Facing the prospect of getting swept in their own building, the Sixers showed they had some fight left and weren't ready to go quietly just yet. Lou Williams hit a go ahead three pointer with eight seconds left to lift the Sixers to an 86-82 win over the Miami Heat in game four.
Williams' three was part of a remarkable 10-0 run to end the game that was sparked largely by the trio of Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams and Evan Turner. The poor play of Miami's Dwyane Wade certainly helped as well.
After Turner had hit a floater on the baseline, he grabbed a big defensive rebound on the other end. Jrue Holiday brought the ball up and quickly knocked down a three right over Dwyane Wade. Wade would miss a mid-range jumper at the other end and on the ensuing possession, Lou Williams would spot up over Wade for the go ahead three.
"D-Wade gave me a little room and I was able to knock it down," Williams said. "We’ve always been a team that fought, all the way until the end. I just wanted to give us an opportunity to win the basketball game."
LeBron James had a chance at a game tying shot on a runner in the lane, but it was blocked by Elton Brand and secured by Evan Turner, who then hit two foul shots to seal it for the Sixers. The rookie Turner ended up leading the team with 17 points while also grabbing four boards. Turner also provided that most entertaining sequence of the game (aside from the 10-0 run) that Liberty Ballers summed up superbly.
(Speaking of the 9:00 mark, that's when the best part of the first half occurred. James Jones caught a pass, stepped out of bounds, but still attempted to shoot it. In KG-esque fashion Evan Turner tried to block it. Jones didn't enjoy Turner's gesture too much, so he pushed him, prompting Thaddeus Young to body-bump Jones. A mini-scuffle ensued, the crowd got into it, and Evan Turner proceeded to take his anger out on LeBron James the next possession by taking him off the dribble, giving him a half-spin-shimmy, followed by a sweet fadeaway. The crowd erupted, the game thread filled with goosebumps, and it felt like Turner had finally earned his Sixers stripes. Just a fantastic sequence – one of the best this season.)
Lou Williams scored 17 himself, 11 of which came in the 4th, and Elton Brand turned in a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The series now heads back to Miami for game five on Wednesday.