Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat | NBA Playoffs Game 1 Preview, Odds, Free Pick | Sportsbookbuzz.com

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Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat
Saturday, April 16, 2010 at 3:30 pm EST on ABC

Pointspread: Miami -10.5
Money Line: Miami -800 / 76ers +600
Over/Under: 190

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The No.7 seed Philadelphia 76ers return to the playoffs after a year hiatus to face the No.2 seed Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Game 1 from the American Airlines Arena in Miami is set to tip this Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. It will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

When Doug Collins took over as the new head coach of Philadelphia this past offseason he was hoping to simply improve upon the teams 27 wins in 2010. He exceeded all expectations by guiding his team to a 41-41 record straight-up (46-35-1 against the spread) and a spot in the postseason. Unfortunately because of a 4-6 SU record down the stretch, the 76ers drew Miami, a team that beat them three times this season, in the first round.

Philadelphia is very balanced on offense with six players scoring in double-figures led by Elton Brand’s 15 points a game. Brand also leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 a game and Jrue Holiday leads in assists with 6.5. Andre Iguodala has also been a key contributor with 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists a game. The Sixers are hoping to have Lou Williams back for this game, after missing the last five games with a sore hamstring.

The 76ers are averaging 99 points a game and shooting 46.1 percent from the field. They are ranked 15^th in the league from three-point range; converting on 35.5 percent of their attempts and hitting 77 percent of their shots from the foul-line. Philadelphia has been effective under the boards with an average of 41.8 rebounds a game.

Miami may have not lived up to initial expectations once LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team in terms of total wins, but it has showed flashes of brilliance a number of times this season. The Heat finished the year 58-24 SU and were 40-41-1 ATS. They went 30-11 SU at home but had the best road record in the conference at 28-13 SU (24-16-1 ATS).

The Big Three have lived up to their reputation as far as scoring points. James and Dwyane Wade are each averaging around 26 points a game and Bosh is kicking in another 18.7 points to account for close to 70 percent of the team’s scoring this year. Miami is averaging 102.1 points a game and giving up 94.6 for one of the best scoring differentials in the league.

Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last five road games and 1-5 ATS in its last six games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of its last nine games.

Miami is 5-1 ATS in its last six games at home and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of its last seven games.

Head-to-head, the Heat has won all three games this season SU and are 2-1 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in two of three.

The odds makers have the Miami Heat as a -10.5 point favorite with an over/under of 190.

Check out the latest NBA Basketball Playoff Odds here.

Prediction: The best bet in this game could be the ‘under’ as the trends point to another low scoring game. While giving up 10 ½ points in the playoffs is quite a bit, stick with Miami in Game 1 as it looks to set the tone for not only this series, but for the playoffs as a whole.

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Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers 2011 Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Sat. April 16: Philadelphia @ Miami – 3:30 pm EST on ABC
Game 2: Mon. April 18: Philadelphia @ Miami – 7:00 pm EST on TNT
Game 3: Thu. April 21: Miami @ Philadelphia – 8:00 pm EST on TNT
Game 4: Sun. April 24: Miami @ Philadelphia – 1:00 pm EST on ABC
Game 5: Wed. April 27: Philadelphia @ Miami – TBD
*Game 6: Fri. April 29: Miami @ Philadelphia – TBD
*Game 7: Sun. May 01: Philadelphia @ Miami – TBD
* If necessary