The 76ers and the Heat's first game, neither side is a full-strength lineup. The Heat lacked the main small steel gun guard Lowry, and on the 76ers side, Embiid was hit by cameroonian siakam with an elbow to the concussion absence, and the return date was undecided.
Embiid's injury also caused the advantage of the two sides to be offset. In terms of the 76ers, it depends on whether Harden can punish the Heat's defenders in singles, which in the past should have been James Harden's best play.
In the first half, in the opening game of a double figure behind, Harden led the team to bite the score, and also completed the counterattack in the half. Until the sudden change in the second half, Harden lost the first game with a not-so-good full-time performance.
The big brother of the 16-point team, it is difficult to lead the team
Harden's biggest problem now is that he doesn't work alone.
Star combinations usually mean that personal data has to be compromised, but after the Hamstring problems during the Nets period, Harden's "concessions" were somewhat tinged with a regression in personal strength. Personal offensive power declined, Harden also consciously changed his style to "pass first", trying to give Joe Embiid a good support.
With MVP's top two-tier center, Embiid's singles can penetrate the opposite side, and Harden's personal play will not be mentioned repeatedly, but once the key battle, Embiid's absence these two factors are combined. Harden was asked to come up with something real.
In the first game, Harden shot 5-of-13 from the field and had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 2-of-7 three-point range.
In the first half, Harden also had the posture of single-handedly trying to lead the team. The three-pointer after facing the defense's continuous crotch dribble at the top of the arc also vaguely regained the feeling of the Rockets climbing the point. However, facing his old teammate Tucker, the two dribbles were cut off, and in the second half, it was controlled by Maxi, and Harden gradually returned to Harden, who had "basically no offensive desire" in the regular season.
The Heat's joint defense, the 76ers broke the game
Harden's singles are not at the peak, and the Heat's defensive thinking is very clear.
Joint defense and pinch attack are the hallmarks they have used for a whole season of defense, specific to each team, which will be fine-tuned according to the characteristics. Harden's personal offensive firepower in this game is not strong enough, and the Miami Heat use personal single defense and occasionally make an early attack, but the tone of the whole field's joint defense does make the 76ers difficult to crack.
To crack the joint defense, the most effective is to sanction with consecutive three-point shots. With the three-point shot accurate, the Heat's defense was not allowed to expand the range, and the space on the court was opened. Maxi and Harden can break through to the basket. In this game, the 76ers only shot 6 of 34 three-pointers, and the three-point performance was seriously inaccurate, allowing the Heat to safely defend the joint defense while deploying a stronger defense under the basket.
Give the ball to James Harden
The feel is cold, and the 76ers can still play back and forth with the Heat in the first half.
The real sudden change is that in the second half, that is, from the second half, The roles of Maxy and Harden have swapped places, and Maxy, who is good at breaking through, has become the role of the organization defender, and Harden, who has not played very well on the ball, has played the role of no ball for a long time.
Maxi's several offensive options shook their heads, and in this situation where defenders could not play the heat in their respective areas of best, the 76ers quickly faced the Heat's iron-blooded defense and offense, and handed over the game victory.
In addition, Harden's old teammate Jordan Jr. on the Nets played a plus-minus efficiency of -22, and the rebounds lost also had a basket.
The biggest sustenance of the 76ers at this stage is that Embiid quickly passes the league's concussion test and then quickly returns to teach the Heat's interior defense a lesson. But in terms of the current lineup, the next game, rebounds and three-pointers will be the top two choices for the 76ers to adjust. If Niang can maintain the fiery play he used to meet the Heat, the 76ers have a chance to win the game. Otherwise, it could be another season where you have to get out early because of injuries.