3 Things We Learned From Heat-76ers Game 4 On Sunday
Through the first two games of this Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, there were talks of if the Heat could possibly sweep the 76ers.
Now, through four games in this series, there are questions being asked as to if the Heat have what it takes to win this series!
Joel Embiid’s presence for the Philadelphia 76ers is invaluable and he may truly have the greatest impact for his team out of any player in this league. The best center in the NBA right now, Embiid can score, he can rebound and most importantly, he makes a difference defensively in the paint.
In Games 3 and 4, Embiid has not had one of his dominant scoring performances we have become accustomed to this season, but just his presence on the court alone has brought out the best in the 76ers, allowing them to outscore the Heat by 28 points these last two games and even up this series at 2-2 heading back to Miami.
Game 4 on Sunday night was a fantastic performance by the Sixers not only because they evened up the series, but because every single player in their starting-five had their fingerprints on this game.
Defensively, the 76ers have really stepped up and on offense, a certain someone with a beard has seemed to find his groove again!
Now a “Best-of-3” series, the 76ers will go back to Miami for Game 5 against the Heat on Tuesday in what has suddenly become the most important game of both team’s seasons. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Philadelphia’s Game 4 victory.
James Harden Is… Back?
James Harden has not looked like the multi-time All-Star and former league-MVP we have known him to be over the years since joining the Philadelphia 76ers, but Game 4 on Sunday night turned out to be his best performance in a Sixers’ uniform.
After averaging 17.7 points on 38.5% shooting from the floor and shooting just 4-19 (21.1%) from deep through the first three games in this series, Harden erupted for 31 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists on 8-18 shooting, 6-10 from three-point range on Sunday night.
For weeks now, the 76ers have been searching for answers next to Joel Embiid on the offensive-end of the floor and this performance by Harden in Game 4 sent a clear message to everyone criticizing the Sixers as of late.
James Harden looked like the old James Harden in this game and for players of his caliber, all they need to see when they are in a shooting/scoring funk is for the ball to go through the basket.
He was aggressive, he shot the ball with confidence and Harden took the first initiative in being the catalyst for the 76ers’ offense instead of letting Tyrese Maxey or someone else run things.
The last time James Harden scored over 25 points in a game was March 29 against the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 32 pints in a 118-116 loss. His 31 points against the Heat on Sunday is a very welcoming sight for the Philadelphia 76ers and now, it looks like they have their two All-Stars back in what is now a “Best-of-3” series.
Jimmy Butler vs. The 76ers
On the other side of things, the Miami Heat’s offense has not looked good as of late and they have played solely through All-Star Jimmy Butler on Sunday.
Scoring just 37 points through the first two games of this series, Butler exploded for 33 points in Game 3 and then had 40 points in Sunday night’s Game 4.
We have seen these kinds of performance from Butler before in the NBA Playoffs and the 6’7” wing has been unstoppable offensively against the 76ers in Philadelphia these last two games.
However, he has single-handedly been leading the Heat’s offense, as he accounted for close to 25% of his team’s shots in this game.
This kind of scoring production from Butler is great for the Heat, but the rest of their offense just has not shown up on the road in this series, which is slightly concerning for them heading back home for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Miami’s Depth Has Disappeared On The Road
Building off of the idea of Jimmy Butler’s grand performances offensively, the Miami Heat as a whole have really struggled to get production from their secondary talent on the road in this series.
In Games 1 and 2 at home, the Heat’s bench averaged 47.0 points per game and they had at least four different players score in double figures in each of these two games.
However, in Games 3 and 4, the Heat’s bench averaged just 26.0 points per game and they struggled to find a consistent scoring option outside of Jimmy Butler.
The saying around the league is that “role players tend to play better at home,” and we have seen this time-and-time again every single season, but Miami’s biggest question mark heading into the playoffs was whether or not their offense could continue to find success given that they do not have many big-time scorers.
Defensively, the Heat are still one of the top teams in the league and they have looked like one of the top defensive teams in the league, yet they have been relying on guys like Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Victor Oladipo for a lot of offensive production.
Jimmy Butler can only do so much, Bam Adebayo has struggled against Joel Embiid and Kyle Lowry has been non-existent due to his hamstring injury, which is why the Heat’s depth is being challenged by Philadelphia’s strong defense right now.
Tyler Herro is going to be the key for the Heat moving forward off-the-bench and Erik Spoelstra may even have a trick up his sleeve still in this series, as sharpshooter Duncan Robinson has played all of 1 minutes in the semifinals.
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