The Miami Heat got some unexpected resistance from the Philadelphia 76ers in
the first round of last season’s playoffs during their run to the NBA finals.

Philadelphia is proving this season its solid play in that series was no
fluke.

The Heat may again be without Dwyane Wade when they host the Atlantic
Division-leading 76ers in a playoff rematch – and possible late-round postseason
preview – Saturday night.

Second-seeded Miami beat Philadelphia in five games to advance to the second
round, but aside from a 94-73 loss in Game 2, the 76ers gave the Heat all they
could handle. The other four games were decided by no more than eight points,
with the final three decided by six or fewer.

The 76ers (11-4) have seemed to use that series as motivation. They lead the
Atlantic Division by a full five games and have won four of their last five
after beating Atlanta 90-76 on Friday.

Philadelphia trailed by eight at halftime but pulled away after a 14-0 run
in the third quarter.

“I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone,” coach Doug
Collins said. “I thought we went far in the second half, and together.”

Thaddeus Young scored a game-high 20 points while Jrue Holiday added 16
points and 11 assists.

“We can play (well) against tough teams,” said Andre Iguodala, who scored
11.

Collins said he wanted a win badly after the 76ers fell 108-104 in overtime
against Denver on Wednesday.

“You win this game. You don’t lose two in a row at home,” Collins said.

Philadelphia, though, hasn’t had much regular-season success against Miami
in recent years.

The Sixers have lost seven straight matchups, including a three-game season
sweep last season. They have lost nine straight in Miami – playoffs included -
and it may not get any easier against a Heat team that improved to 5-1 at home
with a 98-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

LeBron James scored 31 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists for
the Heat (10-4), who played their second straight game without Wade while he
nurses a sprained right ankle.

James fought off a cold to have another solid outing. He’s averaging 33.0
points and 8.0 assists over his last three games.

“A chest cold can get to you at times,” James said. “But I felt like I
could help the team.”

His effort helped Miami improve to 5-0 this season without Wade, who is
questionable despite practicing Friday.

“We don’t take (James’) talent for granted, nor do we take Dwyane’s talent
or Chris (Bosh’s) talent,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re special players
and they can rise to the occasion.”

James averaged 23.6 points and 9.7 boards in the eight meetings against the
Sixers last season.

Louis Williams leads Philadelphia with 15.1 points per game, though he was
held to six Friday. He averaged only 10.8 points in the playoffs, but his
3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in Game 4 helped the Sixers to an 86-82
win – their only victory over the Heat in the last 12 meetings.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 20, 2012 – The Miami Heat will play a back-to-back set of home games Saturday and Sunday, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on the front end and the Milwaukee Bucks on the back.

Saturday’s game pits the Heat against the Sixers for the first time in the 2011/12 season. The Heat eliminated the Sixers, 4-1, from the playoffs a season ago. Since that defeat, Philadelphia has gotten stronger, ranking No. 2 in the NBA in scoring defense (87.4 points per game) and No. 1 in three-point defense (26.4 percent). The Sixers have posted a 10-3 record prior to Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Indeed, Miami will have had an extra day of rest heading into Saturday’s game, which tips off at 7:30 Eastern on Sun Sports.

The Bucks then visit Miami for the first of three meetings between the teams in the 2011/12 campaign. The Heat went 3-1 against the Bucks in the 2010/11 season. Despite shaking up its roster before the season began by acquiring Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Beno Udrih, and Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee stands at just 4-9, the No. 4 team in the Central Division. Tipoff between the Heat and Bucks is set for 6 Eastern on Sun Sports./p>

For more on the Heat, please visit Peninsula is Mightier, SB Nation’s Heat blog. For Sixers coverage, please visit SB Nation Philly and Liberty Ballers, SB Nation’s 76ers blog. For the Milwaukee perspective, please visit Brew Hoop, SB Nation’s blog about the Bucks.

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The Philadelphia 76ers kick off a tough two game stretch on Friday, January 20 when the Atlanta Hawks visit. After facing mostly light competition, the 76ers will face the 11-4 Hawks one night before traveling to face the Miami Heat. This is a pivotal stretch for this team. Coming off of a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 76ers need to play well against these teams in order to convince everyone that they are for real. As a fan, I believe the team will have no problem going 1-1 in this stretch. Obviously, beating Atlanta is the easier option to earn a win.

The Hawks are playing good basketball and enter this game with a four game winning streak. The Hawks own wins over the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, arguably the two best teams in the NBA. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are both playing great ball for the Hawks. As a team, Atlanta has one of the best offenses in the league. That means the Philadelphia defense will have to be on point. The 76ers have been mostly strong on defense though they did struggle in the loss to Denver. This is the kind of game where the team can rebound and play well.

The other advantage for the 76ers involves depth. They run a lot deeper than Atlanta and that should help them win the game. The important thing is getting more from the starters. Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday need to shoot the ball better than they did against the Nuggets. If that happens the 76ers should be in control of the game.

The 76ers might still miss Spencer Hawes as he nurses an injured Achilles. That would be a major loss given Atlanta’s strength under the basket. If Hawes can’t play, rookie Nikola Vucevic will need to have a huge game. Elton Brand also needs to contribute with rebounds. It won’t be easy to beat Atlanta inside but it is possible.

Winning this game is crucial for the 76ers. They don’t want to take a two game losing streak into Miami. If they are going to become contenders, these are the kind of games you have to win. Atlanta is good but they are not a championship team. Hopefully Philadelphia can get the job done and bring momentum into the game against the Heat.

* – Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan. Follow him on Twitter here.

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The Philadelphia 76ers have made a lot of headlines in jumping out to a 10-3 start. Yet pundits and Sixers fans like myself weren’t ready to jump full on board until they beat better teams and didn’t need blowouts to do it. As such, the Sixers had a huge chance to win new followers by beating the Denver Nuggets at home on Jan. 18 – but instead fell just short.

The Nuggets had a winning record, wouldn’t get blown out and tested the Sixers’ ability to win in the final moments. Philadelphia ultimately failed that test in the toughest way possible, as it suffered its first home loss of 2012 in a 108-104 overtime defeat.

Everything seemed to be going well for the Sixers early as they jumped to a nine-point lead after one quarter. However, Philadelphia usually makes major runs in the second and/or third quarter, so it clearly peaked too soon after Denver fought its way back. A 32-17 second quarter advantage gave the Nuggets the halftime lead – and they then became one of the rare teams not to get blown out in the third quarter by the Sixers.

Denver then built its lead to double digits and seemed to demoralize Philadelphia, before it finally showed something we had waited for all year. The Sixers could blow out poor opponents all the live long day, but could it make a rally against a good team and then win in the final seconds? They certainly came back with a 13-0 run, but thanks to former Sixer Andre Miller, they couldn’t complete the rally in either the fourth quarter or overtime.

Miller scored the Nuggets’ last 10 points in regulation, which stabilized Denver as the game went back and forth. Andre Igoudala had the chance to finish things off for the Sixers anyway, but with four seconds left, he missed the first of two free throws that would have given Philadelphia the lead. He made the second to force overtime, yet the miss shattered the Sixers’ best opportunity.

Miller then went on to finish the job by putting the Nuggets ahead for good in the final minute of overtime. When the Sixers had their chance to tie, Doug Collins didn’t call for a timeout and let them run the court, only for Jrue Holiday to turn the ball over. With that, Philadelphia’s chance to get its first real statement victory of the season was lost.

By rallying from 10 points down to force overtime late, the Sixers proved that they could come up big in a pressure situation. However, they still couldn’t finish the job and didn’t have anyone step up to deliver the final clutch shot or winning free throws. In addition, poor shooting in the second and third quarter helped put Philadelphia so far down in the first place and made a comeback necessary.

The Sixers were reminded that it is a lot harder to win when they are the ones in a deficit and when they aren’t facing a last-place opponent. They were a step away from learning well anyway, yet they won’t get wins or respect from the NBA’s elite just for coming close. If Philadelphia doesn’t get a little bit closer in games like this, then the Sixers will hit their ceiling sooner and harder than they hope.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are back in action against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, January 18. The 76ers will look to continue their stellar play at the Wells Fargo Center in this game. Philadelphia is a perfect 6-0 in front of the home crowd and 10-3 overall. Denver is one of the better teams the 76ers have faced this season so winning this game won’t be easy. But as a 76er fan, I think the team is ready to shine against the competition.

Denver has had a solid season so far. They won wins over the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers in the early part of the season. Like the 76ers, Denver is a well-coached team that lacks a superstar player. They are getting the job done from several players and are one of the deeper teams in the NBA. That makes this a pretty intriguing game. Both teams will be relying on their bench to perform in this one. It should be a great test for the 76ers. A win here would help legitimize the fast start for this team even more.

