#2 Miami Heat (58-24) vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers (41-41)
2011 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs – First Round
Series Price: Heat -2100 / 76ers +1250
Series Schedule
Game 1 – Saturday, April 16, Philadelphia at Miami, 3:30 pm, ABC/R
Game 2 – Monday, April 18, Philadelphia at Miami, 7:00 pm, TNT
Game 3 – Thursday, April 21, Miami at Philadelphia, 8:00 pm, TNT
Game 4 – Sunday, April 24, Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00 pm, ABC
Game 5 * Wednesday, April 27, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Friday, April 29, Miami at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sunday, May 1, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
All Times Eastern
* if necessary
Expectations for the Miami Heat (58-24) may have been too high during the regular season, as the trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade experienced some growing pains and bumps in the road before ultimately coming away with the second seed in the Eastern Conference. But now is the time for them to show off their potential as a contender for the NBA championship when they face the seven-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (41-41) in the first round.
No team has been more scrutinized in the history of the league than Miami, and that will not change until James proves he can win a title. Dating all the way back to the celebratory reception of Wade’s two newest high-profile teammates following the infamous Decision, there has been a target on all of their backs. Just how far can star power go? That is the question fans and bettors alike will be looking to answer as they try to figure out which Heat team shows up in the playoffs.
Miami cruised down the stretch, going 15-3 in the final 18 games after suffering through their worst losing streak of the season at five games. James could not finish off those games during the skid, leaving many to wonder if Wade was the better late-game option. The Heat did not have many close games over the last month of the season, as only two of their final 14 games were decided by five points or less (and they lost one of those).
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has not played well in April with a 2-5 record straight-up and a 1-6 mark against the spread. One could argue that the 76ers already knew they would make it into the postseason and did not care much about seeding since they were pretty much guaranteed to play one of the top three teams. If anything is in their favor in this series, it is coaching with Doug Collins doing one of the best jobs of anybody this season.
Collins knows what it is like to pull off an upset in the playoffs, as he coached the sixth-seeded Chicago Bulls to a first-round upset of #3 Cleveland back in 1989. The Bulls had lost every regular-season meeting with the Cavs that year, similar to losing all three games against Miami this season. The Heat have won the last seven meetings in the series, going 4-3 ATS.
Philly has size up front (Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes) that will be tough for Miami to deal with along with quality depth (Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young) off the bench. The main issue for the Sixers is the health of star Andre Iguodala (knee) and Willams (hamstring). If healthy, they match up extremely well and could give the Heat some problems.
Series Pick: Miami Heat (-2100 at Bookmaker) in 6
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