To Beat The Heat

The Sixers have started the 2011 NBA post season in a very deep hole; not only standing two games away from elimination but staring down three of the finest players the league has to offer. To beat the Heat, the Sixers need to accept that Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James are simply going to "get theirs." These stars operate in a way that no matter how their game goes they will be posting double doubles, twenty plus, or even a mere double digits in the box score at the end of the night. To beat them, you have to almost let them. On defense, the Sixers have aggressively double teamed James, Wade, or Bosh at almost ever opportunity, most regularly late in the shot clock. This has opened up the gates for Mario Chalmers, James Jones, and Mike Bibby, to hoist threes without a Sixer in their way for miles. On many occasions Miami's snipers have failed to make the Sixers pay for their impulsive double team defense, and if that trend continues, you win Doug Collins. But if they start to shoot like we all know they can, you will have to start trusting your one on one defenders, remembering that Miami's big three will get theirs. On the offensive end, there are two things that will get the train moving. Whoever Mike Bibby is defending whether it be Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, or Jodi Meeks, needs to create in space, and make Miami help. To open up the middle for the team's slashers, constantly use Spencer Hawes or Thaddeus Young to force Miami's shot blockers (Ilgausaks and Joel Anthony) to defend the perimeter. Miami is hot, and if they hit the stride the NBA has been waiting for all season, things are not promising for Philadelphia. But they are young, and youth brings heart and resilience. If anyone can climb out of a 2-0 hole against the star-studded Heat, it's the Sixers.

JD