The 76ers are unlikely to have Spencer Hawes in this game. This time, the center is dealing with a strained Achilles. That strain could be the result of the back strain that has hobbled him for the past two weeks. It is critical for the 76ers to have Hawes healthy. He has become a huge asset for this team based on he has played. The 76ers can’t afford to lose him for long stretches. On the bright side, Evan Turner is expected to play again after missing the last game with a quad injury.

For the 76ers to win, they have to get off to a good start. The biggest problem facing this team is that they get into early holes and rely on the bench to pull them out. So far, things have worked out. But when they play better teams it won’t be as easy. The Nuggets are certainly a good team. I would love to see the starters come out strong in this game and pave the way for the rest of the game. If that happens, the 76ers should move to 11-3 on the season.

* – Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan. Follow him on Twitter here.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Jared Smith

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 11, 2012 – The Philadelphia 76ers look for their seventh straight victory Wednesday, as they visit the New York Knicks in a Atlantic Division Eastern Conference contest at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. on CSN). The first-place Sixers (7-2) will be looking to match its longest win streak since 2009 and complete a stretch of three game in three days, while the Knicks (5-4) are looking to trim Philadelphia’s division lead to just one game.

On Tuesday, the Sixers dominated the visiting Sacramento Kings, 112-83, as Elton Brand tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds. Before that game, Philadelphia downed the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, respectively.

Currently, guard Lou Williams is coming off the bench to net a team-best 16.4 points per game, while Jrue Holiday is averaging 14.8 ppg. Center Spencer Hawes is averaging 11.1 ppg and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are being successful despite dealing with multiple players being banged up.

On Monday, New York earned its third straight victory by downing the Charlotte Bobcats, 91-87, as forward Carmelo Anthony tallied just 22 points. Anthony is leading the team is scoring with 26.2 ppg. Last April, Anthony had 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 97-92 win at Philadelphia.

For more about the 76ers, visit the SB Nation blog Liberty Ballers. Meanwhile, SB Nation’s NBA hubpage has everything a professional basketball fans needs.

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PHILADELPHIA – Elton Brand had a season-high 21 points and 10
rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Sacramento Kings
112-85 Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

The Sixers are 7-2 and lead the Atlantic Division. It’s their
best start since Allen Iverson helped them open 10-0 on their way
to the NBA finals in 2000-01.

Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored seven points in his first start
for Sacramento. Filling in for injured leading scorer Marcus
Thornton, the former BYU sensation shot 2 for 7. DeMarcus Cousins
led the struggling Kings with 17 points.

Evan Turner had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and
Jrue Holiday added 17 for Philadelphia, which had six players reach
double figures. With second-year coach Doug Collins calling the
shots and a deep roster, the Sixers are relevant again in
sports-crazed Philadelphia.

After winning 41 games and losing to Miami in five games in the
first round of the playoffs last year, the Sixers are one of the
NBA’s up-and-coming teams. They’ve won five games by at least a
20-point margin.

This game quickly turned into a rout early in the third quarter.
An 11-0 run featuring three baskets from Brand extended the lead to
63-42. It reached 84-60 when Jodie Meeks hit his third 3-pointer of
the quarter.

A 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter made it a laugher. Lou
Williams scored six in a row and Thaddeus Young capped it off with
a dunk that put Philadelphia up 94-62.

That allowed the reserves at the end of the bench to see rare
action. Andres Nocioni played in his third game. Tony Battie and
Lavoy Allen entered for just the second time this season.

Fans roared when Meeks hit a jumper midway through the fourth to
give the Sixers 100 points, which means fans can take their ticket
stubs to McDonald’s for a free Big Mac on Wednesday.

The only negative for Philadelphia was an injury to starting
center Spencer Hawes. He didn’t play the second half because of a
strained lower back.

The Sixers had another slow offensive start and trailed 11-8
midway through the first. Turner’s driving layup with under a
minute left gave Philadelphia a 22-20 lead, and it led the rest of
the game.

Thornton missed his first game with a bruised left thigh. The
Kings already were without starting forward Chuck Hayes, who is
expected to miss three to four weeks with a dislocated left
shoulder.

While their offensive game has been clicking, the Philadelphia 76ers are
enjoying their best start in 11 seasons behind a stifling defensive display.

The Indiana Pacers have also experienced plenty of early season success by
clamping down on their opponents.

Points could be at a premium as the Pacers visit a 76ers team seeking a
fifth consecutive victory for the first time in almost two years Monday night.

Off to its best start since winning its first 10 games in 2000-01,
Philadelphia (5-2) ranks near the top of the league with 100.9 points per
contest. The 76ers, however, have been even more impressive defending their end
of the court, where they’re surrendering a league-low average of 85.6 points.

