The Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-1 series lead on Friday silencing a hostile Miami crowd with a 128-108 victory over the Heat.
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After Philly's Game 1 win, Erik Spoelstra and the Heat made the adjustments to be more physical with the young 76ers squad.
The extra hits were designed to slow down the 76ers' run-and-gun, and also neutralized rookie Ben Simmons. Simmons, however, isn't stressed by the physicality one bit.
"I played Australian football," Simmons told reporters via Tim Reynolds. "I'm used to it."
If Miami thought they could intimidate the rookie in his first playoff series it hasn't worked yet. In his first three playoff games, Simmons has recorded a total of 60 points, 30 rebounds, and 29 assists. He joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only two players in NBA history to record at least 60 points, 25 rebounds and 25 assists in his first postseason appearances.
The hack-a-Simmons strategy hasn't been used by the Heat either, but the Aussie has proven that if he goes to the line he can be reliable. After shooting just 56% from the free-throw line in the regular season, he's hit 18-of-24 for 75% in the postseason.
Game 3 had 56 personal fouls called, a high amount of whistles by the referees - Miami still lost.
With Game 4 essentially a must-win game for the Heat, they might have to look at other ways to try and slow down Simmons and the 76ers.
