Member-only story
Game 1 — The Heat Looked Ordinary Without Kyle Lowry
…But Sixer Joel Embiid is still injured; Heat win Game 1
Midway through the Third Quarter, the Miami Heat took control of Game 1 of their second round series with the Philadelphia 76ers and never looked back. They won 106–92 and are three games away from another Eastern Conference Finals.
This happened despite the fact that the Heat didn’t really look that dominating. Kyle Lowry, their point guard with the championship pedigree, is out. Jimmy Butler is hobbled a bit with a bad knee. And, the Heat are not that explosive anyway.
Yet, the Sixers’ best player, Joel Embiid, the likely NBA regular season MVP, is still out. A concussion and a broken orbital bone kept him out and the Sixers were offensively lethargic.
Embiid averaged 31–12–4 this year, so somehow, Philly has to replace those stats. Not easy. More importantly, he shoots 12 free throws on average per game, wreaking havoc on the other team.
He also creates space for shooters because you can’t ignore him inside and outside. No accident that the Sixers shot 6–37 from the three point line. Their season average is 13–34, which they have to match to have a chance to win against the top seed in the East.
