What’s at stake over the next month — and, thus, on Thursday night — could be nothing less than survival. It sounds dramatic, but that is the story the NBA history book tells. In the five postseasons that have passed since the lockout, home teams are 134-90 in first-round games, while the team with home-court advantage in a series has advanced to the next round in 31 of 40 instances.
Which brings us to Thursday night, and the Sixers taking on the Heat, and another opportunity for this surprising young team to show us how fast it can grow.