The Sixer Sense
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Brett Brown is right: The Heat deserve respect

By Christopher Kline

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 10: Josh Richardson #0 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 10: Josh Richardson #0 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers should be favorites in round one, but the Miami Heat shouldn’t be slept on. Brett Brown knows that.

Going into the final couple of games, the Philadelphia 76ers essentially had four potential playoff opponents: Indiana, Milwaukee, Miami or Washington. Of that group, most fans favored the Heat, and for good reason.

I tend to value star equity in the postseason, and Miami is the only team that lacks a true go-to star. Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside are both good players, but they aren’t guys you typically build your playoff hopes around.

As things would have it, the red-hot Sixers landed Miami in the first round. Most people have the Sixers winning, and they should. The Sixers look like one of the best teams in the conference, and many have them advancing to the conference finals — who cares about Miami?

I, for one, care about Miami.

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The Sixers are a different team now than they were in January, but just think back to the Sixers’ games against Miami this year. They were all tough, hard-fought games. Both teams traded blows, with Dwyane Wade missing and making a game-winning shot in two of those bouts. They split the season series 2-2.

Miami has a handful of advantages that should concern the Sixers, starting with their wing rotation.

Miami goes DEEP on the perimeter, with Dragic, Wade, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow and Wayne Ellington all getting legitimate minutes. You can throw Rodney McGruder into the mix as well.

They can go small or big, all with enough versatility to hang with an up-tempo Sixers squad. Richardson deserves All-Defense honors, while Winslow can defend three (maybe four) positions and act as the de facto point guard in spurts.

Dragic, while not necessarily a deserving candidate, made the All-Star team for a reason. He’s a really solid player.

There’s also Hassan Whiteside who, all  jokes aside, is one of the few centers capable of handling Embiid physically. We don’t know when JoJo will return, but there seems to be a good chance he returns at some point in the first round.

That could change if the Sixers roll out to a 2-0 lead, but we’ll cross the bridge when we get there.

Whiteside hasn’t been particularly effective of late and Erik Spoelstra has been going away from him in close games, but he’s still a hulking presence who’s capable of making a significant impact on the defensive end.

They have a decent group of bigs behind him as well. James Johnson is a versatile stretch four who can both shoot and handle the ball. He has defended Simmons well this season, so expect him to play a big role.

Bam Adebayo is a solid rim-runner whose physical tools have already translated into strong defense. Kelly Olynyk, albeit one of the NBA’s most disliked players, can still shoot and provides a nice lift offensively.

Above all else, though, this team has tons of playoff experience — starting with Wade and Coach Spo. They know what they’re doing and the Sixers, as well as they’ve played lately, are still new to this. You shouldn’t be too concerned about the Sixers’ youth, but it’s worth noting.

For all the praise the Sixers’ culture has gotten in recent weeks, some folks tend to forget how strong Miami is in that department as well. From Pat Riley on down, they’ve constructed one of the best work environments in the league.

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You can get a good taste of that in Dion Waiters‘ article in The Players’ Tribune from last season.

And, of course, Brett Brown recognizes all this. In recent interviews, he has lauded the Heat’s culture and postseason readiness. He continues to emphasize how much respect he has for that group, and rightfully so.

Ersan Ilyasova also detailed some of the challenges that come with facing this Heat squad:

"“They’re a really big team. Obviously with Whiteside they’re really good in the paint. They have (Kelly) Olynyk, who’s kind of a stretch, big guy, can shoot. They’re a really tough team. They added Dwyane Wade. He’s playing at a high level right now … I think the biggest thing for us is going to be use our home-court advantage. In the first two games we have to come out with a lot of energy and do the same thing we did over this 50-win stretch. We have to play our basketball and focus on ourselves.” — NBC Sports PhiladelphiaÂ"

This is a familiar spot for Miami, and it’s clear the Sixers aren’t going to overlook them as Saturday approaches. In what is an exciting time for the Sixers and the city of Philadelphia, it’s important to maintain respect for a team that, in some ways, has performed above expectations in its own right.

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I would take the Sixers in six or fewer games, but they can’t walk into the series expecting Miami to bow out quickly. This should be a gritty (maybe even fun) first round series.