Sixers lose 12th straight on road as Heat win 17th consecutive game
LeBron James decided it was time to put away the Sixers and took matters into his own hands.
Sixers lose 12th straight on road as Heat win 17th consecutive game
Bob Cooney
There was a point in the fourth quarter during the 76ers-Miami Heat game when LeBron James was asked (or asked) to cover Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday. To watch the best player in the game right now not only accept the challenge but embrace was fun to witness.
James met Holiday just as he crossed halfcourt, forcing an almost immediate pass. When Holiday got the ball back, James was on him quicker than a bladder-filled dog on a fire hydrant. Then when a short jumper was missed by Damien Wilkins, James went into the lane and snared a rebound in front of Dorell Wright, drove the floor and hit a driving layup to give the Heat a 9-point lead, then it’s biggest of the night.
From there on out it was only a question of how much the Heat would win by, not if. The Sixers had valiantly battled, albeit against a Heat team that seemed to be going through the motions for much of the evening. When it was time to put the game to rest and extend the Miami winning streak to 17 games, James made sure of it.
Final score: Heat 102, Sixers 93.
“Our guys really fought hard,” said coach Doug Collins. “LeBron just grabbed the game. He hit the big three at the end of the (third) quarter (to put Miami up 1) and then he just took the ball in his hands and he made plays and then they put him on Jrue defensively. He did it on both ends of the floor. That’s why he’s the MVP. He hit a tough shot.”
The Sixers stayed in the game through three quarters, mainly because of their three point shooting as they were 10-for-17 after 3 quarters and trailed by 76-75. But James, who only played the first 4 minutes of the fourth, made all 3 of his shots and Dwyane Wade (6 points) and Chris Bosh (5) carried Miami to the win the rest of the way. To show how individually dominating the Heat was in the fourth, they had just 1 assist on their 12 field goals in the fourth quarter.
Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 25 points, while Spencer Hawes collected 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Sixers again got a solid effort from their bench as Wright scored 14 and Wilkins added 12. Jrue Holiday dealt 13 assist, but shot just 3-for-11 from the floor and turned the ball over 4 times. In his past 2 games Holiday has shot just 6-for-23.
“We really moved the ball well,” said Collins. “When they ratcheted up the pressure in the fourth quarter, we started dribbling too much and that’s when they went on that little run.”
While the Sixers got solid performances from their inside starters in Young and Hawes, they were hurt by the play of Holiday and Evan Turner. Turner finished with 10 points but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor. He failed to get to the foul line and for much of the game appeared to be laboring up and down the floor. Turner is in a funk right now and when that happens his body language is awful. That was certainly the case Friday.
James paced the Heat with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, while Wade added 22 and Bosh 16. Ray Allen (12) and Shane Battier (11) provided spark off the bench as the Heat improved to 46-14.
“They got us into some turnovers and they get some easy ones in the open court,” said Hawes as the Sixers turned the ball over 17 times. “That’s how they break your back, with defense. If you’re going to turn it over you might as well kick the ball 10 rows into the stands instead.”
The Sixers probably feel like kicking the ball into the stands as they’ve now lost 11 consecutive road games and 11 of 12 overall to drop to 23-38.
17 straight wins vs. 11 straight losses. Welcome to the worst league in sports.— prudential2- Played by the worst team in Philadelphia.— xing
This Sixer team is disgusting! They have given up and some of these "starters" need to be kicked out of here.- i can't be the only one who sees NBA basketball as completely putrid. The games - no matter who is playing them, are no longer "watchable."
I would rather spend the day watching grass grow than watch an NBA game..— USAFirst1 - Here's a vote for going back to the gangsta uniforms. It all went downhill when we returned to the retro nonsense.— Relocator
- Hey Philly...sports teams are playing great! Last place Flyers and Sixers...Eagles Last place. Gotta love Stinkville! Glad I am a NY fan..at least we have sports!— MRD
- Hawes and Turner have a knack for giving up on plays. Arguing, missed shots, or bad passes. Soon after they give up. If they don't get the ball they give up on defense. Hawes is lazy and ET is a spoiled superstar college player who hasn't adapted his game to the next level. Its time to cut bait with those two. They are what is totally wrong with this team. Losing with effort is still losing. Losing with no effort is unacceptable.— phillyinNJ
- Right ''MRD'' !You have loser teams like the Mets. And BTW in case you are not aware,your two NFL teams don't even play in your state let alone in your City.— GREEKPICNIC
- Wish the Sixers franchise would simply contract i.e. close forever— Dutch10
- Wish the Sixers franchise would simply contract i.e. close forever— Dutch10
Well, no easy answers for this team...Effort was god but this team needs to be re-evaluated. Seems like the bench is playing better than the starters - Y not start Thad, Moultrie, Brown, Wright and Wilkens? See what the bench can do? We already know how bad the starters are....No ones job should be safe. If they feel Bynum wants to play (I'm not convinced he does) sign him for one year w incentives ( minimum games, mins, performance). I always liked Collins but he doesn't seem to be able to motivate this team like last year's team. Wonder if Curry would be a better fit? Tough year. :-(
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
