Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Philly’s masked man takes over
Embiid arrives while Whiteside’s a non-factor
Oh, so that’s Joel Embiid. That’s the man in the mask who’s as popular in Philadelphia as a cheesesteak sandwich. That’s the 7-foot center who played his first game in a nearly a month and promptly sent a message to the Miami Heat: It’s not just Ben Simmons you’re up against anymore.
Embiid made baskets, finished plays, got rebounds and shushed the crowd with a finger to his lips all while shaking off prodigious amounts of rust in Philadelphia’s 128-108 win over the Heat in Game 3 of their first-round NBA Playoff series.
That’s not the worst part of Thursday for the Heat. This would’ve been a heartbreaking loss in any month against any team. It just felt worse Thursday, because the Heat didn’t just trade words, barbs, technical fouls, good playoff back-and-forth and great basketball theater with Philadelphia.
They also played nearly as well as they can. And it wasn’t enough. Justise Winslow had his best half in three years with the Heat, scoring 19 points with six rebounds in the first half. Goran Dragic delivered non-stop toughness and had 23 points. It wasn’t enough. The Heat shot a healthy 48.5 percent from the 3-point line. They were within six rebounds of Philadelphia, their closest margin of the series. They competed enough the lead changed 17 times and neither team led by more than five points through three quarters. It still wasn’t enough. The Heat will talk about improving their turnovers and fouling less. And no doubt
that will help, but the larger truth is it will take something more to beat Philadelphia with Embiid out there.
It’s hard to see that answer on the Heat roster, too. The biggest problem Embiid seemed to have was with his mask. He kept taking it off, adjusting it. Winslow stepped on a piece of it that had fallen to the court one time.
As for basketball, Embiid scored 23 points, had seven rebounds and three blocked shots. He went to the foul line 15 times, showing just what trouble the Heat had containing him.
In some ways, the series just started Thursday with Embiid’s return. He was rusty, missing his first four shots and, later in the half, an all-alone dunk. But you saw what he can do even then in taking over the night.
In one full-court exchange to start the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-6 Winslow blocked the 7-foot Embiid at one end, only for Embiid to block Winslow in return at the other end. Both times they were yelling at each other. It was that kind of night, that kind of emotion.
“We have been playing a style of basketball that has suited this team,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. “So absorbing [Embiid] back in the group, us with him, him with us, that’s going to take a little bit of time.
“I don’t see that being a seamless transition. I do see his benefit immediately defensively but all of us would not be that wise to think that it’s going to keep chugging along.”
Embiid vs. Hassan Whiteside? That’s not happening. Embiid entered the series. Whiteside has yet to do so. He had no shots until an alley-oop dunk in the fourth quarter. He then was immediately taken out after 13 minutes of play.
That’s a full night for him these days. There’s no need to ask for more or complaining that that’s all there is. Because that’s all there is. If there was more, you’d have seen it Thursday.
So it’s been three nights this series, three different storylines. In Game 1, Philadelphia shot 65 percent on 3-pointers and Simmons starred to bum-rush the Heat off the court in the second half.
In Game 2, Dwyane Wade made old magic with 28 points and a crucial steal and the Heat won by double digits.
Thursday night, was a full-out, all-encompassing, never-ending basketball battle. Words. Pushes. Technicals. Dramatic baskets. Through three quarters there were 17 lead chances and the biggest lead by either team was five points.
Then the fourth quarter happened. Philadelphia pushed a lead to 10 points. And then kept pushing. The Heat tried to fight back. They played about as well as they can. It wasn’t enough. It’s not just Simmons now. It’s Embiid. And the Sixers have a 2-1 lead that looks harder to overtake.