Why the Miami Heat should want to face the Philadelphia 76ers
The Miami Heat are back in the NBA Playoffs and the exploration for a preferred opponent is underway.
The NBA playoffs are finally just a couple weeks away and it’s time to start exploring the possible matchups for the Miami Heat. One of the more intriguing possibilities that should favor the Heat is the Philadelphia Sixers.
The teams matched up so well, that they split the season series at two games a piece. Three of the games were played with Joel Embiid, who could possibly miss games in the first round. Two of the games were played with Dwyane Wade back in a Heat uniform.
To be fair though, the Sixers have become the hottest team in the league, having won 12 games in a row, including four since Embiid was injured with a fractured orbital bone.
But, the playoffs are a different animal. The game slows down. There are no back-to-backs. Teams get to prepare and gameplan. Anxiety rises. In other words, everything is amplifed. That is something that the current iteration of the Sixers have yet to experience. Because of that, the Heat should want to get the Sixers as soon as possible.
The teams are fairly even in terms of talent, even though the inclination is to lean more toward the Sixers, if Embiid is healthy. Without Embiid however, the talent gap is about as thin as a sheet of paper. Both teams can go about eight-deep in their rotations and not miss a step.
Ben Simmons, who is less than a rebound away from averaging a triple-double for the month of March, presents the biggest problem for the Heat. His athleticism and passing acumen make him a threat whenever he has the ball. Dario Saric, JJ Redick and Marco Belinelli are all dangerous shooters. Markelle Fultz has just returned from injury and can be a wildcard, as the number one pick from the most recent NBA draft.
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Wade has been amazing in his return to the Heat. James Johnson has been a great all-around player, Goran Dragic has shown flashes of the All-Star he was chosen to be. Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow provide a defensive presence and versatility that will be much needed in this matchup.
The coaching matchup is pretty close too. Brett Brown is a Gregg Popovich disciple and has done a great job proving his chops this season. With a roster that finally includes talent, Brown has led the Sixers to 40+ wins in a season for the first time since 2010-11. Brown can be considered the foundation of the Sixers rebuild.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has been vastly underrated for as long as he’s been a coach, winning less than 40 games in a season just once. Add to that his NBA championships, and it’s not hard to see how he has the advantage in almost any coaching situation.
The biggest ace in the Heat’s hole, is their experience.
Come playoff time, experience is often the biggest advantage a team can have. Ideally, a team’s best player(s) during a playoff run should also be the most experienced. The Sixers’ top players (Embiid and Simmons) have never played a playoff game before, while the Heat’s top nine rotation players all have varying levels of playoff experience. Also, as mentioned above, Spoelstra is one of the more successful playoff coaches league-wide
Ultimately, it’s not a guarantee that the Heat will defeat the Sixers if they match up in few weeks.
Next: Why the NBA needs a Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers playoff series
But all the signs should point toward the Heat wanting to match up with the inexperienced and unproven kids from the city of Brotherly Love.