Wade heaps praise on 'special' 76ers
The Miami Heat's ongoing best-of-seven with the feisty Philadelphia 76ers has been physical, grueling, and with plenty of jarring back and forth.
Considering the nature of the series, and with his side now trailing 3-1 following a 106-102 defeat at home Saturday, veteran guard Dwyane Wade can't help but sing the praises of an unproven Sixers squad that continues to exceed all expectations.
"They’re special," said Wade, per Philly.com's David Murphy. "They put the right team together. I’ve said that multiple times.
"Ultimately, sometimes the playoffs becomes too big for certain guys, or some guys don’t know how to match the intensity of the playoffs, or whatever the case may be. They play that way already. They already play to that intense level. They have an edge to them, and I think this series has given everybody a little more edge as well because of the physicality of the series."
Wade has been through more than his fair share of postseason battles, with this year marking his 13th trip in his storied career. He admits, however, that he's never been challenged to this degree this early in the playoffs.
"This is a very good team," added the three-time champion. "Outside of matching the energy that we play with, they execute very well, they are very well coached, and they have a lot of talent at a lot of different positions. This is definitely one of the best first-round series that I’ve ever played in, (the best) first-round opponent.
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"They’re a very good team. I can’t say anything negative about them at all."
The Heat were once again thumped on the boards (57-43) in Game 4, and left 12 points at the charity stripe (13-of-25), making the final four-point deficit all the more disheartening. Philadelphia also turned the rock over a staggering 27 times, becoming the first team to win a playoff game with at least that many since 1986.
Wade led Miami with 25 points on 10-of-22 shooting off the bench. Game 5 returns to the City of Brotherly Love at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.