I'm not going to go so far as to call them "The Big Three" but there are three large men on the Miami Heat that have a pretty big effect on basketball games. Each represents a difficult matchup for the Sixers in a different way. Just a heads up, Eddie House is not one of these people.
LeBron James
He's the best player in the game today. Ability wise, no one can match him. When he's taking the ball to the basket and not settling for jump shots, he's deadly. But the Sixers do have Andre Iguodala, who in their last four meetings has held LBJ to 45% shooting, 5-21 from three-point range, 22.8 points and 4 turnovers. That's pretty pedestrian for Bron Bron. Though Andre is a little banged up, he's the best perimeter defender in the Eastern Conference and the Sixers' best chance at containing the former MVP.
Dwyane Wade
The mayor of Miami-Wade County, Dwyane presents a tough matchup for the Sixers. He's one of the best slashers this league has seen in a while and by cutting down his jump shots this year, he's made himself a more effective scorer. When he wants to get to the basket, there's not much anyone can do to stop him. Jrue Holiday has the tools to eventually match up with D-Wade, but he's not strong enough or consistent enough to hang with him for a full game. Jodie Meeks is hardly a defensive dynamo, and Andres Nocioni should not cover him for a second. The only hope for giving Dwyane a tough time on the offensive end is Evan Turner. If Collins trusts ET and he sticks him for a good chunk of the game, Evan's defensive instincts could be enough to slow down Dwyane. Unless Dre covers him, he'll get his points, but Evan has the best chance at making him work.
Chris Bosh
I know he's ugly. I know he was overrated. I know he's a velociraptor. But the Sixers lack of a superior defensive big man is a problem. And that was exploited to the nth degree on Monday against the Magic, where they got outrebounded by about a billion. No, Bosh isn't Dwight Howard, but he's a capable rebounder and scorer within 10 feet. His defense leaves much to be desired, but on the offensive end he could be trouble. Don't forget that the last time these two teams met, the Sixers gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the loss and got out-boarded by 18 for the game. Bosh was a +33 when he played and the team was a -21 when he was out. He'll be hard to handle.
So who ya got? Who is making you lose sleep at night? Who has you locking all windows at doors before bed?
I'll allow write-in votes for Jamaal Magloire but I will not take them seriously.