Heat must remain focused on sixers with celtics ahead

[Betfair]

Professional sports handicapper Jeff Grant previews Game 5 of the Eastern Conference series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat

At the time of this writing, the following Match Odds/Moneyline were available: Philadelphia 76ers (7.8, +680) and Miami Heat (1.14, -714)

Philadelphia avoided elimination with an exciting 86-82 home victory in Game 4 of its first-round matchup with Miami in the playoffs. The Sixers outscored the Heat 10-0 in the final 82 seconds of Sunday afternoon's contest and hope to carry that momentum into tonight. "It was easy for us when we were down seven with eight minutes to go for guys to pack it in and get ready for that vacation," Sixers guard Lou Williams said. "Instead, guys locked down on defense and made some big shots." The team has now avoided being swept in a series since the 1999 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus Indiana, but no squad has overcome a 3-0 deficit in NBA playoff history. Philadelphia is 14-8 ATS versus Southeast Division opponents this season.

The Sixers resolve in Sunday's game can't be overstated due to losing their previous two elimination games by a total of 48 points. Philadelphia also won Game 4 after losing its previous 10 games against Miami, when including the regular season and playoffs combined. The squad has still not won a game in Miami since February 23, 2008. Offensively, the team will need to step it up a notch to avoid elimination a second time around, considering it was 5-12 when scoring below 90 points during the regular season while Miami was 23-3 when holding opponents under that mark.

Miami has a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead in the series, but much of the last 72 hours has been focused on its collapse in Game 4. "It's horrible, honestly," said forward LeBron James. The Heat were a dominating 38-14 during the regular season against Eastern Conference opponents and many NBA experts believe the series will end tonight if the squad is focused on the Sixers. "We're talking about Philly right now," said guard Dwyane Wade in regards to its perceived matchup with Boston in the next round. Miami was 4-10 ATS during the regular season when playing with two days rest.

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