On May 5, in the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Heat defeated the 76ers at home to lead 2-0 in the series. The 76ers once saw hope of flipping through the final quarter, but unfortunately lost. In NBA history, more than 92 percent of teams have advanced in series 2-0 lead situations. The Heat led 16 times in a 2-0 2-0 of the seven-game, 4-0 series in the all-time playoffs, all of which were won. The 76ers have fallen behind 2-0 13 times in their history and not a single turnover. It is precisely for this reason that many fans said that the suspense of this series almost disappeared in advance.
Harden was wrapped up in the Heat, he had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists, but he was almost dumb and stealthy in the second half, and Harden only hit 1 goal in five shots in the last two quarters. Harden also played 29 games for the 76ers, and the number of shots in a single game never reached 20, which is a huge gap compared to his league leading scorer during the Rockets era. Harden scored less than 25 points in eight consecutive playoff games, or the Thunder era.
The US media posted a picture to ridicule Harden and Embiid: when Embiid found that Harden had passed his peak.
Jia Lei, a well-known basketball reporter after the game, said: "Facts have proved that Deng ge can no longer fight a hard battle. Of course, I haven't won a fight before
Harden came to the 76ers, gave up the comfortable life of the Rockets, and left the Nets who were injured durant and Irving at the time, and came to Philadelphia to win the championship, but unfortunately the team is currently 0-2 behind, the 76ers history and Harden's playoff career, rarely staged a series of big turnovers, so Harden and the 76ers are really too difficult now.
Aside from Harden, whether Embiid will be able to make a comeback at G3 is also unknown, with coach Rivers Sr. saying he video-linked with Embiid yesterday and today, but doesn't know if he'll be ready for game three: "He looks good now, but he still has a lot of steps to go through, I don't think he's passed either one now, so we'll just have to wait and see. ”
Maxi, who scored 34 points today, is still confident, saying: "The series is not over, it is a showdown to win 4 games, not 2. ”
The next G3 and G4 were both played at the home of the Philadelphia 76ers, and once the home was lost, the 76ers had no hope of qualifying, so the next game, whether Embiid returned or not, was very important for the 76ers.