Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday night’s 116-108 NBA playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:
– Yes, retrospect is an easy way out.
– Even when there were questions about the lack of a veteran point guard on the roster.
– Or enough height.
– And, overwhelmingly, the Heat compensated.
– With Gabe Vincent breaking through.
– And Omer Yurtseven keeping the Heat afloat during the regular season.
– But at these moments, with Kyle Lowry a misstep away from a hamstring calamity, it puts a lot more on Victor Oladipo’s plate than anticipated.
– And when Dewayne Dedmon couldn’t go due to illness, the Heat went even smaller, shifting 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker into the middle.
– And then Markieff Morris.
– No, no roster is perfect in a salary-cap and luxury-tax world.
– But this one is enduring a stress test.
– As it certainly did Sunday.
– Lowry upright is essential.
– And, so, too, is Dedmon sans sniffles.
– The margin of error is razor thin.
– If it is this painful to watch Lowry, imagine how painful it must be to be Lowry.
– Seemingly every move came with a grimace.
– With something as tenuous as a hamstring, when does too much become too much?
– Tuesday in Game 5?
– And, yes, he again will be on the injury report.
– It again was Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Lowry, Tucker and Max Strus at the outset for the Heat.
– That essentially was a given.
– With the start, Lowry moved past Kenyon Martin for 82nd on the NBA all-time playoff list and into a tie with Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone for 80th.
– With the start, Butler tied Chris Bosh, Eddie Jones, Metta World Peace and Kevin McHale for 85th on the NBA all-time playoff list, and tied Jones for 12th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– With the appearance, Adebayo tied Dan Majerle and Jamal Mashburn for 17th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– What followed had to be altered with Dedmon missing the game due to illness.
– So the first substitute, entering for Adebayo was . . . Oladipo.
– That moved Tucker to center against Joel Embiid.
– With lots of double-teams arriving.
– Tyler Herro entered next for the Heat.
– Then Vincent, with Adebayo then returning to spell Tucker.
– Vincent was called for three fouls in his first three minutes.
– Not what the Heat needed on this night.
– Lowry then returned and ended his 0-for-7 start to the series with a layup.
– Eventually, even Morris joined in the mix, entering in the third period, with Adebayo and Tucker in foul trouble.
– Butler’s second point moved him past Rajon Rondo for 91st on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his 13th point moving him past George Mikan for 90th, later passing Dave Cowens for 89th.
– Butler’s first assist moved him past Tim Hardaway and Boris Diaw for 83rd on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s first 3-pointer moved him past James Jones and Tayshaun Prince for 87th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s second free throw moved him past Pau Gasol for 62nd on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his fifth moving him past Hal Greer for 61st.
– Butler’s first steal moved him past Ben Wallace and Robert Parish for 56th on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his second moving him past Reggie Miller for 55th.
– Butler’s second block moved him past Josh Richardson for 15th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Tucker’s first 3-pointer moved him past Bryon Russell for 61st on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Strus’ first 3-pointer tied Luol Deng for 25th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Lowry’s third assist moved him past Paul Pierce for 47th on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his sixth assist moving him past Shaquille O’Neal for 46th.
– Herro’s second defensive rebound moved him past Eddie Jones for 12th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Herro’s fifth rebound moved him past James Posey for 17th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra going in, “We are capable of being better offensively. We have to do it with more intention, with more force and attention to detail, and they have some things that they’re going to try to take away. Again, who’s going to make who blink.”
– Both coaches addressed the chess match of the playoffs.
– “This is what the playoffs are about,” Spoelstra said. “It’s who can get to who. So there’s contrasting styles in this series, and it’s probably what makes it interesting to the basketball fans out there.”
– Said 76ers coach Doc Rivers, “Obviously, I think you build your team all year. A great coach told me once, ‘You’re building your chess board during the season.’ By the time the playoffs start, they’re already in place. Now you have to move them around.”
– Rivers said he is sure that Joel Embiid has not taken his last hard lick in the playoffs, having recovered from his blow to the face in the first round.
– “I got a feeling the playoffs are going to be a lot of hitting, going by what I’m watching,” he said of the league-wide physicality of this postseason. “He’s really weathering the storm and getting through stuff.”
– Rivers said an advantage of having Embiid back was forcing Adebayo to make his catches farther from the paint.
– “One of the things Miami does a great of, they get it to Bam,” Rivers said. “Bam is one of the better passers in the league. I don’t think he gets enough credit for that. And Jo got up and forced him out higher. Just with Jo’s size and quickness that helps.”
– Rivers said that in the absence of Dedmon he wasn’t going to allow Heat small ball to impact his approach with Embiid, “We don’t worry who Joel plays against. We want him on the floor as many minutes as he can be on the floor.”
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