Pro Basketball Selections: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers

Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers
Wednesday, 10/27/10, 7:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Miami -8
Current Betting Line: Miami -7.5
Opening Total: 190
Current Total: 189.5
Current Moneyline: Miami -355 / Philadelphia +295

Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade was limited to 13 points in a 88-80 loss in Boston last night

Miami dropped an 88-80 road contest to the Boston Celtics last night and the experts that predicted this team was going to break the Chicago Bull’s 72-win season may have a lot of explaining to do. “This is one of 82,” said guard Dwyane Wade in his post-game conference. “Sorry if everyone thought we were going to go 82-0. It just ain’t happening.” He was limited to 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Two-time MVP Lebron James led the team by scoring 31 points and forward Chris Bosh added eight points and eight rebounds. The hyped trio combined for 15 of the Heat’s 17 turnovers. Miami really never had a chance in last night’s game due to scoring just nine points in the opening frame. The team is 11-5 ATS as a road favorite and the NBA basketball oddsmakers opened them as a eight-point favorite tonight in Philadelphia.

The Heat can’t be too concerned with last night’s outcome considering all the new pieces and Wade missing all but three minutes of the preseason with a hamstring injury. Still, in no quarter last season did Miami without Bosh and James score so few points then last night’s opening frame. Neither did James with Cleveland in 2009-10. “We know it isn’t going to be easy,” head caoch Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s not a reason to panic right now.” He faced a difficult decision in the offseason and ultimately kept Wade and Udonis Haslem as co-captains this season. An important note in the backcourt must be mentioned that guard Carlos Arroyo beat out Mario Chalmers for the opening-night start at point guard.

Philadelphia opens its season against the most talked about team in the league tonight and will look to snap a four-game losing streak to Heat. “I think we were all ready to move on from last year,” said forward Thaddeus Young. The Sixers have a new head coach, as Doug Collins becomes the seventh man to take over the sidelines since Larry Brown left in 2003. “I know the pulse of the city,” said Collins. “I’ve had a chance to live it. I’m blessed to be the coach here.” The club posted a 27-55 mark last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. Philadelphia added to the depth of its bench with the additions of Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni during the offseason. The team finished off the 2009-10 season with a 3-1-1 ATS mark as an underdog.

The Sixers were outscored by 11.5 points per game in the four games against the Heat last season, but managed to snap a seven-game streak of scoring below 100 against them with 150 points in the last meeting. Philadelphia’s defensive focus must remain on Wade despite the opponents new-look roster, as he scored a series-high 28.5 points on 53.8 shooting last season. The squad finished the preseason with a 2-5 mark after posting a winning record the previous two preseasons. Over the final four games, Philly averaged 108.0 points after averaging 83.3 in the first three games.