Spoelstra's Pregame Comments on Game 4 Adjustments vs. Joel Embiid

After missing the first two games to open up the second-round series between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, Philly’s big man, Joel Embiid, made his

After missing the first two games to open up the second-round series between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, Philly’s big man, Joel Embiid, made his return to the floor after suffering an orbital fracture and a mild concussion during the first round. 

With Embiid on the floor, the Sixers were like night and day on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Embiid prevented the Heat from getting open shots in the paint and shut down Miami’s star big man Bam Adebayo after he dominated the first two games. 

Offensively, Embiid’s presence helped with the team’s spacing and opened up more opportunities for Philly’s shooters as they knocked down 47-percent of their shots on Friday.

“Obviously, he’s an MVP-caliber player,” said Spoelstra regarding Embiid during his pregame press conference ahead of Game 4. “He puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your team defense with the visibility to attack, shoot, pass, and then obviously draws fouls as well.” 

While the Heat are certainly going to have to step it up a notch with Embiid getting more comfortable on the floor once again, Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear that his team isn’t going to “reinvent the wheel” as they get ready to take on Philly for Game 4.

“We are who we are,” said Spoelstra. “Even against a great post player like Joel is, we’re still going to try to do what we do and be disruptive. This is what the playoffs are about — It’s who can get to who. So, there’s some contrasting styles in this series, and that’s probably what makes it interesting to basketball fans out there.”

The Sixers and the Heat will tip off at 8 PM ET. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.