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2023-24 Play-In Game Thread: Sixers vs. Heat – “Who Will the Knicks Play?” Opener, which is not a thing

The Sixers host the Heat in the first play-in game to see who plays the Knicks.

I’m not going to risk rooting for a specific result.

165 replies on “2023-24 Play-In Game Thread: Sixers vs. Heat – “Who Will the Knicks Play?” Opener, which is not a thing”

What a crappy 1st quarter by both teams. Love it! Hope it goes three OTs.

i know these are two good defenses but i don’t think what i’m watching here is about good defense

Are you all really so scared of those two teams?

The Philly fans are booing them already, holy shit lol

Embiid also in playoff form already, 2/7 from the field with Kevin Love guarding him for long stretches.

Miami is playing like an experienced team and their defense is outstanding. The Sixers cannot make their outside shots, cannot beat the Miami zone, and, most stunningly, Embiid is once again a playoff no-show.

There are still two quarters to go, but for now things don’t look good at all for the home team.

Watching the west games yesterday and then watching this crap is really something…

Miami hustle (and zone) seems to have neutralized Philly. I would think that bodes well for Knicks if Philly can pull out a win. Also, Embiid looks like crap. And I love that they are being booed!

Things can certainly change but that first half was brutal for the “we should’ve tanked to avoid one of these two juggernauts” line of thinking

Embiid falling to his knees after a FT attempt was probably a bad sign for Philly

“Embiid averaged 30/10/5 since he came back Hubert, what are you talking about”

Embiid falling to his knees after a FT attempt was probably a bad sign for Philly

Both Embiid and Maxey made the sign to switch play right after it happened, which for a second made me think Embiid was asking to be substituted, because it was such a weird fall.

Edit: Nurse might still play him 40 minutes. He played 18 in the first, and I’d think he’ll keep him there longer in the second if the game is close?

Edit: Maxey played Josh Hart minutes too.

To be fair, the Philly fans have mostly been booing Tobias Harris. Still, they live up to the rep.

Bruno Almeidasays:
April 17, 2024 at 20:06
Embiid also in playoff form already, 2/7 from the field with Kevin Love guarding him for long stretches.

I want it noted for the record that I am a fervent Bruno enjoyer

We need these bums to have one good half of basketball now otherwise Boston’s going to get our patsy.

I want it noted for the record that I am a fervent Bruno enjoyer

Well I’m honored!

Meanwhile Herro is trying his best to out-brick Embiid, let’s see who wins this literal crapshoot.

Doris just said Embiid is so out of shape he had his hands on his knees after warmups.

I think they’re mostly booing Tobias and the refs… there were 40 dollar tickets for what’s technically a playoff game so the Boo Birds are basically getting their money’s worth.

no player has come close to making as many futile goaltending gestures after getting blocked as kelly oubre

The periodic booing is sort of understandable, especially for Harris, but like the Sixers cut it to single digits and the crowd didn’t respond at all, the garden would be hyped.

There’s a really weird call and response happening where whenever the Jumbotron has anyone on screen except this kinda funny looking balding middle aged white guy the crowd boos and then they cut back to him and they cheer. Like even booing the kids

They just finally broke it by cutting to this very charismatic guy with Downs Syndrome it was surreal to hear that many people swallow a boo.

Tyler Herro is dogshit (I fully expect him to shoot 60% from the field if the Heat face us)

Butler has done so much foul baiting this game I’m glad refs are not calling it. But bet they call it if they play the Knicks

I have no expectation that either team would play this poorly against the Knicks.

Definitely rooting for Philly to pull this game out cause no chance in hell they’re winning a 7 game series vs the Knicks with this version of Embiid.

Since Maxey has already played 34 min, do we expect him to go 1-7 in the fourth?

There’s a headline in a Fox News article that reads: ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ nova explosion will be visible to the naked eye this year.’ I’m hoping they’re talking about the Knicks.

I am rooting for the Heat. Philly is clearly not ready for playoff intensity and is much softer than Miami but the talent differential is huge. I think we are both better than Miami and can match their intensity and physicality. They don’t scare me at all.

