The Miami Heat are positioned to beat Philadelphia in the playoffs

After a year-long absence, the Miami Heat have returned to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs.

The Miami Heat’s season couldn’t have ended any other way. Leading the NBA with 53 clutch contests, Miami’s final push past the Toronto Raptors was a synopsis of 2018 Heat basketball.

Outscored through the first three quarters, a historic shooting night from Wayne Ellington changed the game’s course, and with it, Miami’s playoff seeding. Now jettisoned into sixth place, Miami has the task of two-stepping with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Both teams have something to prove. The Sixers have a 2018 sports trifecta to pursue, in the wake of Villanova’s NCAA title and the Philadelphia Eagles Superbowl victory. Philadelphia trusted the process and found the roadmap to a league best 16-game win streak entering the playoffs.

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Miami however, has their own motivations as well. Still undetermined, this could be the last time Heat Nation sees Dwyane Wade in the playoffs. Miami also has an organizational chip weighing on their shoulders. Prior to the Big 3 era, Miami had three consecutive first round exits.

Though Philadelphia enters the playoffs with a metric ton of momentum, Miami has the capabilities to write the 76ers out of history.

Playing with pace

Since the beginning of March, the Sixers have led the NBA in pace. Philadelphia’s near 104 points per 100 possessions is an artifact of Ben Simmons‘ ability to stride up the hardwood and float past opposing defenses.

Although Miami is only five points shy of Philadelphia’s pace, the difference is felt in transition – only 12 percent of Miami’s offense comes on the break.

To cover the disparity then, the Heat need to corral Philadelphia into half-court sets. Joel Embiid is expected to miss Game 1 of the series according to NBA.com and is the most potent half-court threat. Without Embiid, Miami can take advantage of their defensive rotations, prioritizing Simmons’ preference for drive-and-kick situations.

Assuming they can limit the Sixers in transition, Miami can beat Philadelphia by committee. The Heat’s unsuspectingly diverse cast led by Josh Richardson, James Johnson and Justise Winslow can bolster the defensive effort, while scoring from Wade, Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk can tilt the scales in favor of Miami.

Check the resume

If it wasn’t clear, Wade, one of the best shooting guards of all time, is in Miami’s playoff corner. In the 2018 playoffs only LeBron James and Jason Terry rival Wade’s playoff belt notches.

While Wade’s experience would have surely been helpful in a first round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers – after all, he played there for a while – his penchant for interior scoring can beguile even Philadelphia’s best defenders.

In one of his three meetups with the Sixers this year, Wade dismantled them in 25 minutes. Scoring 27 points, including a game winner over the tip toes of Simmons, proved he still has the game sense to be effective.

And if not on the court, Wade’s career is the best role model for the young Heat. In the 2006 NBA Finals, a 24-year-old Wade dropped knowledge in an interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters.

"“Well, I am better going to the hole, but I have proven I can shoot the ball,” Wade said of his scoring potential. “I’m not worried about what my opponents said about me. That’s what they’re supposed to say.”"

Wade knows the playoff grind. He knows teams are preparing to send opponents to their worst spots, and Philadelphia is ripe for the occasion. Between their depth and the crowd-hyping antics of Embiid, Simmons and J.J. Redick, Miami needs to be sound of body and mind.

Wade (and Udonis Haslem for that matter) knows the grind. Veteran leadership pacing the Heat when the nerves start to show, is perhaps Miami’s greatest X-factor against the Sixers.

The series won’t be a cake walk. Hassan Whiteside‘s presence is paramount in keeping Philadelphia out of the paint and off the glass. Ellington is the not-so-secret weapon and Bam Adebayo‘s flight path has to include as many unsuspecting defenders as possible.

But, the Heat can beat the Sixers. They have the tools to barrel past Philadelphia.

Next: Three takeaways from Miami Heat’s overtime win versus Toronto

If the 2-2 season split is anything to go on, Miami is primed for a series of the grueling brand of basketball they’ve played all year long.