On Wednesday night, the Miami Heat were coming off a terrific victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2.
They would finally complete the game with a comfortable lead with their end-of-the-rotation men, despite allowing the Philly club to claw back into Game 1 before the half after going up against large to start the game.
Doc Rivers would undoubtedly make modifications for Game 2 if he continued to start DeAndre Jordan at center in the postseason game. And he did, as the 76ers began the game with a more team-oriented offensive strategy.
Unlike the James Harden-centered strategy in Miami Heat Game 1, they were able to stay in it early by playing a well-rounded ball movement kind of game. Perhaps the plan was to bide their time there, hoping that James Harden would eventually take them home.
That wouldn’t work, as the Miami Heat would embark on another early-game run, leading by double digits before halftime.
On Wednesday, the Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid. They must now attempt to repeat the feat in Philadelphia on Friday.
They threatened the Miami Heat’s advantage numerous times, spurred by a couple of made jumpers or a Tyrese Maxey surge here and there, but they could never wholly narrow the distance in the second half of Game 2, losing 119-103.
James Harden would only end with 20 points after starting the game with 16 points. What a way to de-stress.
Tune in; this isn’t to buildup these two wins to the moon. They gathered to win these recreations, which they ought to have whether or not Embiid was on the floor.
They didn’t have any excuses since he wasn’t there. However, here is when the actual labor starts.
Miami Heat: They must now go to Philadelphia and repeat the process, whether or not Joel Embiid is on the court. That concludes the exam, which will begin on Friday.
See also: Barton Will’s game statistics for the years 2021-2022