Philly however is a lot more talented so if they can stay healthy and put it together they are much scarier.

Remember when Heat fans were adamant that Tyler Herro was a good return for the Blazers in a Lillard trade?

herro being 4-18 with 4 tov makes missing rozier and robinson really stand out

What terrible defense by Love. That was rough. Just lost his man completely. It felt like he was expecting a timeout or something.

iHart and Mitch are going to have a field day on the offensive boards vs Philly.

spoelstra uses his challenges less than any coach in the league and it’s a legit flaw

Embiid gets a great whistle though so I am worried about fouls. If IHart gets into foul trouble and Mitch has a minutes cap it could get ugly. Plus stretch 5s give us trouble and Embiid can stretch the floor.

iHart and Mitch are going to have a field day on the offensive boards vs Philly.

Yup

I will say gonna be interesting to see who OG would cover on Philly cause don’t think you put him on Maxey for majority of the game.

Sixers playoff losses have to be as painful as possible so don’t count out the Heat just yet.

Definitely rooting for MIA especially with some Jimmy injury equity. They pretty much seem to only score by accident

I think we match up well against Miami. Now that we have OG we have the perfect person to guard Butler. I think we are actually much better equipped against them this year. I think we beat them in 5.

I think we beat Philly as well but they have so many more ways to beat you that while I could see us winning easily I could also see us losing badly. Once they start rolling I think we can’t stop them so we just have to hope to keep them out of rhythm and be very physical with Embiid because he is soft. Hopefully the refs won’t get in the way.

Man Philly fans don’t like Tobias Harris. I mean, I don’t either, but I’m not sure I’d unrelentingly boo him during a playoff game.

This Batum game is the shit that the Heat will inflict on others, so I’m glad they are experiencing it.

The are Heat missing two key guys, Butler’s playing like shit, and they’re up 1 on the road in a single elimination game against the team everyone was scared to play.

I absolutely do not want to play the Miami Heat.

if the Heat play this zone against the Celtics they’re getting swept with a -30 point differential every game.

I’m shocked at how uninvolved offensively Maxey has been down the stretch.

Is the theory that Embiid’s knees will get better the more he plays or the opposite?

He is so bad. I think his injury last year might have helped them in the playoffs.

This is not 11 BPM Embiid and this is not a team we should have tanked to avoid

Z-mansays:
April 17, 2024 at 21:18
Pick your poisson…

DDB can’t even complain about this, at first I thought you were talking distributions

They are really swallowing the whistle, there were like two tackles on that inbounds

Batum and Lowry are gonna annoy the shit out me for the next couple of weeks.

Definitely rooting for Philly to pull this game out cause no chance in hell they’re winning a 7 game series vs the Knicks with this version of Embiid.

Exactly! Batum won the game for them tonight. Oubre played well. Embiid looked like he was sleep walking. Definitely not healthy. Half of his offense was off free throws and he could not move at all on defense. I’ll take this version of Philly every day of the week.

I’ll take Philly winning on a fluke Batum monster night. They are unlikely to do that repeatedly against us in a series. And maybe Miami’s doggedness will wear Boston for us if we get to the ECF.

Yeah I’m much more confident now than I was before this game, both teams played bad basketball and Philly really only won because of this random Batum explosion and the Heat shooting terribly.

I see absolutely no reason to be scared of this Sixers team.

Herro had Batum in the air to try the 4-pt play and dribbles around as if there’s plenty of time on the clock.

I would not assume the Heat will beat either ATL or CHI. I’m guessing Atlanta will win this game, probably because the Bulls are still tired from losing to us in OT in a game that meant nothing to them.

The Celts just keep on lucking out!

I think I-Hart could have a pretty huge passing series with all the Knicks cutters. There will be plenty of space, and Embiid will not be able to cover it.

The Knicks will need to hit their 3s, though.

After my in depth scouting expedition I concur knicks in 4. I’m glad I’ll be here to see the completion of the sweep.

The reason to fear Philly is that they have an elite superstar 10+ BPM player, and that can be the difference in a 7-game series. But Embiid right now is not that player. He’s moving like a mummy and his conditioning looks poor.

