Leading by just 80-75 with a little more than nine minutes remaining, the Sixers went on a 7-0 run to finally put away the Heat in a 101-84 win last night at the Wachovia Center.

The Sixers (20-30) have won two in a row and showed how quickly things change in the NBA.

Wasn't Miami winning a championship in the 2005-06 season and going to the playoffs last season? Now the Heat are 9-39 and have lost 21 of their last 22 games.

"Records can be deceiving," said the Sixers' Andre Iguodala, who scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. "One night they may play like their record, the next they could play like the championship team they were a few years back."

For the record, Miami has not played much like the championship team of 2006.

And the Heat are Shaq-less after Shaquille O'Neal was traded Wednesday to Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

Then again, even with Shaq, they were far from world-beaters. Remember, the Sixers beat Miami, 96-85, on Dec. 26 when Shaq was outscored, 6-5, by Calvin Booth.

The Heat will get reinforcements when Marion and Banks join the team after they complete their physicals, which is expected to happen today.

But the Sixers know what it's like to be kicked around, so they accorded Miami the proper respect.

"My mind frame was: Make sure we didn't disrespect them because of what they are going through," said Reggie Evans, who provided a spark off the bench with eight points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

Another motivator for the Sixers was sheer fear.

"You always have to be ready to play, and you don't want to be that team they beat," Iguodala said.

Andre Miller stayed sharp, scoring 21 points and delivering seven assists, while Willie Green scored 14 points for the Sixers.

On the other hand, imagine what Dwyane Wade is going through. Less than two years ago, he was the MVP of the NBA Finals, and now he's playing with a group that seems to be MIA. Wade even had a lighthearted message for his buddy Shaq after the trade.

"I talked to him and told him that was [bull]; that is one thing I didn't like - that he goes to the team with the best record in the Western Conference," said Wade, trying to force a smile.

Even with the addition of Marion, there aren't likely to be a lot of happy faces in Miami.

"It's difficult. There's no secret about it, and what can I say?" Wade said. "You don't give up and keep coming back and fighting."

The Sixers understand their pain.