NBA Playoff Predictions, Heat Vs. 76ers: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Begin Playoff Run

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Miami Heat benefited from the Boston Celtics’ decision to rest their key players, leaping to the No. 2 seed in the East bracket of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Their opponent is the No. 7 seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who went on a heck of a run of their own before faltering a bit late in the year. The Heat are probably lucky to avoid the dangerous New York Knicks in the first round, but the 76ers are no pushover and could make their life difficult as they begin on this pressure-filled playoff run.

Mild. The 76ers were one of the league’s best teams after November, rebounding from a 3-13 record thanks to great coaching by Doug Collins, a bounce-back year from Elton Brand, solid play from Andre Iguodala and superb development from youngsters Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Haws and Lou Williams. But Miami, with its athletes on the perimeter, is not an ideal matchup for them. The 76ers also have to deal with nagging injuries to Williams, who has been out of action since April 2 with a hamstring injury, and Brand, who is playing through a fractured hand.

All three Heatles are properly anointed at this point, so the best bet is that one of the 76ers’ youngsters breaks out with a strong series. Given Miami’s problems at point guard, Jrue Holiday is an obvious candidate. The 20-year old improved tremendously as the season progressed, and while he is still erratic, his vast array of skill should be too much for Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers to handle consistently.

Should Miami struggle to finish out this series against an athletic, but small 76ers team, it will mean that the Celtics’ decision to trade Kendrick Perkins and become smaller themselves may have been a better one than originally anticipated. Should Miami roll over the smaller 76ers, dismissing their athleticism as but a mere pittance of what James and Wade are capable of doing in full flight, the Celtics have problems, assuming they even get by the Knicks.

This is a classic “team of stars” vs. “team better than the sum of its parts” series, which means Bill Simmons and others will go ga-ga over “The Secret” working again if the 76ers can somehow make this a series. Negative memes regarding the Heat practically write themselves at this point, so it’s not hard to figure out what the stories will be. If Miami dominates, though, there will be many that shift their opinion to the Heat finally coming together as a team. The latter meme will especially hit home if and when the Celtics struggle with the Knicks.

Miami in 5. It’s unfortunate, because the 76ers could scare a lot of teams. But Miami is an awful matchup, and the Sixers’ injuries aren’t helping. The 76ers will win a game at home, but Miami should be able to close them out easily otherwise.

Keep up with our Heat Vs. 76ers, NBA Playoffs section for all the coverage of this series you need. For more on the Heat, head over to Peninsula is Mightier. For 76ers’ coverage and analysis, visit Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly.