Barkley: First two games couldn’t really be judged
Even as the Miami Heat kept winning game after game this postseason — six wins in its first seven playoff games by an average of 14.8 points — the networks continued to focus on James Harden and bemoan Joel Embiid’s absence.
“The one thing that really sucks,” TNT’s Charles Barkley said after Game 2, “is the one weakness [the Heat] really has is size.
“Bam Adebayo is a terrific player, but he’s only like 6-7 [actually
6-9]. He’s got no chance against Joel. That’s the one thing that really sucks. We can’t even get an example of how good the Heat are, even though we know they’ve got a good team because [teams] can’t exploit their one weakness . ...
“The 76ers don’t have a chance without him . ... Without [Embiid], they’re overmatched.”
They were not overmatched Friday night.
Embiid returned to the 76ers' lineup after clearing concussion protocol earlier in the day. He wore a mask to protect his right orbital fracture and played 36 minutes in Philadelphia’s victory.
His return immediately added buzz to the series. ESPN’s Zach Lowe had said after the Heat took a 2-0 series lead: “I can’t remember a second-round series being so boring.”
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff, moonlighting as an ESPN analyst, said Philadelphia needed smaller lineups in Embiid’s absence.
The numbers in the first two games of the series backed that up, as the 76ers outscored the Heat by six points in 27 minutes when neither centers DeAndre Jordan nor Paul Reed was on the court. Philadelphia was outscored by 36 points with Jordan or Reed on the court in Games 1 and 2.
“When I watch the Miami Heat, I understand their game plan,” TNT’s Kenny Smith said. “When pick-and-roll happens, this is the action Miami is going to have. When a guy is in single coverage, this is the action Miami is going to have. It’s consistent. When you watch other teams trying to achieve championship greatness, you’re not sure.
“Miami, you can read the game plan and say, you’re going to have to beat it that way. And effort is the other thing. Coaches say you can’t teach effort; I disagree. You can create a habit that causes effort and that’s what they do in Miami and that’s what [coach Erik] Spoelstra does.”
PRAISE FOR HERRO
Heat guard Tyler Herro has earned the respect of the NBA as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year ... and the respect of his Heat coaches and teammates.
“I think Tyler is about the right things,” Spoelstra said. “He has such an incredible work ethic.
He’s ambitious. He is one of the young stars in this league and he has been able to quiet all the noise and just sacrifice and do what we felt was best for the group. It really translated to success and winning. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what Tyler is about.”
Of Herro’s award, Heat star Jimmy Butler said: “He deserves that. He has been a huge part of our success. He works so incredibly hard. Just a good dude who cares about winning and plays basketball the right way. It’s about time he gets the recognition he deserves. He’s going to be a big reason why we end up winning it this year.”
HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY
Heat guard Victor Oladipo turned 30 on Wednesday. It was a moment
of reflection for Oladipo, who underwent two surgeries to repair the quadriceps tendon in his right knee in the last three-plus years.
“You got to take time to reflect whether you like it or not,” Oladipo said. “It just happens, kind of, ‘Yeah, I turned 30.’ Laying in bed this morning, I was like: Man, I don’t feel 30. I feel like I’m like 21, really. 25, let’s not say 21.
“But in the grand scheme of things, you look back on life, and not even just 10 years ago, but just
a year ago. Just think about my year and what my last year has been like. For me not to believe in myself, my team, the people I have in my corner. I would be foolish. I truly believe in everything that I’ve done. My work ethic, my game. I believe in everything and I truly believe there are even better days to come.”