The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat by 20 on Thursday to take a 2-1 series lead. It was a tough, physical game, with lots of whistles, elbows, and double techs. There were little momentum swings and moments when things could have gone either way, and most of them went in Philly’s direction.
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It was the kind of gritty postseason win — on the road against a savvy veteran team of play-hard dudes — that makes old heads take notice. If you tuned in to see what the Sixers would do in that kind of situation, you left feeling pretty good about their chances not only in this series, but throughout the rest of the playoffs.
This is happening.
Joel Embiid didn’t even get it going until the second half, and he was still the best player on the floor. The Phantom of the Process seemed to be bothered by that polycarbonate mask and his timing was a little suspect early, but watching him coolly drain three-pointers like he was flicking pebbles into a pond was a reminder that guys like Embiid are playing a different sport. The regular rules don’t apply to him.
Embiid went for 23 points on just 11 shots because he drained those threes, and because he absorbed contact and dished it out. The Heat had enjoyed a nice cushion at the free-throw line during the first two games, an advantage that Embiid helped negate with his 15 attempts.
Defensively, the Sixers are a different team with Embiid patrolling the back line. That allowed Ben Simmons and Robert Covington to overplay the passing lanes and gamble for steals. They came up with seven of them and helped force 15 turnovers.
This was a game that demanded toughness and accountability and Embiid delivered both in his postseason debut ... all while wearing a mask to protect a fractured orbital bone. If he wasn’t a Philly legend before this game, he will be by the time these playoffs are done.
I called Embiid the best player on the floor, because it allows me to say that Ben Simmons was the most important player on the floor. A subjective twist if ever there was one, but a fascinating distinction. Simmons went for 19-12-7 along with four steals and was pretty much everywhere he needed to be.
Both Simmons and Embiid are capable of controlling games on both ends of the floor, but Simmons does so at the point of attack. Through three games, Simmons is averaging 20-10-10 and even that undersells his impact.
This is heady stuff for any player making their postseason debut, let alone a rookie. That he’s doing it against the Heat who are intent on exacting their pound of flesh, as the Heat do, is all the more impressive.
We’re not going to talk about the Process because we’ve talked too damn much about it these last three years. But this is what the Process gives you: a chance to draft great players.
Embiid is a game-changer, a franchise player around whom you attempt to build a contender. Simmons is the perfect counterpoint, a ballhandling big and passing savant who can guard just about everyone.
Either one would make a great starting point. Having both at this point in their careers is almost unfair. (Ergo one of the reasons so many have a problem with the Process, which we are not talking about.)
The Process also gave you Dario Saric, who is quite good, and Markelle Fultz who may be one day. This is not about them. It’s about Embiid and Simmons. The Sixers have two players in their early 20s who are already among the very best in the world. Mercy.
Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova were huge important midseason pickups. We are living in a world where that sentence is true. It’s a strange place.
The Sixers should win this series, and they should do so quickly. They have their superstar back in the lineup, and they have regained homecourt advantage. If they are who we think they are, they will do it in five. That doesn’t mean it will be easy.
It will require winning another game in Miami and if we know anything about Erik Spoelstra’s team, we know it will hit Philly with everything it has in Game 4. Don’t think for a second that the Heat aren’t fully capable of stealing another one and turning this into a seven-game mud pit.
For many reasons, the Sixers can’t let that happen. Frankly, they shouldn’t let that happen. Their learning curve may be steep, but their path is clear. Win this series and get on to the next round, a round that has neither the Raptors nor LeBron James.
Ordinarily we’d be preaching caution about getting too far ahead of things, but the Sixers are no ordinary team. Instead we should all be getting ready because this is really, really happening. The Sixers are here. We’ve all been warned.
