James Harden casually listened as reporters steered the Miami Heat protection obtained to him. Could there be a extra apropos ending to Monday’s Game 1 than this? And might there be a extra becoming ending than Harden dismissing the thought.
Did he suppose the Heat’s P.J. Tucker, his one-time teammate in Houston, knew the best way to frustrate him?
“P.J.’s P.J.,” the Philadelphia 76ers star guard mentioned.
What about solely attending to the foul line 4 occasions reasonably than the 8.7 he averages?
“Next question,” he mentioned.
Here it was, lower than an hour after the Heat’s Game 1 win, and Harden nonetheless wasn’t enjoying aggressively. He couldn’t make some grand assertion in a method that defines his profession.
Harden, to be truthful, is within the worst spot the singular scorer of a group could be. He’s in Erik Spolestra’s crosshairs. The Heat coach Trae-Young’d Harden in Monday’s Game 1 win. He took Harden to date out of the sport within the second half he would possibly as nicely stood in a concession line.
Harden talked of arduous our bodies assembly him at each flip, of by no means getting comfy — and of the turnovers.
“Too many turnovers,” he mentioned, that means his 5 in opposition to 5 assists.
Quietly, so quietly, Spoelstra does what New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for doing. He takes away the opponent’s finest participant each time potential. Maybe if he wore a hoodie or lower off his sleeves folks would discover extra?
Look on the numbers. Harden averaged 21 factors enjoying second fiddle to middle Joel Embiid this season. He had 16 factors as first fiddle in Game 1 when Philadelphia wanted him to star.
With Embiid injured, Harden was the singular concern for the Heat — simply as Young was within the earlier Atlanta sequence. Young averaged 28.4 factors within the common season and 15.4 within the opening sequence in opposition to the Heat.
“I’ve got to go home and look at what happened,” Young mentioned after the Heat gained in 5 video games.
Spoelstra occurred. His developed roster and technique occurred. The roster is so deep even defensive canines like Tucker and Jimmy Butler are changed with equally imposing Caleb Martin and Victor Oladipo.
The technique? Use a altering solid of our bodies. Close down driving lanes. Be bodily however don’t foul. Push him to spots he doesn’t like (can Harden drive to his proper?) And demand another person beat you.
Atlanta had nobody else. Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris had 27 factors Monday evening. So what?
After trailing by a degree in a lackluster first half, the Heat pulled away because of rebounding and protection in a second half the place Harden had simply 4 factors on two-of-seven capturing. That’s it.
“I think I could be a little more aggressive,” Harden mentioned. “They did a really good job of showing their bodies, crowding the ball. We’ll watch film and find ways to get better.”
Two seasons in the past, Spoelstra arrange The Great Wall in opposition to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo to shut his most popular driving lanes and flush them out of the playoffs.
Giannis exhibits the restrictions with this in basketball, too. A extra mature Milwaukee swept the Heat final yr en path to its championship. You can’t out-strategize nice groups in basketball. You simply must beat them.
It’s totally different with one-man bands like Atlanta and an Embiid-less Philadelphia. If requested to be the singular title on the marquee, Harden’s profession exhibits a participant able to carrying an evening, not a sequence. He made five-of-13 photographs. He was simply two-of-seven within the second half.
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers talked of numbers he can management just like the Heat having 13 extra photographs due partly to having six extra offensive rebounds and three turnovers. But the Heat weren’t the Heat in Game 1, both. Not actually.
Butler, probably nonetheless battling knee tendinitis, had a hum-drum 15 factors. Kyle Lowry was out with a sore hamstring. Bam Adebayo took benefit of Philadelphia’s leftovers at middle and Tyler Herro had a superb capturing evening. But the Heat shot 43.5 p.c to Philadelphia’s 43 p.c.
Spoelstra talked of the Heat not including “context” to those video games’ that means with out Embiid. But let’s be clear. The Heat want these two opening video games with Embiid out earlier than seeing if he’s again for Game 3 on Friday. With Embiid, Philadelphia is attention-grabbing. Without him, they’re Atlanta.
Spoelstra, after all, talks of it simply being one sport, of how Harden is just too good to have nights like this. All true. But Spoelstra additionally aligns with the concept that when you begin pondering you’re nice, you’re carried out.
“Trust the Process,” was Philadelphia’s unhappy motto because it tanked a number of seasons to supposedly assemble a powerhouse (sound acquainted, Miami Dolphins followers?). Spoelstra’s motto is extra akin to the phrases of Ron Rothstein, the one-time coach turned analyst, “Don’t trust happiness.”
One sport isn’t something to belief. But you’ve seen this Heat protection for some time now — for years, should you’ve paid consideration. Give Spoelstra a hoodie and everybody would know.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com