Philadelphia’s defensive prowess was on full display during Saturday’s 97-62
rout of Toronto. The Raptors’ point total was the lowest in the 15-year history
of the Wells Fargo Center and the second-lowest by an opponent since the start
of the 1985-86 season.

“It’s all about playing defense. We know we can score. It’s all about how we
react and how we respond on defense,” forward Elton Brand told the team’s
official website.

The 76ers, who haven’t won five in a row since Jan. 31-Feb. 9, 2010, have
outscored opponents by an average of 23.5 points during their run.

Keeping things going, though, likely won’t be easy with a Pacers team
allowing an average of 89.3 points – among the top five in the NBA – coming to
town.

On the offense end, meanwhile, Indiana’s frontcourt could prove difficult to
slow down if center Spencer Hawes can’t go.

Hawes, posting 12.6 points and a 76ers-best 10.6 boards per game, played
only two minutes after halftime Saturday because of a strained back. He is
uncertain to play in this one.

“We’ve got Indiana coming in, who plays power basketball with (Roy) Hibbert,
David West and (Tyler) Hansbrough – big strong team, so we’re hoping that he’ll
be back,” coach Doug Collins said.

The Pacers (6-2) are coming off a one-sided victory of their own, defeating
Charlotte 99-77 on Saturday. Indiana limited the Bobcats to just 32.6 shooting -
the lowest mark by an opponent in more than two years.

“It says a lot about our team because it was a grind-it-out game against a
veteran team,” forward Danny Granger said. “We grinded them out, we put our
defense out there and played to the best of our ability. Those are the kind of
games you have to win.

“I think we’ve got a mark on our back now. We’re not going to be able to
sneak up on too many people anymore. They realize that we are a good team, and
we’re here to stay. It makes it all the more important for us to come to play.”

Granger, scoring a team-best 14.9 points per game despite shooting a woeful
30.7 percent, is one of seven players on the roster averaging double figures.

“We’ve got eight guys, maybe nine that could probably start on other NBA
teams,” he said. “That’s a lot of depth. I’d like to say we have more depth than
most teams.”

Indiana, which split four meetings with Philadelphia last season, has taken
seven of 10 road matchups in this series – including a 111-103 victory Jan. 11
behind 27 points from Granger.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia
76ers

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Wells Fargo Center,
Philadelphia

Records: Detroit 2-4 (fourth in
Central); Philadelphia 3-2 (first in Atlantic)

Pistons probable starters:
Tayshaun Prince, 6-9, 215 (Kentucky); Jonas Jerebko, 6-10, 231
(Angelico Biella, Sweden); Greg Monroe, 6-11, 250 (Georgetown);
Austin Daye, 6-11, 200 (Gonzaga); Brandon Knight, 6-3, 189
(Kentucky).

76ers probable starters: Spencer
Hawes, 7-1, 245 (Washington); Elton Brand, 6-9, 254 (Duke); Andre
Iguodala, 6-6, 207 (Arizona); Jodie Meeks, 6-4, 208 (Kentucky); Jrue
Holiday, 6-4, 180 (UCLA).

Last game: The Pistons trailed by
double-digit margins throughout the second half of Wednesday’s 99-83
loss to Chicago. Jrue Holiday scored 14 of his 23 points in the
fourth quarter of the 76ers’ 101-93 win at New Orleans, also
Wednesday.

Fast facts: Knight gets his
first NBA start in place of Rodney Stuckey (groin), and Daye steps
into the starting lineup for Ben Gordon (absent for personal reason)
… Philadelphia is the last team in the NBA to play its home opener
after starting the season with five road games. … Every other team
in the league has played at home at least twice. … The 76ers’
leading scorer, guard Lou Williams (18.2 ppg), has not started a game
this year. … The 76ers took two out of three games against the
Pistons last year, including a 104-100 win in the April 13 season
finale here. … The 76ers rank second in the league in scoring
differential (plus-9.8 ppg), third in field-goal percentage (98.2)
and fourth in scoring average (102.6 ppg). … The Pistons share the
league lead in free-throw percentage (81.0), but rank 28 th in
scoring average (86.8 ppg).

Frank-ly speaking: “We’ll
probably stay out there and stretch a little bit. We’re probably
looking at a five-minute, six-minute window. It’s not like you’re
going to get intimidated. Julius ain’t playing tonight.” –
Lawrence Frank, on pre-game ceremonies for the 76ers’ home opener,
which are expected to include a Julius Erving appearance.