(Associated Press)

MIAMI – The last time the 76ers played Miami, Thad Young was on the bench nursing a tweaked hamstring. There's no way on knowing whether Young would've prevented LeBron James, the NBA's surefire MVP winner, from a triple-double.

But the Sixers know this: They like their odds with Young defending James, as opposed to the alternative.

At Friday morning's shootaround, Young offered one sentence as to how he hoped to stop James: “Keep him in front of you and just try to stop the freight train,” Young said, smiling.

In the Heat's 16-game winning streak, which they carry into their meeting with the Sixers, James has averaged 28.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists – which astoundingly are all reminscient of his season totals. But James, already on pace to establish a career-best shooting percentage with his 56.2-percent clip, is hitting a ridiculous 61 percent of his shots during this streak.

James had 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a win over the Sixers Feb. 23.

“He facilitated more,” Jrue Holiday said of that performance.

And what about tonight?

“He has to see three or four jerseys. He can't just see one or two,” Holiday said.