Miami Heat: What Heatles Can Learn from 76ers for Game 6 Against Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been nearly unbeatable at home during the 2012 NBA playoffs.

In their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks, they won all three home games by a combined total of 10.3 points.

So far in the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics have won all of their home games against the Miami Heat, and they've done so by a combined averaged of six points per game.

The only team to leave TD Garden with a victory this postseason is the Philadelphia 76ers—the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

How did the 76ers manage to do the impossible and beat the Celtics in their home arena?  It started with something the Heat have failed to do all series long with the Celtics—get back in transition.

Don't let the Celtics run in transition, or in other words, "Stop Arguing with the refs"

When the 76ers beat the Celtics on the road in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, they didn't let Rondo loose in transition.

Instead of arguing about whether they got fouled or not on the previous play, the 76ers put their heads down and rushed back on defense, and that's where the victory began.

In Game 2, the 76ers held the Celtics to just six fast-break points, which is an integral piece of why they were able to beat the Celtics at home. If the Heat want to beat the Celtics Thursday night, they must start by getting back in transition every single play.

Listen LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. We know you get fouled more often than get's called, but arguing about every single missed call only hurts your team. I mean, didn't you ever hear the age-old adage, "you can't cry over spilled milk?"

No matter what happens on the Heat's offensive possessions, every player wearing a Heat jersey needs to get back on defense. If they don't, their season will come to an abrupt end with a loss in Game 6.

Trust the players around you from the tipoff

When the 76ers beat the Celtics on the road, they had seven players with at least seven points, and that doesn't happen by chance.

Getting multiple players involved in the offense is something that the 76ers did well all season long, and it's something that they made sure happened from the moment the clock started ticking.

In each of the Heat's two road losses to the Celtics, Miami's only had four players with seven or more points, and that's not going to cut it on the road against one of the most veteran teams in the league.

LeBron and Wade do a great job of facilitating the offense to teammates when that's their only option, but that's not good enough. In Game 6, LeBron and Wade absolutely must involve teammates like Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier from the start of the game if they want to win.

Involving teammates in the offense doesn't mean driving and kicking it out to them with time expiring on the shot clock. It means running offensive sets for everyone on the court like the 76ers did so well against the Celtics.

An epic Game 6 win for the Heat starts with transition defense, and it's maintained by beating the Celtics like a team, with ball movement and involvement from every player on the court.

Beat the Celtics on the glass

The final lesson the Heat need to learn from the 76ers is the importance of beating the Celtics on the glass.

When the 76ers won in Beantown, they did so by out-rebounding the Celtics to the tune of 47 rebounds to 36—including a plus five advantage on the offensive boards.

In the Heat's two playoff losses to the Celtics, they've been out-rebounded by an average of 5.5 rebounds per game—including an average Celtic advantage of plus five offensive rebounds per game.

It's evident that the Heat need to crash the offensive boards more, which in turn will create the second-chance opportunities they've so desperately needed in their last few games.

The only reason why the Heat are getting out-rebounded by the Celtics is because of a lack of effort on the Heat's part, and that absolutely must change heading into the most crucial game of their season on Thursday night.

If the Heat want to beat the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, they need to sit down and watch the game tape from Boston's sole road loss this postseason.

The 76ers knocked off the Celtics in TD Garden with focused transition defense, tenacity on the glass and ball movement resulting in offensive involvement from every player on the court.

To beat the Celtics, the Heat will need to do exactly the same.