HEAT OUSTED
Philadelphia eliminates Miami with big third quarter.
The Miami Heat
PHILADELPHIA — entered the postseason as the No. 6 seed, believing they had a chance against the youthful, upstart and No. 3-seeded Philadelphia 76ers because of their experience.
But it was the 76ers and their mix- ture of rising young stars and savvy veterans that dominated this series.
The 76ers broke open a close game early in the third quarter and defeated the Heat 104-91 Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center to capture the series 4-1. Philadelphia, playing in its first postseason in six years, advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals to face the winner of the series between No. 2 Boston and No. 7 Milwaukee. Boston leads the series 3-2.
The Sixers, who at one point would have just been happy to make the playoffs this season, now have set their sights on the NBA Finals.
After being eliminated in five games, the Heat now face an uncer-
tain future.
The Sixers, who have won 20 of 21 games, including entering the postseason on a 16-game winning streak, won this series without leading at the half. Miami had the lead after the first 24 minutes in each of the first four games and Game 5 was tied at 46 at the half.
But Philadelphia decided not to wait for the fourth quar- ter in this game and ended the Heat’s season in the third quarter when it outscored Miami 34-20 to take an 80-66 lead into the final 12 minutes.
The Heat cut the lead to eight with a 10-0 run but never really put a scare into the Sixers.
The Heat were led by Kelly Olynyk’s 18 points. Tyler John- son added 16 before fouling out.
J.J. Redick scored 27 for Philadelphia.
Here are our five takeaways: What’s next? Making the playoffs was a step forward but being eliminated in five games wasn’t what President Pat Riley envisioned. Now, Riley and GM Andy Elisburg must get creative if they are to improve this roster. Miami is committed to nearly $120 million in contracts next season, about $20 million over the cap. The only way the Heat becomes a legitimate contender is through trades to either dump enough salary to become a player in free agency or acquire a star to move up in a weak East- ern Conference.
Fourth quarter doesn’t matter: Miami did not have to wait until the fourth quarter to let this game slip away. The Heat entered Game 5 having been outscored 127-85 in the fourth quarter in this series and led in the final quarter in both games at home before giving both away. The final game of the season was lost in third quarter when the Six- ers outscored Miami 34-20 and turned a 48-46 deficit early in the quarter into a nine-point lead with an 11-0 run. The Sixers pushed the lead to 18 points in the final minutes of the quarter. Philadelphia shot 12 of 24 in the quarter while the Heat shot just 7 of 22.
Is this it for Dwyane Wade? Dwyane Wade did not want to discuss the possibility that this could be his final season after Game 5, but the questions will start coming much more frequently now that his 15th season is in the books. Wade, though, likely will not make that decision for months, as he waits to see what direction the team goes and decides if he wants to put in the work it takes to prepare for an NBA season. Wade, 36, was solid after being reacquired by the Heat at the Feb. 8 trade deadline and enjoyed his role as the leader of the Heat’s second unit. He continued to produce in the playoffs with two games of at least 25 points and ending as the Heat’s second-leading scorer behind Goran Dragic. Wade finished the game with 11 points but missed 11 of 15 shots.
Starting five struggles: The Heat’s starters entered Game 5 with a minus-13 in this series, tied for the worst plus-minus of any five-man group on the team. And it wasn’t much better in Game 5, as the starters were outscored by 12 while on the floor. The Heat trailed 8-3 after Josh Richardson was called for his second foul just 91 seconds into the game and replaced by Rodney McGruder. Hassan Whiteside also got into early foul trouble, leading to heavy minutes by the bench. Richardson, Whiteside and James Johnson, 60 percent of the starting lineup, all were scoreless in the first half and finished the game with six total points, with Richardson going scoreless. In the second half, the starters were a minus-7 when Bam Adebayo replaced Whiteside.
Heat continued to get beat on the boards: The Heat were dominated by the Sixers on the glass the entire series. Philadelphia owned a 197-165 edge on the boards in the first four games, including outrebounding Miami 57-43 in Game 4 and Game 5 was no different. The Sixers ended the game with a 53-40 edge on the glass, including a 15-9 advantage in the decisive third quarter.