The Sixers want to play more organized and handle the Heat’s pressure better in Game 2
Coach Doc Rivers, who said his team played "random" in Game 1, wants to see smoother offense and more resiliency from his ballhandlers.
MIAMI — Doc Rivers wants the 76ers to play less “random” in Game 2 against the Miami Heat.
The coach substituted the word “random” for “disorganized.” He believes a lack of continuity resulted in the Heat taking the Sixers out of their offensive sets and forced them to run plays improperly in Monday’s 106-92 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Rivers said the Sixers’ biggest adjustment for Game 2, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. at FTX Arena, needs to be “taking care of the darn ball” after their 15 turnovers led to 22 points for Miami.
“Again, but that’s being organized,” he said. “Being in the right spots, running your offense correctly. What’s disappointing is we anticipated [it]. We were supposed to be in those spots. And to get into the game and let that pressure take us out of that, that was really, at least for me, not disheartening but really troubling.”
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The Sixers also have to improve their rebounding.
They were outrebounded, 47-37, including a 15-9 edge on offensive boards in Game 1. Several of those offensive rebounds were the result of the Sixers missing boxouts. Miami had three straight offensive boards on one possession midway through the third quarter.
The Heat also solved the Sixers’ zone defense in the second half. But poor shooting, especially from the perimeter, was their biggest Achilles heel.
With Joel Embiid sidelined due to an orbital fracture near the right eye and a concussion, the Sixers must rely on James Harden’s playmaking and team three-point shooting. And both were off Monday night. Harden struggled and the Sixers shot only 6-for-34 from behind the stripe.
Rivers wasn’t happy with the shot attempts even though a lot of them were wide-open.
“I thought a lot of our looks were rushed,” Rivers said. “I said that [Monday] night. I like them even less today.”
For Rivers, Game 1 was a great example of why coaches love analytics but go crazy when the media utilize them.
“Sometimes it’s such a liar,” he said. “Analytically, it’s going to say we had great looks. Everyone in that room knows those were not great looks. But it still will say we had great looks. So you just go by that. You are wrong, but you think you are right.”
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The Sixers have to find a way to get Harden on track.
He has reputation of being one of the league’s all-time elite scorers. However, he wasn’t a factor in Game 1. Harden scored 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting, including going 2-for-7 on three-pointers, to go withrebounds, five assists, and five turnovers.
Harden was held to four points after intermission on 1-for-4 shooting when the Heat became more physical with him.
“We didn’t handle their pressure very well,” Rivers said. “I thought we should have, and we just didn’t. I think that’s an adjustment we can make.
“If we do that, I think James will end up taking more shots. But again, I don’t get caught up in this numbers thing. ‘He takes 19 shots!’ To me, it’s a good way of explaining the game, but not really a way of understanding a game.”
The Sixers had some success with their small-ball lineup featuring Tobias Harris at center. Utilizing that lineup could create space by spreading the floor. And from there, Harden or Tyrese Maxey could create for themselves or others. On defense, they could go back to their zone with the small lineup.
But the Sixers are aware that they must hit shots. They also intend to attack the Heat’s smaller guards, who will be without star point guard Kyle Lowry as he remains sidelined with a strained left hamstring. The Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova product has been out since suffering the injury on April 22 in Game 3 of the Heat’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
“Making them switch and then getting downhill and just being aggressive,” Harris said. “Letting our defense fuel our offense. Push the pace. That’s something we can go to the next game if it’s there.”