Six Thoughts: Sixers Baffled by Zone in Critical Loss to Heat

The Sixers let a critical game slip away in Miami as the Heat zone defense flummoxed Philadelphia's offense down the stretch.

Here are six thoughts on the game.

Paul George, on a mission

The version of George the Sixers got in this game is a player that fundamentally changes the team's playoff upside. It's not just about his shotmaking, which can come and go at any time. It's the way he's slithering with the rock in his hands. His handle is tight and he's demonstrated comfort testing defenders in isolation, hitting them with a dribble move to see if he can shake free for a drive.

The game-changer, though, may just be his burst. He's attacking the rim every game now, finishing through varying degrees of difficulty. You want strength and control? Watch him step and balance himself on one leg to lose a defender for an off-balance shot near the rim. You want pure force? Watch him attack someone's chest for a layup and the fouul. You want youth? Watch him get into the lane for a dunk.

He has not looked like a veteran on the verge of his 36th birthday. George is scoring from every level of the floor right now, canning jumpers off the catch and off the dribble. If the Sixers are going to win a playoff series, if they are going to win multiple playoff series, there will be moments in which this George shows up. Not for whole games. Not functioning off of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Commandeering a lineup by himself while one or both guys are out.

As much as you plan for Embiid and Maxey being staggered so that one is on the court at all times, you're operating in an ideal world. There are circumstances that will change that plan. And when that happens, George will have to run some units by himself. Being able to take over for short bursts and provide seven points in three minutes can flip momentum.

A slight evolution of the Embiid-Maxey two-man game

We've seen countless iterations of their partnership, but they've added something new in the name of ball movement. There were a couple of possessions in this game in which Embiid made the kickout pass to Maxey one spot away when the help came. That would ordinarily result in a clean look at a Maxey 3. In this game, Maxey pump-faked out of the 3 and attacked the foul line before kicking out to a third teammate who had a moment of space as Miami rotated to protect its cracked first line of defense.

Spreading the wealth is always good. A great shot for a role player can carry just as much value as a good shot for a star can. But that pass may pay dividends as the game goes on. A pass that leads to an open 3 might unlock a critical defensive moment later in the game just by getting that player a touch early on.

Speaking of Embiid...

His approach on offense was bad, and it was much like his approach has historically been in playoff environments. Embiid started off strong, backing Bam Adebayo down to the restricted area for a couple of scores in the lane. But as the game went on, that aggression and force deteriorated. He slid into a mode of playing to contact, putting the honus on the officiating crew to acquiesce every foul he felt was there.

Playing to the shot would obviously give him a better chance of scoring because he's focused on the thing he can control. But it would also stop some of the possessions he threw away in this game. They don't get recorded as turnovers, but some of the nonsense Embiid tossed up in search of fouls were functionally turnovers. They sent the Heat out and running and gave the Sixers really no chance of scoring even if the ball landed in the vicinity of the basket.

Embiid is 32. He's been around long enough to know that playing to the whistle is focusing on something that isn't in his control. A player of his stature should be focusing on what they can control.

To his credit, when Embiid checked in for the fourth quarter, his mindset was different. He was firm and quick with his decisions, flashing to spots in the middle of Miami's zone and taking mid-range jumpers off the catch instead of trying to slow down possessions off the catch.

What would you say you do here?

The way Dominick Barlow is used when this team is at full strength makes very little sense to these eyes. He started and played 20 minutes in this game. He did not play in the fourth quarter. Kelly Oubre played 31 minutes. He played the entire fourth quarter.

The fixation with Barlow would make a lot more sense if he were an outstanding rebounder, an absolute thief on defense or a prolific shot-blocker. He's none of those things. Is he versatile enough of a defender to warrant minutes? Sure. But his role should be much more limited unless he's going to pull consistent 3-point shooting or Houdini-level passing out of his back pocket.

At this stage, the Sixers would be better served getting players with better offensive skills in their rotation if only to enhance the spacing for Embiid and Maxey. It doesn't even have to be Justin Edwards, who seems to be on the very fringes of the rotation right now. Even if Nick Nurse wants to lean toward rebounding, Jabari Walker is just a more useful offensive player than Barlow is.

Where was George?

Nurse's rotations reflected a high-leverage playoff game. Yet, George was nowhere to be found while the Sixers seized control of this game.

Giving him a break in the middle of the quarter was fine, especially after he was in the lineup to open the final 12 minutes. But Nurse gave him five minutes and 49 seconds of rest, showing little urgency to get him in the game as the momentum swayed toward the Sixers.

Philadelphia ultimately did itself in with sloppiness against the Heat zone, but they didn't even let it go down with their five best players on the court.

Noticing

Edwards and Cam Payne had very brief appearances in Philadelphia's win over the Hornets on Saturday. That game was perhaps more critical than this one was. But in this game, there was no Payne. Edwards played less than one minute. Adem Bona logged 14 minutes and 27 seconds, and perhaps would've played more had it not been for foul trouble.

It seems pretty clear Nurse is going to roll with a rotation of eight, maybe nine, players in the postseason.