Sixers had formula to flatten Heat
Dominant rebounding, second-half surges, top talent keys to 4-1 series win.
Miami’s playoff run didn’t last long.
The Heat enter the offseason after being eliminated in five games in the first round by the Sixers. Philadelphia earned the series-clinching win Tuesday.
Here are some reasons why the Sixers ended the Heat’s season:
■ Dominated on the glass: The Sixers’ length hurt the Heat in a lot of areas. Rebounding is at the top of the list. Philadelphia outrebounded Miami 250-205 and finished with a 66-48 edge in offensive rebounds in the series. You can point at this as the reason for the Sixers’ huge 81-38 advantage in second-chance points over the five playoff games.
This isn’t really surprising, considering Philadelphia finished the regular season as the top rebounding team in the league (47.4 rebounds per game) and fifth in second-chance points (13.7 per game). The Heat hoped 7-foot center Hassan Whiteside would help in this department, but he averaged just 6.0 rebounds in a limited role in the series.
■ Second-half struggles: The Sixers won the
series without ever leading at the half. In fact, the Heat outscored the Sixers 287-263 in the first half in the series. But Philadelphia won the second half by a whopping margin of 308-230. The fourth quarter was the Heat’s big problem in the Sixers’ Games 3 and 4 wins in Miami.
The Sixers outscored the Heat 32-14in the final period of Game 3 to turn a two-point lead at the start of the quarter into a 20-point victory, and 27-19 in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to complete their comeback from a 12-point deficit. The third quarter was the issue in Game 5, as the Sixers won the period 34-20 to break open a contest that was tied at halftime. Miami’s Wayne Ellington and Justise Winslow made just four sec- ond-half shots, and Goran Dragic shot 15-of-38 (39.5 per- points, 11.4 rebounds and cent) in the second half in 1.7 blocks in 25.3 minutes. the series. Want another telling num
■ Issues at the free-throw ber? Whiteside scored 26 line: The margin for error in points on 20 shot attempts this series was very small for in the series. Eight different the Heat, who couldn’t afford players have already scored to leave many points on the at least 26 points on at least table. But that’s exactly what 20 shot attempts in a single they did by shooting 97-of-143 game in this year’s playoffs. (67.8 percent) at the line in Foul trouble is one reason the series. That percentage behind Whiteside’s dimin- would have ranked last in the ished playing time — he had league in the regular season. more fouls (16) than made
With the Sixers entering shots (9) in the series. But the playoffs with a top-five even when fouls weren’t defense, those are valuable an issue, there were times points the Heat missed out coach Erik Spoelstra turned to on. Philadelphia outscored rookie Bam Adebayo or Kelly Miami 122-97 from the free- Olynyk instead of Whiteside. throw line in the series. That The Heat were outscored by hurts. 26 points with Whiteside on
■ The Hassan Whiteside the court in the series. With conundrum: The Heat’s high- two seasons remaining on est-paid player was mostly a his max contract, the Heat nonfactor. Whiteside aver- have a big decision to make aged 5.2 points, 6.0 rebounds this summer about Whiteand 1.2 blocks in 15.4 minside’s future. utes. That’s way off his reg■ Sixers are the more ular-season averages of 14.0 talented team: This became clearer and clearer as the series went on. Philadelphia had the two best players in the series, center Joel Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons, and it really wasn’t close. Embiid missed the first two games as he continued to recover from surgery to repair an orbital bone fracture. But he still made his presence felt in three playoff games — all Sixers wins — with 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
Simmons nearly averaged a triple-double in the series with 18.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists. With Embiid and Simmons on the court together, the Sixers outscored the Heat by 36 points. The Heat used a starless approach this season, but stars win in the playoffs. And that’s what happened in this first-round series.