NBA Playoffs 2011: Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game One Post-Game Reaction

The start of the game didn't look like the Miami Heat and neither did most of the fourth quarter.

The rest of the game though? Pure Miami Heat basketball at its best.

The Heat overcame a 31-19 first-quarter deficit and outscored the Philadelphia 76ers by 23 points over the next two quarters to steal away a 97-89 win in Game 1 of what is sure to be an electric series. Philadelphia played like the resilient team that they have been playing like last season and used that never-quit attitude to make a game out of it in the fourth quarter.

If not for Dwyane Wade, the 76ers could easily be the team with the one-game advantage. Wade hit a ridiculous bank shot with a foul on one possession and then drew a foul on the next to all but give Miami a victory. After averaging 30 points in the three games against Philadelphia during the regular season, Wade was held to only 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He was an afterthought for the most part but came alive and saved a Heat team that couldn't buy a bucket in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James wasn't hitting too much either as he missed 10 of his 14 shots. However, he was able to consistently get to the line for 14 free-throw attempts and ended up with 21 points to go along with 14 rebounds, five assists  and three blocks.

Chris Bosh played a large part as well with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 free-throw attempts. Collectively, the Big Three took a total of 33 free throws (39 overall as a team) to Philadelphia's 15.

Why the significant free-throw disparity? Miami was forcing the officials to call fouls as they constantly attacked the rim, while the 76ers took most of their shot attempts from outside of the paint. 76ers coach Doug Collins was vocal with the officiating when mentioning the number of Heat free throws to that of his team. When it came down to it though, the Heat were the ones that were attacking and drawing the fouls.

Philadelphia finished with a balance effort with 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench from Thaddeus Young, 19 points, five rebounds and five assists from Jrue Holiday and 17 points and seven rebounds from Elton Brand. The frontcourt of Young and Brand proved to be daunting in the fourth quarter as they used their size to outrebound and outmuscle the Heat's bigs. Miami outrebounded Philadelphia 52-39, but the 76ers were clearly the better team on the glass in the fourth.

It came as a surprise to the Heat when Philadelphia rocketed out to a hot start and took a double-digit lead early. All this talk of "turning it on" for the postseason was out the window as the Heat saw the Sixers take a 12-point lead heading into the second quarter. After that slow start though, it was all Miami from there as they used a 35-18 second quarter to take over. The combined efforts of James, Wade and Bosh proved to be too much for the Sixers defense to handle.

It seemed that this game would be a runaway for Miami by the midpoint on the third quarter as they finally got their lead above double digits. By the midpoint of the fourth quarter, however, Philadelphia began their run, and the Heat couldn't find a way to respond on either end. Miami couldn't break the 76ers defense, and Philadelphia was scoring at will from beyond the arc and inside. With the lead cut to 88-87 and Wade on the bench with five fouls, this one was beginning to look like the one that got away.

And then Dwyane Wade came and decided that enough was enough. A few ridiculous plays here and there and the Heat breathed a huge sigh of relief with a Game 1 97-89 victory. Even with the win under their belt, this was not the type of game that the Heat wanted. They got off to another slow start and let their guard down when they believed that the lead became comfortable. It was uncomfortably reminiscent of what the Heat had done too many times this season.

Against a team like the Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat were able to escape with a win. If Miami were to run the same risk against a team like Boston or Chicago, we could be singing a completely different tune right now. This team showed no indication of "turning it on" for the postseason and looked like the same team from the regular season that would constantly let their guard down time after time. With three more games to win to escape out of the first round, the Heat can't continue to run this risk when the competition becomes tougher.

Aside from the absurd clutchness of Wade, the Heat were able to win this game thanks to their incessant driving and ability to draw fouls. Miami outscored Philadelphia 31-12 from the foul line to give the team their biggest statistical advantage of the game which eventually proved to be the difference maker in the end. The slashing of Wade and James was unmatched by anyone on the 76ers as they saw most of their points come from outside the lane.

The Heat didn't get too much support from the supporting cast but got enough to help Miami build a lead. With Mike Miller once again succumbing to a thumb injury, James Jones stepped up in his place and dropped nine points and grabbed five rebounds. Miller missed his first three shots before exiting for the rest of the game, and it seems that it's going to be up to Jones to become the team's savior from deep.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Bibby also each contributed an important eight points.

With Game 2 on Monday, the Heat are going to have to make some adjustments when it comes to their overall mentality of how to handle this Sixers squad. This isn't the regular season, and teams can't be taken lightly anymore, especially against a young upstart 76ers team that doesn't know the meaning of giving up. Philadelphia plans to play Miami to the final seconds, and the Heat are going to have to build leads and keep them if they don't want this series to go on longer than it should be.