The Miami Heat have been falling faster than Kindga Ka since falling to Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies. Then came the Indiana Pacers in a 93-77 disappointing loss and then the Orlando Magic in the 104-95 loss. It was just crazy, and the Heat were now stuck at 8-7. Chris Bosh wasn't even looking forward to Thanksgiving.
But now finally, the Heat have won. They improved to 9-7 and 7-3 at home as they knocked off the Philadelphia 76ers in a 99-90 victory. The Heat finally got a chance to celebrate about something for themselves this week. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 23 points and eight assists along with six rebounds while LeBron James had 20 points. Miami dominated in the fourth quarter to secure a win.
"Not the prettiest game for us all the way through," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But it was an important game to bounce back, and just remember what it was like to win."
It wasn't a pretty game, but at least Miami avoided hitting close to rock-bottom with an 8-8 record, which would definitely catch people's attention with a team like this stuck at exactly .500. A loss would mean stormy clouds hovering angrily over Miami and over .500 would mean a bit of celebration. To put in a simple way, losing to the Sixers and falling to 8-8 tonight would be disastrous.
Chris Bosh provided 18 points while Carlos Arroyo had a season-high of 17. The Heat struggles during stretches in this game, which is pretty sad considering that Philly was 3-12 entering this game while also just winning one road game so far this year. But James helped fuel the team with his extra effort, as he also had eight rebounds and six assists. The Heat were scaring many fans as they ended the third quarter with a two-point lead. But a 12-2 run helped ensure a victory.
"We're going to get teams' best," Bosh said. "That's how it's going to be all season. ... If we had the answers to the test, believe me, we'd have used them a long time ago."
Jodie Meeks played well, leading the Sixers with 21 points. Andre Iguodala played solid with 20 points and nine rebounds while Elton Brand had twelve points and eleven points were produced by Thaddues Young. Iguodala had a key play earlier in the game, as the Sixers stole the ball from LeBron James and they passed it to a wide-open Iguodala, who made a very nice dunk. It was a great highlight. The Sixers were so close to providing an upset. Elton Brand could feel the frustration, as he was recently ejected from a game when he put up a hard foul on Washington Wizards' center Javale McGee a few days earlier.
"We were right there," Brand said.
But the Heat made their defense step up tonight, and it was about time. James played very solid in this game, as he stepped up in all areas of the game.
"Have some fun and passion about playing that style of basketball, that's what we want to do," Spoelstra said.
Although it was disappointing the Heat let the 76ers very close with them throughout the game, it was a win. And that is what mainly counts.
"We've got to get away from worrying about how we get wins," Wade said. "We have to focus on getting wins. Internally, we can't worry about blowouts. You've got to worry about playing well. I think there was some things tonight we can learn from."
The Heat will face the Dallas Mavericks next while Philly will host the New Jersey Nets.
Written by:
