The Miami Heat had a really decent Monday night. Ok, it was pretty good.
Getting off to a good start in Game 1 of their second-round NBA Playoff series over the Philadelphia 76ers, they would walk away with the, 106-92, victory. While that’s what made it pretty good, you don’t quite fully pat them on the back because it wasn’t a flawless win by any measure, no matter the final score.
Based on the fact that they jumped out to an early lead, they should have finished the game with a bigger winning margin and even if they weren’t able to extend it much further than it actually finished, it shouldn’t have been made as hard it was. They allowed Philly back in it during the second quarter based on their own silly mistakes.
The Miami Heat accrued a ton of turnovers in that second period, causing or in addition to the fact that they went stagnant on offense to close the half. They would get it together though enough to win the game and largely due to the work of the next man mentioned, a guy that had his hands all over this one from start to finish.
The Miami Heat got a big win Monday in Game 1 of their second-round NBA Playoff series. Along the way, P.J. Tucker played a heck of a hard-working game.
P.J. Tucker was, simply, the hardest working man on the floor. Determined to do whatever to help his team win, he would guard James Harden for the entirety of the court for a lot of the night.
P.J. Tucker with five offensive rebounds tonight while defending James Harden all the way down the court for most of the game.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) May 3, 2022
En route to grabbing seven rebounds total, Tucker would do tremendous work on the glass. On top of it all, he would do so in the most crucial moments.
This sequence is the epitome of what he is for the Miami Heat, has been all year, and what he will need to continue to be moving forward for this Heat team in the playoffs for them to reach their maximum potential.
KEEP FIGHTING. What a possession. pic.twitter.com/4NFhBjQrl5
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 3, 2022
He would also finish with 10 points and an assist to go along with the seven rebounds, finding success with his patented corner three-ball on a couple of occasions. It’s always good to see him making that shot, as it’s huge for the team and helps keep the rest of his offense effective.
On top of that though, it’s always good to see him doing what he does best. That’s the unsexy stuff, the little things that really matter when it comes to winning at the highest level, the things that must be done that everyone won’t do.
He knows it too. And you can count on him to bring that each and every night, for which it was very present on Monday.