NBA Playoffs 2022 on Monday, 09.05.2022
My first two successful 76ers Heat picks were real no-brainers! Because really every expert was of the opinion that the Philadelphia 76ers would lose both openers against the Miami Heat – and that’s exactly what happened!
The Sixers were missing Joel Embiid, the heart and soul of the team. But Joel Embiid returned in Game 3 and immediately put the Blue and Whites ahead by 20 points! Will it be the same in Game 4?
He is back! After his Sixers were thrashed by the Floridians in the first two games, Joel Embiid was back on the court after suffering a facial injury in Game 6 against the Raptors.
Philadelphia got back on track straight away, winning 99-79 over Miami. However, the Cameroonian “only” contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds to his team’s victory, not too intimidating stats.
But be careful not to jump to conclusions! Because the Heat will have just as hard a time in Game 4 as they did in their defeat the day before yesterday! The reason? Miami defends completely different with Embiid on the court!
Embiid didn’t put on a monster performance, but his presence alone meant that the Floridians’ defensive space allocation was completely different than in the first two games.
For example, their own centre, Bam Adebayo, who was still brilliant in the first two games, suddenly had to stand much closer to the Cameroonian and could therefore no longer turn to “easier targets” in the covering game.
This finally allowed James Harden a little more freedom of movement, which he immediately used to score 17 points, without a doubt his best performance in this series! I expect a similar performance from the ex-Nets player in Game 4!
However, Harden was not the only one who benefited from Joel Embiid as “bait” for the Heat defence. The man of the match was Danny Green, who had been submerged in this series until then, and who suddenly converted seven of his nine three-point attempts.
Miami pulled together more personnel at the board due to the mere presence of Joel Embiid. This gave the Sixers’ backcourt its first opportunity to run the ball nicely around the arc and take a lot of open threes!
From there, it’s almost secondary whether the 76ers’ Cameroonian puts on a monster performance or not. Because as long as he’s standing where he’s standing, the Heat won’t be able to get any closer to his teammates!
That Embiid’s teammates can also play excellent basketball if you just let them, was proven among others by Tyrese Maxey, who with 21 points could also contribute more points than their superstar on the five.
In addition, the guests showed weaknesses that one is not used to from them! Miami showed a disastrous shooting of about 35 percent until the middle of the fourth quarter, which is incredibly low for the Floridians!
The only reason why Philadelphia couldn’t close the bag much earlier has to do with the 19 turnovers, which severely affected their own playmaking. However, I expect that they will allow themselves fewer ball losses this time!
Our NBA Playoffs schedule, by the way, calls for the series to be shipped back to Miami after this duel, where at least one more game will be played – regardless of the outcome of Game 4.
Speaking of Game 4, the leading oddsmakers think it will be a close one. However, the Sixers are slightly favoured to win with odds of around 1.80!
Conclusion: Joel Embiid fulfils the function of the Colossus of Rhodes, who attracts opposing defenders like an imposing lighthouse in the visitors’ defence in order to open up excellent throwing opportunities for his teammates.
His teammates did not get these opportunities when the Cameroonian was still injured! But this changed abruptly in Game 3 with his return!
Personally, I expect the Heat to go for Embiid again – and honestly, they would do well to do so, because the 76ers centre is one of the most dangerous players in the NBA!
My 76ers Heat tip is therefore: The home side equalises the series!
