CAMDEN, N.J. - Marco Belinelli brought three-point shooting to the Sixers when he joined them midseason. He also added another veteran perspective that is zoned in for the playoffs.
Before the first round against the Heat began, Belinelli stressed the importance of looking at the series like a clean slate and not relying on the success of their 16-game win streak.
After extending that streak to 17 with a victory in the series opener, Belinelli has already moved from on from the Sixers' success in Game 1 as he looks ahead to Monday's matchup.
"I think tonight is going to be important to start the game well immediately, set the right tone of the game," Belinelli said at shootaround prior to Game 2. "We know that they're going to be aggressive on offense and defense. For us, it's just important for us to be ready to play our game."
The veteran shooter provides a spark off the bench that has helped the Sixers' second unit. Belinelli scored 25 points, going 4 for 7 from three, in 33 minutes off the bench in Game 1. He wrapped up the regular season going 43.1 percent from long range in April.
Belinelli can speak to the postseason because he's been there before: this is his fifth appearance in his 11-year NBA career. He got his first experience during the 2010-11 season with New Orleans, where his more veteran teammates included Chris Paul, David West and Emeka Okafor.
But Belinelli, 32, had been competing on big stages long before he reached the NBA playoffs. He started his professional career in Europe when he was 16 years old.
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"It's going to be different," Belinelli said of Game 2. "So we just need to take one game at a time."
