Miami Heat outhustles the Sixers to even up series
Philly’s 17-game win streak comes to an end as the Heat even playoff series
PHILADELPHIA » Dwyane Wade gave the Miami Heat a pep talk before they played the Sixers Monday.
Someone had the guts to tell the Heat how badly they were destroyed in Game 1 of the playoff series.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it wasn’t a Knute Rockne speech. What Wade said was real, judging by the Heat’s 113-103 victory over the Sixers, squaring their best-of-7 playoff series at 1-1.
“My message to them was about their families,” Wade said. “Understanding that everybody in that huddle would do anything for their families to protect their families. Well, we’re family. We’re brothers. So, we’ve got to go out there and do anything for each other and protect each other. “And that’s what we did.” Wade’s fingerprints were all over the outcome as he scored a gamehigh 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and distributed three assists at Wells Fargo Center. Almost all of the 15-year veteran’s plays were memorable, including the final bucket over rising star Ben Simmons, who tallied 24 points. Not bad for a 36-year-old relic, eh? “It’s not 2009 Dwyane,” Spoelstra said. “It felt like he played 40 minutes tonight, but he only played 25. It’s like that country song. I’m not as good as I once was. But I’m as good once, as I ever was.” Let’s rewind to the first half. Wade didn’t miss a shot until the last minute of the first half. And he made the final basket before intermission, giving him 21 points and the Heat a stunning 56-42 advantage.
Marco Belinelli couldn’t guard Wade. It was comical. Wade made J.J. Redick look even more mechanical than usual.
Wade was better than good. In the second quarter he sank a fadeaway 3-pointer moving him into 10th place, past Larry Bird (3,897 points), on the all-time NBA postseason scoring list.
Wade scored 15 points to stake the Heat to a 38-31 lead in the first six minutes of the second quarter.
When Wade returned with 3:05 left in the third, he picked up where he left off, dropping a fadeaway 3-pointer over 6-9 defender Robert Covington to stake the Heat to a 16-point lead, its largest of the game to that point. But the Sixers huddled, strategically doubled Wade and made him give the ball up.
Wade exited after making yet another strong veteran play, fouling Simmons, a 56 percent foul shooter, on a breakaway. Simmons missed one of two free throw attempts.
The Sixers got back into it with their Golden State motion offense, Dario Saric hitting some 3-pointers and Ersan Ilyasova hitting the boards and throwing his body around despite five fouls.
The Sixers got within two points on Ilyasova’s tap with 4:29 left. They would get no closer because Wade sparked a 6-0 flurry keeping the Heat ahead.
It started with a Wade steal and breakaway dunk. Then there was a feed to James Johnson for a dunk and a lookaway pass to Goran Dragic, who was rejected moments earlier. Wade drew the defense.
And finally, the piece de resistance, a 3-pointer over Simmons with 45.9 ticks remaining, giving the Heat an insurmountable 104-98 lead.
After a rugged first quarter, the Sixers couldn’t make a shot. OK, they made one. But it was just one field goal for a chunk of the frame. And there were fewer opportunities, as the Heat began blocking out at the defensive end.
Even Redick, of all Sixers shooters, missed. Then he had a 3-point shot rejected by Josh Richardson, who nailed a three at the other end for a ninepoint advantage.
But Simmons made a couple of freebies and with 4:24 left in the half, Redick nailed a three to cut the gap to six points. It was only the second trey of the evening for the squad that made 28 in Game 1.
The Sixers made just two of their first 15 threes and 7 of 35 on the night. They struggled in the third quarter when Simmons was in foul trouble, finishing the game with five personals.
Most of all, the Sixers had no answer for Wade. Remember, welcome to the moment? Wade bettered that.
“I saw moments,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what defines Dwayne Wade. And we’ve seen that so much before over his career. In these compact minutes he can settle the group with his championship level experience and add a little bit of a calm for some of our young guys. He needed to reach back and have one of those games. It was a very calming effect on the rest of our guys.”
The Sixers caught a break when Dragic, who was awful in the opener, got two quick fouls. The Heat made four of its first five shots and got the lead with Dragic on the floor. They missed eight of their next nine shots.
Meanwhile Belinelli was red hot, making his first three shots from the field and three free throws for 10 points. It gave the Sixers a nine-point lead.