For those of you with younger siblings, you’d understand this scenario:  A few of your friends are over hanging out, enjoying a few brews, talking about girls and occasionally dabbling in the sports discussion.  Your younger brother, too young to drink, is adamant about spending time with your crew while trying to fit in. 

No matter what you say, your brother wont leave, he continues to hang around.  That’s exactly what the Sixers did, they annoyingly hung around, consistently pestering the Heat during this five game series. 

The Miami Heat is clearly the better ball club and they knew that.  So when the Sixers continuously stayed in ball games it irked their elite players.  With three superstars in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, we all knew the 76ers didn’t stand a chance in a seven game series.  And despite the kind words they had had for our young Sixers in the media, the Heat knew they should dismiss the 7-6 with relative ease. 

Yet, admirably they fought for their outmatched lives in three competitive losses, one win and a blow out over the course of the series.  In the final Game 5 97-91 loss, the Sixers went down swinging like a boxer on his final leg.  Hanging around just long enough to scare the Heat with the possibility of a drawn out series heading back to Philadelphia.

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Following the Game 3 defeat, everyone in America had written off the 7-6.  Game 3 was the one they were suppose to win if they wanted any shot at shocking the Miami Heat in a first-round upset.  But after losing Game 3, the Sixers’ motive and confidence should’ve been depleted for Game 4 and led to an easy sweep for the Miami Heat.  Instead, the young Sixers came out re-energized and inspired. 

Thanks to a succession of buckets from our young stars Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams to close out the game, we were able squeak a victory over South Beach’s finest.  The Sixers know their outmatched, they understand their opposition is the better team.  Yet, they still are fighting for their lives in an admiring fashion while not folding under the pressure of the spotlight.   

Sound like any movie icon we know and love here in Philly?

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The Sixers, as Doug Collins reminded us in a moment of refreshing and controversial candor earlier in this series, are not nearly as good as the Heat.  Their best player is, depending on situation factors, Lebron or Dwyane Wade.  Our best player, according to Charles Barkley, is Thaddeus Young.   This is an enormous problem for us.

This problem, already sizable, has been compounded by Thad’s performance in the first-round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.  He has struggled in this series, and in the last couple games in particular reached near Evan Turner-like levels of invisibility and diffidence (while Turner has, on the other hand, been occasionally terrific).   After scoring 38 points and notching 17 rebounds in 57 minutes of work in the series first two games, Thad logged 42 minutes in games three and four and in this time posted a combined six points and seven rebounds on 2/12 shooting.

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There isn’t a 76er that has caught more flack than Lou Williams during his six year tenure in Philly.  Many fans continually moan about how he’s a ball hog or his horrible shot selection.  Well in on Easter Sunday 2011, Lou Williams wiped his slate clean.

Down just one point, Lou swished home one of the most stunning three-pointers in team history, in Dwyane Wade’s eye, giving the Sixers an 84-82 lead with 8.1 seconds left on the clock.  LeBron James was unable to convert a running layup and Evan Turner was able to bury home two final free throws to ensure this series heads to a game five back in Miami.

Lou deserves player of the game honors for his clutch shooting and confidence all fourth quarter long.  Eleven of Williams’ 17 points came in what was about to be the Sixers final quarter of the season.  At one point Lou scored seven straight for the Sixers in the 4th quarter.  His emergence at the end was entirely unexpected in my opinion.  This was a guy who hasn’t played his kind of isolation basketball successfully in about a month.  Lou-Will’s heroics were teamed together with unlikely partner to secure the W for the 7-6 and avoid the embarrassment of a sweep.

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The South Beach Posse are simply too good for the 76ers.  There is no other way to put it.  You cannot sugar coat it or deny it.  Doug Collins’ team has no shot.  Even when the Sixers build a lead, play solid defense and seem to control the tempo for most of the game, the Heat buckle down in the critical minutes to roll out with a victory. 

Despite another hot first quarter start; despite leading heading into the fourth quarter; despite Jrue Holiday excelling by hitting four three-pointers contributing to 20 of his points, Elton Brand tallying a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists, Spencer Hawes impressively scoring 12 points and Lou Williams finally putting the ball in the basket; the Sixers lost as they’re far inferior to the star-driven Heat.    

This game was a must-win if he Sixers had any hope of making this series competitive.  With the loss, a sweep now seems inevitable for the 76ers.

