In the earlier spherical, an preliminary beatdown left the Atlanta Hawks crushed down, as in the event that they appreciated their limitations.
This time round, the Miami Heat are discovering themselves with an opponent after a blowout Game 1 loss that believes it has the solutions for one thing higher, even because it continues within the absence of All-Star middle Joel Embiid.
To the Philadelphia 76ers, or at the least some 76ers, Erik Spoelstra’s group is hardly an unsolvable riddle, even after Monday night time’s 106-92 lopsided loss to the Heat.
“They’re going to fold,” neophyte 76ers middle Paul Reed stated because the groups flip their consideration to Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. Game 2 at FTX Arena within the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
Wait? What?
There was some context to Reed’s bravado, simply as there was with comparable sentiment elsewhere on the 76ers roster.
“Honestly, I think we can definitely beat this team,” Reed stated. “We go out there and be more physical than them and play more aggressive, keep them on their heels, they’re going to fold.”
Yet when the Heat may have carried out simply that in Game 1, when their 14-point first-quarter lead changed into a five-point third-quarter deficit, there was important pushback, even whereas taking part in amid the continuing harm absence of level guard Kyle Lowry.
Just because the Heat try to purchase time with Lowry’s balky hamstring, so are the 76ers doing the identical as Embiid hopes to push again from a fractured orbital bone and concussion.
In the interim, it in some ways is about survival . . . with the 76ers believing they’ve sufficient to just do that as they await a possible Embiid return in Friday’s Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center.
“It’s doable,” 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey stated. “It’s not completely out of attain. The physicality that they play with, we now have to match it or exceed it, as a result of the refs are doing an excellent job of letting guys play.
“We allowed their physicality to impact the game, and that can’t happen.”
So perception stays.
“It’s one game,” guard James Harden stated, “but things can turn fast.”
But Game 1 additionally hardly was one of the best of the Heat, at .435 from the sector, 9 of 36 on 3-pointers and with simply 15 factors on 5-of-16 capturing from Jimmy Butler.
In that regard, it was an as-needed efficiency, paced by 25 factors from Tyler Herro and 24 factors and 12 rebounds from middle Bam Adebayo.
“We just were able to get a little bit more organized in the second half, and defensively we really picked up the intensity,” Spoelstra stated.
It was a stage the 76ers couldn’t replicate at closing time.
“The second half, they ran different defenses,” stated ahead Tobias Harris, who led the 76ers with 27 factors, on an evening Maxey closed with 19, Harden 16 and the 76ers’ bench 21 whole. “They trapped, they pressed. We allowed their physicality to impact the game. That can’t happen.”
Which brings it again to Reed and the 22-year-old impetuousness of the participant generally known as BBall Paul.
“Most disappointing part is that we were up at the half and we can really beat this team,” stated Reed, who was amongst those that tried to fill in for Embiid within the center. “The complete group knew it.
“The only thing we have to worry about is locking them down every possession and getting out in transition. Once we do that, they can’t stop us.”
It’s not fairly the identical had the message come from Embiid, and even Harden, but it surely’s additionally an opponent not able to again down, because the Hawks did in falling 4-1 to the Heat the earlier spherical.
“They did a really good job of showing their bodies, crowding the ball,” Harden stated. “We’ll watch film, and find ways to get better.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com