Miami Heat

The Miami Heat struggled to do what has made them who they are in Games 3 and 4 against Philly. In Game 5 though, it's what, again, propelled them.

In Games 3 and 4 of the series, Philly would win three of the four periods. The Philadelphia 76ers had made tough shots in front of their home crowd, while the Miami Heat just couldn’t make enough or anywhere near their average, 13.6, about what they made in Game 5. Going 13-33 in Game 5, they would come up only one shy total makes of their total amount of threes made in Games 3 and 4 combined.

Besides the absence of Kyle Lowry, which has somehow also coincided with 5 Heat playoff wins (the Heat are 5-0 without Lowry in the postseason), Miami was able ...

And this is great news for the Heat. The one thing Miami needs is a guy who is just confident in 1v1 coverage and willing to be the guy. Role players play better at home, for sure, but the Heat need someone to step up and be able to make them on Philly on Thursday night. Despite that, and Jimmy Butler alluded to this as well, the Heat really just need to play good defense. Miami would prefer Embiid to do his work on the perimeter where they can play their odds on his shot (he’s still good) and keep him off the free-throw line. After the disappointment of how Games 3 and 4 went in Philadelphia, we saw the Heat do some things differently that lead to their success. The Miami Heat won the 4th Quarter of Game 5 39-19 in route to a 35 point win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The No. 1 seed Miami Heat and No. 4 seed Philadelphia 76ers face off on Thursday in Philadelphia in Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. - 76ers vs. Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. - 76ers vs. Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. If the Heat doesn't beat the 76ers in Game 6, the home game for Game 7 would go the Heat's way. For the upcoming game, the Heat are without Kyle Lowry (Hamstring). Max Strus (Hamstring), Gabe Vincent (Knee), P.j. Tucker (Calf), Tyler Herro (Ankle), Dewayne Dedmon (Illness) and Caleb Martin (Ankle) are questionable." It writes: "In the most recent game in this best-of-seven series, the Heat defeated the 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers chose Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler in the summer of 2019. Now, Butler and the Miami Heat have them on the brink of elimination.

Obviously, to be on the same team with him, as I was in the past, but damn you want to be able to play against the best, and have an opportunity to beat the best. In an interview with ESPN in December 2020, Embiid said he and Butler watch and critique each other's games and performances. He added playmaking responsibilities with point guard Kyle Lowry struggling with a hamstring issue and missing three of the five games. That is really unique -- when it gets the craziest is when he's really locked in on making sure that it's solid winning basketball for our team." Eventually it got to the point the organization felt it needed to choose between them, according to team sources, and it chose Simmons. He was younger, and at the time, seemed to have a higher ceiling. When the definitive history of the Process-Era Philadelphia 76ers is written someday, there will be many moments and decisions to revisit.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra often talks about a player's impact going past statistics. Cenfer Bam Adebayo's Game 5 performance is an illustration of ...

Adebayo was able to make those adjustments and has now helped the Heat build a 3-2 in the series. The most recent chapter of this matchup was Game 3, when Adebayo finished with only nine points, with three rebounds and one assist. To anchor our defense, to do multiple schemes, and to keep that competitive edge, he’s the heart and soul of our team. “I’ve got to get my teammates easier baskets,” Adebayo said. The scoring champion and MVP runner-up was effectively slowed down by Adebayo. It’s arguably the toughest cover at that position.

Leading up to Game 5, Miami Heat fans were calling for Duncan Robinson to break two straight losses to the Philadelphia 76ers. Max Strus had other plans.

He was in the gaps, rebounding the basketball. He knows he belongs on this team and in the league. I think that was the key for me tonight. “He knows his job and his role on this team. He finished the night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and one assist. The Heat were struggling from the arc the past two games, shooting 21 percent.