Embiid is sidelined due to injury
The 76ers managed to make it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but home star Embiid suffered an injury and will miss the first two games of the series. That's undoubtedly bad news for the 76ers, whose opponents are the Miami Heat. With the Heat's top-notch defense, super three-point firepower, and unparalleled lineup depth, the only weakness of this team is probably the lack of height on the inside. Embiid could have been the killer of the 76ers, but now, the situation is completely different.
Although the Miami Heat's starting point guard Lowry is also unable to play due to injuries, his impact on this series is far less than Embiid. In such a situation, if the 76ers want to win the game, then Harden must come forward, but more importantly, the team's confidence cannot be damaged. Once you give up, then there is no hope at all.
Jordan Jr. started the battle
Without Embiid, Rivers naturally let Jordan Jr. start the battle, but the effect was very bad. At the beginning of the first quarter, Jordan Jr. only had 2 points, 2 turnovers and 1 foul, Harden was 5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 1-of-5 shooting, the whole team felt very bad, only 22 points, and the Heat bombed 30 points, of which Adebayo had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. After returning from the second quarter, the Heat fell into a scoring drought, and the team only scored 20 points, and the 76ers abandoned Jordan Jr. and successfully seized the opportunity.
Harris had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block, Maxi had 8 points and 1 assist, Harden also had 7 points and 2 rebounds, and under the leadership of the trio, the 76ers overtook the Heat by 51-50 at the end of the half. In the second half, Rivers once again let Jordan Jr. start the game, and the 76ers' offense was once again mired in the mire. Harden, Along with Maxi and Harris, combined to score 19 points, but the team scored only 21 points. Adebayor continued to exert his strength, taking another 8 points and 1 rebound, and the Heat successfully surpassed 9 points.
In the final quarter that decided the outcome of the game, the 76ers were completely in a scoring drought, playing 7 and a half minutes and only scoring 5 points, and the Heat's Hiro scored 8 points alone. Butler didn't play again, and the Heat's bench extended the lead to 20 points, and the game lost suspense completely. Harris broke the scoring drought on both free throws, but it was too late, and the Miami Heat eventually beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 to give the series a 1-0 lead.
The 76ers collapsed at the end of the quarter
In the absence of Embiid, Harden is naturally the star of this team and deserves to perform differently. But before the game started, when asked this question, Harden's answer was: I have been adapting to this role for a long time, so I just need to make the most correct decision. In other words, Harden is not going back to the Rockets, the way one person carries a team, or rather, can't go back. So, in the whole game, Harden shot 5 of 13, only 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
That could be said to be Harden's regular playoff stats, but without Embiid, in the case of the 76ers' collapse in the late quarter, he shouldn't have only such a performance. Harden refused to carry the team, Harris had 27 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, and Maxy also had 19 points and 2 assists, unfortunately, only 3 people on the team scored in double figures, while the Heat scored as many as 5 people in double figures. Adebayor had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists on 8-of-10 shooting, Hiro on the bench also had 25 points and 7 assists, Butler had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, and even the veteran Tucker had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist.