MY ACCOUNT
On a night where star Jimmy Butler did not have his best showing, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise for his supporting cast in their 106-92 Game 1 win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Butler finished five-of-16 from the field for his 15 points, and did not play at all in the fourth quarter as the Heat extended their lead without him.
Young duo Bam Adebayo (24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists) and Tyler Herro (25 points and seven assists) picked up the slack, while P.J. Tucker grinded out 29 tough minutes for 10 points and seven rebounds while spending long stretches on Philadelphia’s James Harden.
Speaking with post-game media, Spoelstra said he was not shaken by the 76ers leading at half-time, and he knew Herro’s next big performance was just around the corner.
“First of all, 48-minute games are long, and they’re a very good team, even without Embiid,” he said. “You get a double-digit lead in this league, and in the playoffs, they can disappear like that.
“I think it was just a matter of time before [Herro] was going to get into his rhythm. He’s a great player, and he’s so skilled.
“It is just a matter of time, and sometimes you miss shots, [but] I thought in the Atlanta series he was playing good basketball. He just wasn’t making some of the shots we’re used to seeing him make, then everyone jumps to conclusions about that – but he was playing winning basketball.
“The plays in between – they weren’t necessarily play-calls – but it was the plays in between that he was able to be super efficient in. He’s a big-time ‘X-factor’ for us offensively when he’s in that rhythm.”
Spoelstra then shifted his attention to his starting big-men.
“Those inspiring offensive rebounds, and extra possessions, and extra efforts kind of ignited the whole team,” he said. “That was P.J. [Tucker] and Bam [Adebayo] – both of those guys were terrific.
“Defensively we really picked up the intensity, but we did it with a bit more thought and discipline.
“On both ends of the court, [Adebayo] was so critical. In that second half, whether it was zone or man [defence], he was able to find those open gaps in the paint.
“It wasn’t as if we were running specific plays for him, it was just his activity, and his relentlessness, and his assertiveness. Our guys were finding him in the paint, and when the ball was up there he was going after it.
“You can’t put an analytic to it – I literally don’t know what [Tucker’s] stats were – but he has those momentum-shifting plays. These timely, winning plays – and he has a way of doing things that just inspires your whole team.
“[Tucker] was tremendous on both ends of the court, and that’s what winning basketball is meant to look like. He’s our best communicator… and he’s such an underrated, high-IQ offensive player.”
The Heat looked to figure out their opponents in the second half, outscoring the 76ers 56-41 over the last two quarters, but Spoelstra said he knows there is a long series ahead, with plenty of adjustments coming from both sides.
“Doc [Rivers] is a great coach, a brilliant mind,” he said. “He’ll come up with something, and we’ll try to make our adjustments.
“Even without Embiid, they have some great firepower. Harden creates a lot of things you have to be ultra on-edge about, Maxey has just continued to improve, and Harris was killing us tonight.”
