Sixers Burned By Heat

This has been a very up and down season for the Sixers so far. They have looked like one of the top teams in the East in blow out wins vs the Kings and Knicks. But on their off nights, they sure can look bad.

Last nights contect between the Miami Heat and Sixers was not even close. Right out of the gate, the Sixers fell behind. Down 7 at the end of the first quarter, that balloned to 21 points by the end of the first half. They made a brief run, pulling to within 9 with only 2 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, but they could not get any closer. The final score was Heat 106, Sixers 83. The lose dropped the Sixers record to 2-3, and the Heat reached the .500 mark, at 2-2.

Dwyane Wade killed the Sixers last night, to the tune of 29 points, 5 steals, 6 assists and 7 rebounds. Many people coming into the season (except yours truley) doubted that he would be able to bounce back various injuries. But he has answered all the haters, with season averages of 24 points, 6 assists and 7 rebounds.

Going into the season, many people saw a glaring hole at the point guard position for the Heat. But rookie Mario Chalmers has answered those questions, averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. He also plays good defense, with 9 steals agaisnt the Sixers last night.

While the Heat have had a promising start to their season, the Sixers have been a dissapointment so far. Elton Brand has been good, but not great, with averages of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Andre Igoudala looks nothing like the player he was last season, averging only 10 points, and 5 assists and rebounds.

The lone bright spot for the Sixers has been the play of second year forward Thaddeus Young. He has added a 3 point shot to his game, and has carried the Sixers offense at times. He is averging 16 points at 5 rebounds while shooting almost .600 from the floor.

The Sixers don't get much time to figure things out, as they roll in Orlando tonight in a game agaisnt the Magic. The Magic are 2-2 this seaspn, lead by Dwaight Howard, who is averaging 22 points and 15 rebounds.