Heat KOs 76ers; Celtics next

Not easy. But over.

For the first time since 2006, the Miami Heat have won a playoff series -- and, finally, can start thinking in earnest about another showdown with the Boston Celtics.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by topping Philadelphia 97-91 on last night and ousting the 76ers in five games.

Mario Chalmers scored 20 points off the bench and LeBron James finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Miami. Joel Anthony made a pair of free throws with 16.8 seconds left for the Heat, who will face Boston starting Sunday afternoon in Miami.

It's the first series win for the Heat since the 2006 NBA Finals.

Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand each scored 22 points for Philadelphia, which got 13 from Thaddeus Young, 12 from Jodie Meeks and 10 from Jrue Holiday.

And like four of the other five games in this series, it wasn't easy for the Heat, who saw a double-digit lead cut to one in the final minute before hanging on to advance.

Warriors oust Smart

The Golden State Warriors parted ways with coach Keith Smart, the first major fallout this offseason from a new ownership group that has promised sweeping changes to the perennial underachieving franchise. Smart spent seven years as an assistant with Golden State before he replaced the ousted Don Nelson just before training camp. The Warriors went 36-46 under Smart, a 10-game improvement from the previous season but clearly not enough to appease owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.

-- AP