The suddenly 1-3 Philadelphia 76ers face the Miami Heat to close out preseason. Here are 5 keys to watch for in that game
Breathe it all in Philadelphia. That feeling of optimism so many had lost track of as the Philadelphia 76ers stumbled through a winless three games of preseason. Three games of trial and error, observing which roster combinations work, and which roster combinations simply do not. In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers run best whenever Joel Embiid is on the floor.
Thankfully, Joel Embiid did find the basketball court in game four to face the Brooklyn Nets. The results? The Philadelphia 76ers were a team possessed. The team had averaged giving up 111 points per game, while scoring only 96 points per game.
Embiid is Optimus Prime
That all changed against the much-improved Brooklyn Nets. The team outscored its average by midway through the third quarter. While the team did give up slightly more points than the average, the majority of those points fell after the team had the game clearly in hand. As head coach Brett Brown emptied the bench to ensure everyone got a chance to play, the Brooklyn Nets offense finally sprang to life.
So that is where we are. But what about what to look for in game five? Here are five keys to the Miami Heat game
I. Watch how the 76ers rotate the backcourt.
II. Look for more Ben Simmons/ Dario Saric pairings.
III. Watch those wings!
IV. Brown showed his offense, look for defense standouts in game five.
V. Will Markelle Fultz play?
So let’s start the discussion