first quarter.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra also went early to the energy of backup center Bam Adebayo, putting the Heat 10 deep by the end of the opening period.
After putting aside any pretense of playing big in Embiid’s absence, the 76ers then pushed to a nine-point lead to open the third quarter, eventually leading Spoelstra to pull Whiteside in favor of Olynyk.
The 76ers then seized control, pushing to a 13-point lead, before going into the fourth quarter up 90-78.
After wild scoring swings from both team in the first half, the Heat took a 60-56 lead into halftime, with Olynyk up to 14 points at that stage. Whiteside, by contrast, has only two first-half points, with just two attempts from the field.
Sparked by their bench, the Heat pushed to a 12-point lead late in the first quarter and went into the second up 35-29.
Ten of the Heat’s 11 firstquarter baskets were assisted, with Olynyk leading the Heat with nine points in the first quarter.
The teams split the fourgame season series, each winning twice on their home floor. That had the 76ers winning the season’s first two meetings and the Heat winning the final two.
It is the second postseason meeting between the teams, with the Heat winning 4-1 in the 2011 first round on the way to the NBA Finals.
The Heat closed the season 5-5 in their final 10 games, with only two road victories since Jan. 29. The 76ers ended the regular season on the longest such streak to end a season in NBA history.
The Heat have won at least one road game in their previous 18 playoff series, an NBA record. The second longest such streak is the current 15-series run by the Warriors.