Heat Vs. 76ers, Game 5: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Finish Thier Breakfast, Eliminate Sixers

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It happened again in Game 5. The Sixers led 13-4 when Spoelstra was forced to call timeout. And once again, the Heat responded.

After the timeout, Miami outscored Philly 23-10 and scored 14 consecutive points at one point. That 10-point deficit was suddenly a four-point lead.

Philadelphia put up a valiant effort but Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat were not going to be denied. Wade finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists while helping close out the 76ers. His teammate, LeBron James just missed out on a triple double of his own with 16 points, 10 boards, and eight assists.

The Heat built an eight point lead in the fourth before Philly came back to cut it to two. Andre Iguodala made big basket after big basket down the stretch, but the 76ers never could come up with that key stop and basket to tie the game. Iguodala and Elton Brand finished with 22 points each. Thaddeus Young came off the bench to score 13.

Mario Chalmers has 20 points off the bench and has helped the Heat to a 72-67 lead over Philadelphia after three quarters of play. Chalmers has six of Miami’s ten three-point makes which has enabled the Heat to stay in front despite being outplayed by Philadelphia in most other categories. Chris Bosh has 17 points while Dwyane Wade has 14 points and 10 rebounds for Miami.

The 76ers built some confidence in the third but saw LeBron James score five straight points at the end of the quarter to help give the Heat a little cushion heading to the fourth. Elton Brand has 18 points helping contribute to Philadelphia’s sizable advantage in points in the paint. Andre Iguodala has been a factor offensively with 15 points while Jodie Meeks has 12.

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After an offensive first quarter, things slowed down in the second with the Miami Heat taking a 45-42 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers into halftime. Philadelphia has been content with cutting off the lane and is letting Miami fire away from outside. The Heat have already attempted 16 three-pointers having connected on six with Mario Chalmers doing most of the damage.

Chalmers leads all Miami scorers with 14 points and is 4-9 from three-point range. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each have 10 points and seven rebounds. LeBron James was quiet in the opening half recording just three points while only attempting six shots from the field. James does lead Miami with five assists.

The Heat will no doubt be smarting at their inability to execute down the stretch, but they also will need to get off to a better start than they did in Game 4 on Sunday. The 76ers flew out of the gate early and took a 15-point first quarter lead, getting their transition game in gear. Miami eventually rallied, using a stifling half-court trap to tie the game in the second quarter, but they should not have made it more difficult on themselves. If they can get off to a good start on Wednesday, it might be enough against a young 76ers team.

If Miami wins, they will face the Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday afternoon. If not, Game 6 will be on Friday. If the Heat win Game 6, Game 1 vs. the Celtics will still be on Sunday. If, however, the 76ers win both games, Game 7 will be Sunday and Game 1 of the next round will be pushed back.