{"id":394854,"date":"2011-04-23T23:13:16","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T23:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/23\/heat-eager-to-finish-sweep-of-76ers-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-23T23:13:16","modified_gmt":"2011-04-23T23:13:16","slug":"heat-eager-to-finish-sweep-of-76ers-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/23\/heat-eager-to-finish-sweep-of-76ers-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat eager to finish sweep of 76ers (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PHILADELPHIA (AP)\u2014LeBron James<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> blew past a yellow-shirted defender, deked another with a dazzling behind-the-back dribble and threw dunk a rim-rattling dunk.<\/p>\n

The Miami Heat<\/a> were nearing the end of a 2 1\/2 -hour practice Saturday when James punctuated it with a highlight play. Players and coaches say they\u2019re focused on the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>\u2014a win in Game 4 at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday would complete a sweep. Judging by the pace of practice at Saint Joseph\u2019s University, it seemed they were already gearing up for a showdown with the Boston Celtics<\/a> in the Eastern Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t look ahead,\u201d James said. \u201cNo one on this team looks ahead. This series isn\u2019t over yet. We got Philly to worry about. If we get to Boston, whenever that happens, then we\u2019ll get ready to take care of business, but I\u2019m not looking ahead to those guys because we still have to finish what we started.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Celtics also have a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the New York Knicks<\/a>. No team in NBA history has ever come back from such a deficit to win the series.<\/p>\n

So, it would take a monumental collapse for the Heat not to play the Celtics in the next round. The playoff matchup everyone expected\u2014James, Dwyane Wade<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Chris Bosh<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and the Heat vs. Boston\u2019s Big Three plus Rajon Rondo<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span>\u2014is almost a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be right if Miami and Boston didn\u2019t meet in the playoffs,\u201d Wade said. \u201cEveryone is expecting that, but we both have to finish our business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he\u2019s watched the Knicks-Celtics series as a fan, leaving the scouts to analyze and breakdown film. He wouldn\u2019t even comment on Rondo\u2019s sensational performance\u201420 assists\u2014in Boston\u2019s victory in Game 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not letting myself get there,\u201d Spoelstra said. \u201cWe have enough to take care of right now. If I let my mind drift, my focus drift, if we start talking about other things, that\u2019s probably the most dangerous thing we can do. Philly has given us all we can handle. Right now, I\u2019m looking at what we can do better, where our holes have been, what they can do to capitalize on it. These first quarters in two of the three games were not our best. At the end we had to play with extreme desperation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sixers outscored the Heat 60-40 in the first quarters of Games 1 and 3. They raced to double-digit leads in both games only to apart at the end. No one thought a team that finished 41-41 would seriously push the Heat. Even Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said he knows the team is considered merely a \u201cspeed bump\u201d for the Heat. All the Sixers want is to get a win, avoid a sweep and send the series back to South Beach for one more game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want, first of all, to get a win at home,\u201d said Andre Iguodala<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> a major disappointment in the series. \u201cThe crowd was really behind the guys. They gave us a lot of support. That\u2019s definitely our first goal, to win at home. I think the guys have been motivated from the start, in tuned to what the coaches say and focused in and really been motivated. We\u2019ve played hard. I expect that to be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Effort isn\u2019t Philadelphia\u2019s problem. They\u2019re simply overmatched against a team that was put together to win an NBA title.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so athletic,\u201d Elton Brand<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cIf they get a fastbreak, they\u2019ll finish it. We have to take good shots. We don\u2019t turn the ball over a lot. We have to turn it over even less.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sixers are a young team with little playoff experience. They haven\u2019t been intimated by Miami\u2019s superstars, and Collins isn\u2019t going to let them go down without a fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the good thing about having a young group,\u201d Iguodala said. \u201cThey just have that natural energy. And they\u2019re just too goofy to know the situation, so they\u2019re always excited to play the game. It kind of rubs off on everyone. They\u2019re always wanting to play another game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spoelstra is quite aware of this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is still a series until you eliminate somebody,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re a dangerous team. They\u2019re young enough to not understand any statistics or anything that\u2019s happened over the years, 3-0. The way they are, their fabric, they\u2019re gonna keep on coming. They\u2019re relentless, they\u2019re well- coached, they will not stop. We will have to earn this victory.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Originally posted here:
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