Miami Heat Slated for Second Round Matchup with Sixers After Philly Dismantles Toronto in Game 6
There was hope in Toronto, as the Raptors hosted the Philadelphia 76ers for a pivotal Game 6 on Thursday night. Toronto’s point guard and leader, Fred VanVleet, was out of the lineup for a second straight game after suffering a hip injury in Game 4, but the Raptors had won two straight and were riding a wave as they sought to even up the series.
It looked like we were in for a photo finish as the teams were separated by only one point at halftime, with the Sixers up 62-61. All that would change in the second half, when MVP-candidate Joel Embiid and fiery guard Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia on a barnstorming of the Toronto defense, finishing the third quarter with a massive 21-point lead. The Sixers never looked back and coasted to a 132-97 walkover of the Raptors to clinch the series 4-2.
Joel Embiid certainly looked the part of an MVP during this series, averaging 26.2 points and 11 rebounds per game. Despite his mild concussion and facial fracture which will keep him out at least part of the upcoming series with the Heat, the 76ers got through their last series in large part because of Embiid's talent and determination.
He dropped a casual 33 points and 10 boards in the closeout contest, his third 30-point game of the playoffs. Not to mention his late game heroics in Game 3, where he sunk a fadeaway three as time was expiring to win the overtime thriller. He has carried this team all year and even with the addition of former MVP James Harden, it’s clear that Embiid is the lead singer in Philadelphia’s band.
Harden played his best game of these playoffs though on Thursday, finishing with 22 points and 15 assists, cashing in on seven of his twelve shots from the field. It looked like he was finally letting the game come to him instead of trying to force his hand. If he can sustain this fluidity, Harden and backcourt mate Maxey could be a handful for Miami’s defense who will surely be focused on slowing down the colossal Cameroonian, Embiid.
Between Embiid, Maxey, and Harden, Philadelphia has a very strong core and with Tobias Harris and Danny Green filling out their first five, one of the best starting lineups left in these playoffs. Both Maxey and Embiid average over 20 points per contest, while Harden and Harris are nipping at their heels with averages of 19 ppg and 17.8 ppg, respectively. When all cylinders are firing for the Sixers, they look all but unstoppable.
The trouble for Philly comes when their first unit isn’t quite clicking, and they have to lean on their bench. The Sixers bench is contributing just 21.9 points per game, the lowest of any reserve unit remaining in the postseason. In fact, when Joel Embiid is held under 30 points, Philadelphia is 0-2 in this year’s playoffs. This is something that Miami has undoubtedly noted. Slowing down the 76ers big-man will be priority number one for Spoelstra’s stingy squad, who specialize in defusing even the most explosive offensive attacks (just ask Trae Young).
The Heat will almost certainly have cornerstones, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, back in their starting rotation as the pair returns from minor injuries that kept them out of Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks in round one.
Butler, when he’s played, has been on an absolute tear this postseason. He’s got stat keepers working overtime while he fills up box scores, averaging 30.5 points, eight rebounds, five assists and just under three steals per game. He took advantage of weaker defenders all the way through the first round, muscling his way into the lane and finishing with a hard nosed bucket or a trip to the free throw line, oftentimes both. The Heat will likely continue to pound the paint, where they averaged just south of 45 points per game against Atlanta.
Miami’s ability to get to the rim not only fuels their offense with easy baskets and kickouts for open threes, but also puts opponents in serious foul trouble. In Game 5 against Atlanta, the Hawks’ leading scorer, De’Andre Hunter, fouled out with just a minute left in the game during an Atlanta run, where the forward had lit it up for 18 fourth quarter points. His departure had a huge impact on the game’s closing moments and the shorthanded Miami came away victorious.
These two teams are almost identical statistically, save for a few areas where each has their own advantages. Philadelphia (40.8%) is shooting six percent better from long-range than Miami (34.4%) and attempting four more free throws per game at 25.1, the highest rate of any Eastern Conference playoff team. Miami, on the other hand, leads all playoff teams in second chance points at 16.6 per game and in steals, at just over nine burglaries per matchup.
The Heat defense will inevitably be focused on harassing Embiid, which will force other Sixers to step up and take responsibility offensively. It could force some Philadelphia players to handle the ball more than they’re used to, which should be easy pickings for this ball-hawking Miami unit. The Heat will need defensive stalwart, Bam Adebayo, to go toe-to-toe with Embiid and hold his own against the five-time All-Star.
They’ll also be counting on their role players to take advantage of the Sixers’ less imposing second unit. This is an area that Tyler Herro, the likely Sixth Man of The Year, has excelled in all season, bagging over 20 points per game off the bench.
The quarterfinal round will pit one-seed Miami against fourth seeded Philly, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) on the line. The Heat look to return to the ECF after winning its 2020 edition on their way to the NBA Finals, while Philadelphia hasn’t advanced to the playoffs’ semifinal round in over 20 years. The two conference contenders will lace ‘em up on Monday night at 7:30 EST in Miami, as the Heat host the Sixers at FTX Arena for Game 1 of this highly anticipated clash.
