Sixers looking to prove themselves vs. Heat
When the Miami Heat, with their armada of stars, first invaded the Wells Fargo Center this season, 76ers coach Doug Collins knew that his squad was going to get its best shot from the team many think will win the NBA championship.
When the Miami Heat, with their armada of stars, first invaded the Wells Fargo Center this season, 76ers coach Doug Collins knew that his squad was going to get its best shot from the team many think will win the NBA championship.
The Sixers (25-18) were coming off four straight wins, including back-to-back victories against Orlando and Chicago, when the Heat (31-11) invaded on Feb. 3. But Collins anticipated that Miami would be angrier than at any other point this season.
After all, two nights earlier the Heat blew an 18-point lead at Milwaukee and dropped a 105-97 decision.
Against the Sixers, Miami used a 15-0 run as part of a 32-16 fourth-quarter scoring advantage that left the Sixers wondering what hit them in a 99-79 setback.
The victory marked Miami's ninth regular-season win in a row over the Sixers. Earlier in the season, the Heat broke open another game against the Sixers that was close at the end of three periods for a 113-92 victory.
Making matters worse for the Sixers, the Heat are looking to end a two-game losing streak.
Collins, who has never beaten the Heat as coach of the Sixers, wonders if this is his players' heads.
"When you get ready to play Miami, it's one thing to play them," Collins said. "The real question is, in your heart of hearts, do you think you can beat them? That's the biggest battle.
"They are coming in here off of back-to-back road losses at Orlando, where they were up 11, and [Wednesday] night to Chicago without Derrick Rose," Collins said. "So I'm sure they are going to be a little bit persnickety tomorrow, so we've got to be ready to roll."
Reserve forward Thaddeus Young said thoughts of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and company are not keeping the Sixers up nights.
"No, we don't think about that at all," Young said. "We know that we can beat any team in the NBA. We don't think about stuff like that."
Friday night's contest will mark starting center Spencer Hawes' second game back after missing the last 17 games with a strained left Achilles tendon. Hawes returned to action Wednesday and in just under 20 minutes scored six points, handed out three assists, and grabbed a pair of rebounds.
One of the stipulations of Hawes' playing again is that he can't play in back-to-back games for at least the first 10 days. The Sixers play at Chicago on Saturday. During that same time period he is prohibited from playing more than five minutes at a time.
Collins said Thursday after practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine that Hawes would face the Heat but sit against the Bulls.
"It's a tough dynamic," Collins said. "You are so used to coaching the game and now you're coaching the game and minutes. It's like coaching an all-star game, making sure that guys get their minutes, get them in and get them out. It's a little bit different, but we feel better having him back."
