Spoelstra, Heat Aren't Too Comfortable With Blowout Win vs. Sixers

To say the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night would be understating the dominance the home team put on display. From the jump,

To say the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night would be understating the dominance the home team put on display.

From the jump, the Heat were a team on a mission. After losing the previous two games on the road in South Philly, Miami believed that their two losses were due to uncharacteristic performances by the Heat.

On Tuesday night, the Heat wanted to get back to looking like the Eastern Conference's first seed -- and they did just that.

From the field, the Heat knocked down 53-percent of their shots. As they chucked up one more three than the Sixers, Miami shot substantially better from deep as they hit on nearly 40-percent of their threes.

Physicality and consistency were the keys to the Heat's success over the Sixers on Tuesday night, and both teams know it. 

While the Heat knew they were simply the better and more prepared team from start to finish on Tuesday night as they cruised past the 76ers with a dominant 120-85 victory in Game 5, Erik Spoelstra revealed his team wouldn't get too comfortable after beating the brakes off the Sixers.

“I have incredible respect for Doc (Rivers); I always have," said Spoelstra after Game 5. "He’s a brilliant basketball coach and leader, and I think that they have a very good basketball team. They have our full respect in our locker room."

While the Heat found out they are capable of winning big over the Sixers several times in this series, they've also learned that the Sixers are not a team they can overlook as they've managed to defeat the Heat in Games 3 and 4. Anything can happen in the playoffs, and the Heat aren't getting comfortable after a 35-point beatdown.

"This is what playoff basketball is — it’s about embracing the competition," Spoelstra explained. "We’re grateful that we have an opportunity to be a part of this series like this that is so competitive. The margin of error is so small both ways. This game, it can look like a blowout, but we understand that it’s just one game. They know it, and we know it.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_. 

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Doc Rivers Sounds Off After Game 5: Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers highlights several factors that played into his team’s struggles in Game 5 against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE. 

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