The Miami Heat (2-1) are still up in the Eastern Conference playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, but there’s no questioning that the return of Joel Embiid is going to be an issue.
Embiid, who missed the first two games of the series due to a concussion and right orbital fracture, said sitting and watching his team get dominated by the Heat, in particular, by All-Star Bam Adebayo, did not sit well with him.
The latest Heat news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Heat newsletter here!
While the Sixers listed the 28-year-old center as “doubtful” until 30 minutes before tipoff on Friday, May 6, Embiid didn’t just appear sparingly in Game 3, he played for 36 minutes. After scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds and one assist during the Sixers’ 99-79 win over Miami, Embiid spoke to reporters about his playoff journey thus far.
“It was very annoying,” Embiid said of watching the first two games. “We didn’t make a lot of shots, made a lot of mistakes. Their big fella, Bam was dominating. And I was really pissed off watching another big guy play well against my team.”
Embiid’s return put a huge dent in Adebayo’s performance. During the first two games of the series, the Heat’s starting center averaged 21.5 points while shooting 71.4% shooting from the field. In Game 3, Adebayo was kept to just nine points in 34 minutes of play, shooting 2-of-9 from the field — his worst performance since the playoffs started.
GettyBam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half during Game Three of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 6, 2022.
How did Embiid effectively shut Adebayo down? “Getting to the ball even more and not let [him get] easy catches,” he said. “And being aggressive on their main scorers, which are obviously Tyler [Herro] and Jimmy [Butler],” the latter of whom scored 33 points on Friday night.
“Jimmy got going. Definitely got to do a better job on them. On their main scorers, we were more aggressive trapping or getting the ball out of their hands and letting everyone else beat us.”
Butler Said the Game Changes ‘Drastically’ With Embiid Playing
It’s Jimmy Buckets time.
The Heat’s best performance of the night in Game 3 came from Butler, but Embiid’s presence on the court limited team’s offense as a whole. While it sounds wild that just one player can have such an effect, Butler knows that his former teammate is not just any player.
Jimmy Butler: 33 PTS, 12-22 FG (54.5 FG%)
Rest of team: 44 PTS, 15-52 FG (28.8 FG%)
Can’t win that way. #HEATCulture
“You add Jo to any team, home or away, the game and the scouting report, it changes drastically,” Butler said of the impact of Embiid’s return. “It’s been like that for his entire career… We scored 79 points. A lot of that is because he takes away the rim. We got to find a way to be better on that end of the floor. He’s key to these guys.”
Kyle Lowry Scored 0 Points
GettyJoel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers controls the ball against Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat in the first half during Game Three of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 6, 2022.
While Embiid’s return took much of the media’s attention, the Heat’s starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, returned to action for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. Lowry scored no points, tallying just four rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes of play
“I just got to find a rhythm,” Lowry said during the postgame conference. “I didn’t expect to be amazing tonight. I didn’t expect to have zero points. But just trying to get a feel for the game, just be out there, especially in this hostile situation. I wanted to be out there with my group.”
“There was a different look defensively with Joel there,” Lowry said of Embiid’s return. “Now, we have to make adjustments. This is what the playoffs are about. Every single game is a different game… Now, we go back and look at the film tonight and tomorrow and get ready to go for Sunday. Gonna be a dog fight again.”
The Heat have a perfect 18-0 record in the playoffs when they start a series with a 2-0 lead. Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Sunday, May 8, at the Wells Fargo Arena at 8 p.m. ET
READ NEXT: NBA Analyst Slams Heat’s Entire Roster, Especially Jimmy Butler
Comments
Sixers’ Joel Embiid Is ‘Pissed Off’ Over Heat Center Bam Adebayo