The Philadelphia 76ers were desperate and home Thursday night, must-win in the literal sense, the great James Harden in hero mode and wounded superstar Joel Embiid in a black mask. He’d said “What do I have to do?” this week when passed over, again, for the NBA’s MVP award.
The shortest answer might be: Lead Philly to a championship.
The Miami Heat said no.
Miami took Game 6 on the road and did it with force, 99-90, for a 4-2 triumph in this Eastern Conference semifinal series, and the Heat now await the survivor of the Milwaukee-Boston series in the next round.
Credit Sixers coach Doc Rivers for plainspeak after the loss: “I came to the conclusion at the end of the game ,” he said, “that we were just not good enough to beat Miami.”
Look ahead in a minute, Heat fans. For now, appreciate this.
This franchise has given you Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and the Heat Culture embodied in Udonis Haslem‘s heart and scowl. It has given you Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra and three championship parades down Biscayne Boulevard.
Now it has given you Jimmy Butler, who in this postseason has certifiably verified to any few doubters left that he belongs in the upper echelon when Heat legend and lore are discussed.
Butler scored 32 Thursday in yet another terrific playoff performance, then waved bye-bye to the Philadelphia fans, whose team traded Butler in favor of Ben Simmons (who, um, didn’t quite work out).
“C’mon, double-double!” Butler called to teammate Max Strus, who replaced him in the postgame interview room.
Strus tossed in 20 points and had his second straight double-double — the only two of his career.
What’s that like?
“I don’t know how to answer that, it’s still new to me,” he said, calling it, “One of the biggest moments not only in my career, but in my life.”
Do not take what just happened for granted.
In its 34th NBA season Miami has now reached the Eastern finals for the ninth time. From the first eight have come six trips to the NBA Finals and those three titles.
This is when you know you are close.
“This is why I came to the Heat,” said P.J. Tucker.
The first-round advance past Atlanta was expected, almost perfunctory.
Getting past Philadelphia, especially with Embiid out the first two games, was no surprise by a Heat team seeded No. 1.
Now it gets real.
Now a chance at a championship seems less a dream than it does something you can see.
Next will be either the rival Celtics or the reigning champion Bucks, who eliminated Miami in a sweep in last season’s first round. Plenty of drama no matter how that shakes out — and a fair chance top-seeded Miami would be a series underdog against either.
The Eastern finals will commence on Sunday or Tuesday, depending on whether the remaining semifinals finish in six games or seven.
Then would come the Finals against, who, Phoenix? Golden State? Underdog stuff again.
Nobody said it would be easy.
But look ahead in a minute.
Appreciate the ‘now’ first.
Because everything, all possibility to come of this season, came into play Thursday night in Philly.
With starting point guard Kyle Lowry again sidelined injured, with a one-game cushion and the safety net of a home game waiting if needed, it was Miami that played hungry and desperate.
The Heat got 32 on yet another big, clutch night from Butler and got a timely 20 from sparkplug Max Strus. The undrafted Strus has had the first two double-doubles of his career in the past two games. This wasn’t about scoring, though. Miami shot only 7 for 28 on 3s (four of them by Strus).
This was about defense. The rugged, thankless stuff. The end of the court from whence the Heat DNA begin.
With Bam Adebayo’s work on Embiid at the forefront, Miami limited Philly to 42% shooting. Embiid was 7 for 24 and could hardly sniff the rim. Harden had a whispering 11 points.
If defense-wins-championships applies to the NBA, do not count out Miami.
Now, Heat fans get not only to look ahead but to avoid the simultaneous dread and delight in those two words, the most anticipated and feared two words in sports:
Game 7.
It would have been back in the 3-0-5 on Sunday.
South Florida might still get one of those.
The Florida Panthers are in the same spot Friday night as the Heat were Thursday — up 3-2 but on the road. The Cats must find a way to close it out in a Game 6 in Washington or come home to the terrifying magic of a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.
They are rare treats, those. The Heat, Panthers and Miami Marlins in their shared history have combined to play in 14 Game 7s, 10 of them at home. The last was by the Heat on May 1, 2016.
That’s 10 home Game 7s in 94 combined seasons by the three teams. What the Panthers still might have. What the Heat just escaped facing.
They are the absolute pinnacle of sports drama, stakes and pressure, Game 7s. They also are things you’d sincerely rather avoid.
The Heat just did that.
On the road.
Against a desperate home team playing for its season’s life.
I’d say the wins don’t get much bigger.
Except the Miami Heat now have eight more ahead of them that are.