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Game 2 in Miami was torture for 76er fans.  Everyone expected the Sixers defense to struggle against the Miami Heat’s superstars, but you probably will have a hard time finding anyone who expected the Sixer offense to be this pathetic.  Thirty-one first half points wasn’t laughable, it wasn’t embarrassing.  It was a sick joke.  It was unwatchable.

In the biggest road game of the year, one that could’ve shaken the foundation of the Heat, the 76ers instead curled up in the fetal position.  Evan Turner— of all people—was the only Sixer with any scoring ability in the first half.  Even Miami center Joel Anthony, one of the most uncoordinated NBA players ever, was getting his flow on against the lifeless Sixers.

Many things have to drastically change for the Sixers to not get blown out of the water tonight at Wells Fargo Center.  After the jump I am going to point out 5 keys to tonight’s game for the Sixers.

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As we posted on Tuesday, we’ve partnered with Draft Street on another promo for all you fantasy pros out there. 

This one is for all you addicts who are not satisified with just playing in a league during the NBA’s regular season. 

This one is an NBA Playoff fantasty league and hopefully it will help you get your fantasy fix this week.  

You can sign up for the two day, FREE Philadunkia fantasy league with a $100 prize pool (5 places paid) by clicking on the link below.

Just like last time, it is a salary cap league where everyone tries to assemble the best team out of the players who’s teams are participating in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.  You will have a $100,000 salary to build a team of guards, bigs, two centers and two reserves.  Each NBA player has been allocated a price based on their expected performance.  For example, Lebron costs $20,734 where as our guy Andre Iguodala only costs $13,131.  You can get the full rules here. 

The contest will be held on today (4/21) and Friday (4/22).  The contest will launch with the Bulls vs. Pacers game on 4/21 and wrap up with the Lakers vs Hornets cmatch-up on 4/22.  

The best part about this contest is that it’s 100% free to enter.  

But as we have said previously, Philadunkia nation be warned — one of us is looking to take home the $$$.

Join the Philadunkia $100 Prize Pool by clicking here.

John Finger of csnphilly.com lists what the Sixers must do to win Game 3.

Linda Robertson of the Miami Herald writes that after a season of bashing him, now it’s time to give some credit to Eric Spoelstra. 

Over at SI.com Reggie Miller says, “Don’t hate on the Heat”. 

Bob Cooney of philly.com reports that the Sixers remain loose despite being blown out in Game 2. 

Cooney also published a host of insights on the Sixers – Heat series from TNT’s basketball experts.  Charles Barkley went out on a limb and said, “[The 76ers have] got no chance of beating Miami, they are going to get swept…” 

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As we posted last week, we’ve partnered with Draft Street on another promo for all you fantasy pros out there. 

This one is for all you addicts who are not satisified with just playing in a league during the NBA’s regular season. 

This one is an NBA Playoff fantasty league and hopefully it will help you get your fantasy fix this week.  

You can sign up for the two day, FREE Philadunkia fantasy league with a $100 prize pool (5 places paid) by clicking on the link below.

Just like last time, it is a salary cap league where everyone tries to assemble the best team out of the players who’s teams are participating in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.  You will have a $100,000 salary to build a team of guards, bigs, two centers and two reserves.  Each NBA player has been allocated a price based on their expected performance.  For example, Lebron costs $20,734 where as our guy Andre Iguodala only costs $13,131.  You can get the full rules here. 

But as we have said previously, Philadunkia nation be warned — one of us is looking to take home the $$$.

Join the Philadunkia $100 Prize Pool by clicking here.

Dominated and outmatched, our 76ers did not belong in the same building as the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the first round matchup.  Mustering only 13 points in the first quarter, and 31 points in the first half, the game was over by halftime thanks to an insurmountable 49-31 Miami lead.

Before a 26-5 2^nd quarter Heat run in Game 1, the Sixers held an impressive 31-19 start to the potential seven game war.  Yes, you read correctly, 31 points in the first quarter of Game 1 and only 31 points in a whole half in Game 2.  The slow opening quarter start tied our second lowest point production for the entire NBA year.  And if your counting at home, the Sixers have been beaten in the last seven quarters 172-131. 

It was the hopeless offense that was devoured by an enthused Heat squad which led to the 94-73 atrocity.  Sadly, the score seems even closer than the game actually felt.

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