Sixers put one challenge to rest and now face a bigger one

TORONTO — Things are about to be telling for the 76ers.

They punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat with a convincing 132-97 Game 6 win Thursday at Scotiabank Arena to close out their first-round series.

It’s a Heat team that presents many challenges for the Sixers.

“I mean, they’re good,” coach Doc Rivers said. “They’re deep. They’re veterans. We are going to play grown men, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Sixers had better be up for the challenge.

Winning an opening-round playoff series 4-2 is a solid accomplishment. But that’s not how this Sixers season will be defined. The expectation of many, after the acquisition of James Harden, was for the team to reach at least the conference finals.

» READ MORE: The Sixers rebounded for a Game 6 win and didn’t become the first team to lose a series after leading 3-0

And the Sixers won’t get much time to prepare for the Heat. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night at FTX Arena. Game 2, also in Miami, is set for Wednesday. Games 3 and 4 will be at the Wells Fargo Center May 6 and May 8, respectively. If needed, Game 5 will be on May 10 in Miami.

“I really felt confident going into the game,” Rivers said of closing out the Raptors. “But then when I was looking at the [semifinals] schedule, I said to the guys, ‘Whew, this is an important game tonight,’” Rivers said. “‘This is a must-win for us because going [to play] Miami there, we needed the day off.”

The Sixers players had a day off Friday while the coaches put in game plans. Rivers’ preparation started during Thursday night’s bus ride from Toronto to Buffalo, N.Y. From there, the Sixers boarded a flight to Philly.

“The great thing is we have this 20-hour bus ride coming up,” Rivers said jokingly after Thursday’s game. “I told the guys we will be done with Miami tape by the end of our bus ride.

“We’ll start tonight.”

Rivers actually began before that. He spent two hours before Game 6 viewing game film of the Heat.

“I just thought it was going to be a short turnaround,” he said. “So that’s confidence, I guess. But I was confident in our guys.”

» READ MORE: Sixers blast Toronto Raptors in Game 6 to close out first-round playoff series with 132-97 win | Analysis

The Heat are led by a familiar foe in Jimmy Butler. The All-Star small forward played for the Sixers in the 2018-19 season before being sent to the Heat via a sign-and-trade on July 6, 2019. Atlanta found him hard to stop in the opening round.

Butler averaged 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 43.8% on three-pointers.

Miami closed out its opening-round series against the Hawks with a 97-94 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Butler and Kyle Lowry both missed that game. Butler was sidelined because of right knee inflammation. Lowry, the Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova product, is listed as day to day after missing his second straight game because of a strained left hamstring.

The belief has been that Butler’s knee is a minor issue. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game that no MRI or other medical tests were planned for the injury. He labeled Butler as “day to day.”

But a healthy Butler isn’t the only person the Sixers have to worry about. The Heat had five people average double-digit scoring in the first round. Another player, PJ Tucker, averaged 9.6. Lowry led the team in assists (5.3) and blocks (1.0).

Asked what stands out to him about the Heat, Sixers forward Tobias Harris said: “The guys they have on the floor, the way that they executive offensively, and shooting the three-ball and all the movement they do. It’s going to be a challenge for us.

“We will game plan for it and get really for it. But that’s our next task we have to get ready for. And just get ready to embrace the challenge.”

They’re looking to win a second-round series for just the second time in the franchise’s last 12 appearances, dating back to 1986. The Sixers beat the Raptors in seven games in 2001 en route to finishing as NBA Finals runners-up to the Los Angeles Lakers.