The Sixers’ Best Chance Going Forward Without Joel Embiid

Three thoughts on Miami’s Game 1 win over Philadelphia.

In Game 1 of their second-round series, the Heat destroyed the 76ers, 106–92. Here are three takeaways from the contest.

There’s a Joel Embiid-Sized Hole in Philly’s Rotation

The big question coming into Game 1 was if Philadelphia survive on both ends without their high-usage, foul-drawing, space-eating, rim-protecting MVP candidate. Doc Rivers gave the starting nod to a creaky DeAndre Jordan, who was immediately and relentlessly attacked by various Heat pick-and-roll combinations.

Jordan had his moments catching a couple lobs and blocking a couple shots that were hoisted within an arm’s length, but the Sixers were forced to defend in a (fairly effective) zone for most of the evening without Embiid around to man the middle.

On the bright-ish side, Paul Reed played well and should start Game 2. He was active defensively, battled on the glass and even facilitated a few transition opportunities that were created off turnovers and aided Philly’s poise breaking down Miami’s full-court press. Reed was a little antsy out there, too, and left his feet on a couple pump fakes. But the Sixers’ best chance going forward sans Embiid is probably with him in the starting lineup and then playing small ball when he needs to rest.

With 4:39 left in the first half, Georges Niang checked in for Reed. It was Philadelphia’s first center-free stretch. They trailed 48–41, stayed small through the end of the quarter and went into halftime up 51–50 after a 10–2 run. But Rivers chose to start the third quarter with Jordan on the court, and grew weary of another downsize in the second half because of Miami’s work on the offensive glass. The Heat grabbed a whopping 39.6% of their own misses, which kept their head above water despite some inconsistent outside shooting. (Miami finished 9-for-36 from deep.)

On the surface, it’s a conundrum. And Rivers can watch the film and tell himself the Sixers could’ve been more competitive in those normal lineups if good three-point shooters didn’t miss pretty much every attempt they had. At the same time, giving James Harden enough space to engineer efficient offense should be the priority. Related: Philly’s offensive rating with Jordan on the court was 87.9. Their defensive rating was … 159.4.

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So, What Did James Harden Do?

All night long, it was clear Erik Spoelstra was not willing to let Philadelphia’s only healthy All-Star beat his team. The Heat blitzed Harden’s ball screens. They doubled after an initial switch and wouldn’t let Harden isolate on a preferable defender (i.e. Tyler Herro) until the Sixers gave him enough space by going small with four complementary shooters. (Spoelstra didn’t play Duncan Robinson, which took a prime target off Harden’s board.)

The night was a physical slog, with different primary defenders (from P.J. Tucker to Caleb Martin to Victor Oladipo) picking up Harden full court, denying inbound passes and putting him under constant duress.

“We’re not just trying to beat the press,” Doc Rivers told his team during an early timeout. “We’re trying to score on the press. That’s a big difference, mentally.” Harden responded pretty well to the pressure, but his teammates (except Maxey and the excellent Tobias Harris) didn’t capitalize, going 4-for-27 behind the three-point line.

Harden made the right play more often than not, hitting open teammates with kick-aheads, whipping chest passes to the second side so someone else (preferably Maxey) could drive a gap or take an open three, or feeding his wide open screener. He had some vintage Harden moments, too. He turned the corner on Jimmy Butler, Martin, Tucker and Herro a few times, created separation with his stepback and drew contact on downhill drives.

A 16-point, five-assist, five-turnover night isn’t anything to celebrate in a blowout loss, but so much of that stat line can be explained by Miami’s defensive game plan. Again, the Sixers shot 14.8% behind the three-point line. A lot of those misses were quality looks created by the attention Harden drew.

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro Were Awesome

On a quiet night from Butler and Kyle Lowry sidelined with an injury, Miami’s young talent showed up in a huge way. Herro and Bam Adebayo combined for 49 points on 27 shots. They put their pick-and-roll synergy on display and went 11-for-11 from the free throw line. Adebayo finished 8-for-10 on the night (every shot came in the paint) while Herro drilled three backbreaking straightaway threes.

When these two play well and score efficiently, it’s a reminder of how high Miami’s ceiling can be. When Adebayo aggressively looks for his own shot and is able to drive the paint off inverted pick-and-rolls, good things tend to happen. With Embiid out, the Sixers don’t have much of an answer for either one of them.