On May 3, Beijing time, the Eastern Playoffs semifinals G1, 76ers lost to the Heat 92-106 away, a big score of 0-1 behind the opponent. Embiid's absence from the game due to injury in this game became the main reason for the 76ers' loss.
In Embiid's absence, 76ers coach Rivers chose to let Jordan Jr. start, and his choice was unexpected. In the first round of the playoffs, Jordan Jr. came off the bench in all six games and failed to play a minute.
Facing the Heat, who have the first record in the East, Jordan Jr.'s play is indeed difficult to say. He played 17 minutes and 16 seconds, shooting 2-of-2 from the field, with 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks, plus-minus -22. According to statistics, in the 4 minutes of Jordan Jr.'s appearance in the first half, the 76ers had a plus-minus of -12, and after he went off, the 76ers had a plus-minus of +13.
But after the game, Rivers still chose to support Jordan Jr. and directly announced that G2 would let him continue to start. "Listen, I don't like the pairing of Reed and Adebayor. The funny thing was that I put Jordan Jr. up there before that and he really protected the rebounds for us. But we want to increase the speed and change the guard more. When we want to play joint defense and switch defense, we like Reed on the field. But unfortunately, it made us lose control of our rebounds. ”
Rivers's remarks drew widespread skepticism from 76ers fans. In this game, Jordan Jr. played 17 minutes and 16 seconds, and he only had 2 rebounds. Reid, who was plagued by fouls, played 13 minutes and 02 seconds and grabbed nine rebounds, including five in the frontcourt. Reid's rebounding performance is clearly better than Jordan Jr.'s.