3 Things We Learned From Heat-76ers Game 3 On Friday
Not only did the Philadelphia 76ers seem to learn from their mistakes in Games 1 and 2 of this Eastern Conference Semifinals series, but having an MVP-caliber player back in Joel Embiid surely made things easier.
Defeating the Miami Heat 99-79 on Friday night, the 76ers seemed to get their groove back, especially on the offensive-end of the floor.
While it may not seem like they scored a whole lot in this game, Philadelphia was able to get all the shots that they wanted with Embiid on the floor and his presence down low opened things up tremendously on the wing.
Entering Game 3, the 76ers had shot just 14-64 (21.9%) from three-point range. At home in this game, the Sixers shot 16-33 (48.5%) and were able to get the looks that they wanted because of their All-Star big man being back in the rotation.
As for Miami, they continued to have some problems with the 76ers’ defense and while he was able to take advantage of Paul Reed and DeAndre Jordan in the first two games of the series, Bam Adebayo was almost non-existent in Game 3, scoring just 9 points and grabbing 3 rebounds.
This game was surely a wake-up call for the Miami Heat and the rest of those around the NBA that have been undermining the 76ers with Joel Embiid out.
Here are the three biggest things we learned from Philadelphia’s victory in Game 3.
Joel Embiid Doesn’t Just Make Philadelphia Better Offensively, He Makes Them Elite Defensively
We all know what Joel Embiid is capable of doing on the offensive-end of the floor, as he became the first center since Shaquille O’Neal (1999-00) to lead the league in scoring, but what oftentimes goes unnoticed is how the big man is able to positively affect the game defensively for the Sixers.
Even with an orbital fracture and a messed up thumb, Embiid’s defense on Bam Adebayo in Game 3 was stellar and because of his presence in the paint, Miami was not able to attack the basket as often as they did in the first two games in this series with Paul Reed and DeAndre Jordan on the court.
Embiid is not the best athlete in the world, but he is more than capable of switching onto smaller players and keeping the ball in front of him, something the other two 76ers’ big men have struggled with.
In Games 1 and 2 in Miami, the Heat took advantage of the 76ers lack of interior presence by putting Philadelphia in a ton of pick-and-roll situations, either resulting in easy blow-by layups at the rim or wide-open shooting opportunities on the perimeter.
These pick-and-roll sets were ineffective against Embiid in this game and the Heat’s shot chart was all over the place as a result.
Philadelphia has actually looked pretty good defensively in this series and with Joel Embiid in the lineup, Miami looked very out of sync offensively for the first-time in a while.
Miami Struggles When They Do Not Control The Pace Of Play
Aside from not making open shots and not being able to find success in pick-and-roll situations, the Heat also struggled to control the pace of play in Philadelphia.
Neither the 76ers nor the Heat were fast-paced teams during the regular season, as they both ranked amongst the bottom of the league in pace, but the Sixers were able to speed things up in Game 3 and the Heat almost looked flustered at times defensively, resulting in them rushing things offensively.
Philadelphia certainly has the athletes on their roster to be able to push the pace of play and this small adjustment proved to be a massive difference, primarily for them offensively.
In Miami, the 76ers had a total of 25 fast break points in two games. In Game 3 on Friday, Philadelphia had a total of 19 fast break points, all of which not only got the crowd into the game, but got one of the best defensive teams in the league in the Heat out of rhythm.
Bam Adebayo seemed lost with the 76ers constantly coming downhill and the 76ers were also able to get the Heat in a little bit of foul trouble.
Getting to the free-throw line is something the Sixers have excelled at this season and their fast break opportunities in Game 3 allowed them to play to their strengths.
Miami’s inability to slow things down and be patient on the defensive-end of the court really bothered them, resulting in their offense looking sluggish and rushed.
Role Players Player Better At Home
Everyone knows that role players tend to play better on their homecourt and this proved to be a massive difference in Game 3 in favor of the 76ers.
After averaging 44.0 bench points per game at home through the first two games in this series, the Heat had just 26 bench points on Friday night in Philadelphia and after scoring just a combined 8 points in Games 1 and 2, Danny Green really stepped up for the 76ers in this one, scoring 21 points on 7-9 shooting from deep.
Maybe this was just a one-time thing for Green in this series, but he fed off the rowdy crowd in Philadelphia all night long and he was not the only player on the 76ers’ roster to play better at home.
While his numbers may not say it, James Harden looked much more comfortable on the Sixers’ home floor and Tobias Harris very quietly put together one of the best games anyone had in Game 3 with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.
Overall, the 76ers starting unit looked great for once in this series and they really did not need to utilize their bench, which is key for them in this series since their bench unit is their “weakest link.”
Energy and motivation were two huge factors heading into Game 3 for the 76ers down 0-2 in this series, so it will be very interesting to see if they can rekindle this firepower and intensity in Game 4 on Sunday.
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