On May 3, Beijing time, the Heat won 106-92 in the first game of the second round series against the 76ers, and after this game, the Heat already held a 1-0 lead in this series. Considering that this season's Heat are the team that can have the top record in the Eastern Conference and are hoping to hit the championship trophy this season, they really showed the team's competitive strength in this game.
Throughout the game, Taylor Hiero is the team's best offensive performance player, he played 25 points and 7 assists on 9-of-17 shooting in the 29 minutes off the bench, but the Heat can firmly control the initiative in this game is largely because it can pick up as many as 15 frontcourt rebounds, and the starting big forward PJ Tucker is the player who gave the Heat a lot of help in rebounding in the frontcourt.
In this game, PJ Tucker, who played 28 minutes, had 10 points and 7 rebounds on 4-of-9 shooting, including as many as 5 frontcourt rebounds, and 2-of-4 shooting beyond the three-point line.
The Heat also posted photos on official social media of PJ Tucker falling to the ground and roaring angrily after scrambling for a rebound, praising tucker for the resilience and energy he can bring to the team:
After the game, Heat coach Eric Spollstra also praised PJ Tucker's "inspiring" performance in offensive rebounding:
"PJ Tucker has those game-changing ways of playing, you can't analyze his role by analyzing him, he can pick up offensive rebounds very well, he has a great performance on both ends of the court offensively and defensively."
The 37-year-old PJ Tucker can still bring enough defensive resilience and vitality to the team on the court, at least during his time with the Bucks, Tucker can bring such performances to the Bucks and let the Bucks eventually win the championship trophy. And in this year's playoffs, PJ Tucker will undoubtedly bring the same championship advantage to the Heat.