The Heat and 76ers are tied behind the Chicago Bulls for second in the Eastern Conference with identical 16-6 records. The teams squared off in the Conference Quarterfinals last season, with the Heat handily dispatching the 76ers, four games to one. Since then, the Heat have lost Zydrunus Ilglauskus and Mike Bibby, and added Norris Cole and Shane Battier. The 76ers have added rookie Lavoy Allen and Francisco Elson. More importantly, they're playing with swagger. These Sixers look like the creme of the East. With the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic suddenly coming down to earth, the East is now dominated by the Heat, the Bulls, the Hawks and the Sixers.
Common Thread:
Neither team has a player who has played for their opponent tonight.
Team Milestones:
Chris Bosh plays in his 100th Miami game tonight.
With 33 minutes, Mario Chalmers moves past Voshon Lenard into 15th All-Time.
Seven field goals will move LeBron James past Lenard into 17th All-Time, with 990.
Four more 3-pointers will move James Jones past James Posey into 13th, with 215.
Two more assists will be enough for Mario Chalmers to pass Jason Williams into 11th, with 917.
One more block moves Udonis Haslem into 11th place, past Brian Grant with 185.
Team Leaders:
PPG:
LeBron James, 29.7
Chris Bosh, 20.4
Dwyane Wade, 20.3
RPG:
LeBron James, Udonis Haslem - 8.3
Chris Bosh - 7.8
APG:
LeBron James - 7.0
Dwyane Wade - 5.5
Mario Chalmers - 4.0
SPG:
Dwyane Wade - 2.1
LeBron James - 1.8
Mario Chalmers - 1.4
BPG:
Dwyane Wade - 1.5
Joel Anthony - 1.0
Chris Bosh - 0.8