Tip of the hat here to whoever said that they didn’t want Embiid in our consolidation trade because he breaks down in the playoffs, I believe Z-Man was one of the main voices saying this. Embiid clearly does not look like he can carry a team on his back right now.

I would not assume the Heat will beat either ATL or CHI. I’m guessing Atlanta will win this game, probably because the Bulls are still tired from losing to us in OT in a game that meant nothing to them.

Why on earth would professional athletes be tired with 72 hours between games? They might lose but fatigue as a factor?

If the Heat don’t get Robinson and Terry back the Bulls defense can probably bother them enough to win because that team couldn’t score against a team with a center who couldn’t move

As far as bad teams go, I think the Bulls are pretty good, so I expect them to win today. I don’t know if they can beat the Heat but I wouldn’t be surprised with Butler clearly leaving this game injured. Unless he miraculously recovers the Heat could just be out.

now that the sixers followed through with the win – it looks like there’s a good chance for the hawks to upset the bulls…

trae looks better with the beard…

Philly needing a Batum game to eek one out was not on my Bingo card. Shocked how uninvolved Maxey was down the stretch but I think we should do the same to limit their offense. Knicks should also definitely sprinkle in the zone like the Heat did today as Philly looked so bad against it.

This is disappointing.

Miami gave the game away. A bad game for the most part from Embiid and they still couldn’t capitalize.

Embiid looked slow and hurt but it is worrying that he looked better as the game went on. This feels like the game where he puts it together and then goes on a tear. Eventually, Embiid is going to have a healthy run in the playoffs, he is too good not to put it together for at least one run. I really hope it’s not this year.

Miami is trash. They kept it close through sheer will but it was clear they were very outmatched. If they make it to Boston they will absolutely get smoked. Either a sweep or a not close at all 5 game series. I think Miami is by far the worst team in the playoffs other than Atlanta and Chicago, who barely count. Chicago might even be better.

Fuck Trae Young. Bulls are gritty and relentless as we saw last weekend. I want to see them win b/c a final playin with Miami (similarly gritty & relentless) will be great to watch. And either one could help wear down Boston.

This feels like the game where he puts it together and then goes on a tear.

No it doesn’t

Yeah somehow I’m skeptical that playing a grueling playoff series against a physical opponent (us) is going to rejuvenate noted playoff underwhelmer Joel Embiid.

“This feels like the game where he puts it together and then goes on a tear.”

Looks more ready to call it a year than to go on a tear. I am not sure he can make it through the Knicks series.

Bring help defense only close to the basket. No doubles. He is in bad shape. Just body him up and bother him on defense but without reaching in. It’s amazing how easily he gets the calls. Plus, we have to go at him on offense and exhaust him. He has no conditioning.

No it doesn’t

You all might be right, I’m probably overreacting. He does look banged up but he is going to have a brilliant playoff run at some point in his career. Players of his caliber always put it together at least once. I’m hoping it’s not this year but we get a very bad whistle and he gets a very good one so we will not be able to get physical with him. And if IHart or Mitch have to worry about fouls it could get ugly.

I can’t stand Embiid and hope we never even pursue him. I would be sick if we traded for him but he might be the best player in the NBA when he is 100%. If he fully makes it back before this series is over we could be in real trouble.

I think it is simple, the series is a cakewalk if he can’t get healthy and a nightmare if he can.

“Tip of the hat here to whoever said that they didn’t want Embiid in our consolidation trade because he breaks down in the playoffs, I believe Z-Man was one of the main voices saying this. Embiid clearly does not look like he can carry a team on his back right now.”

To be honest, it was more about trading everything but the kitchen sink for his gimpy 30+yo self to secure the two guaranteed years left on his contract and hoping to build around him with nothing left to build with. I saw that as an extremely high risk proposition, but met a lot of resistance.

The thing is, Embiid might be best served to just stay put and let Morey work some magic. There was some discussion of this being somewhat of a gap year, but credit Morey for putting a reasonably talented and deep team around him. My sense is that they are going to be a very good team next year.

I think the “we’re gonna sweep” stuff is pretty brash. Even at 80%, Embiid has to be reckoned with, and Maxey is a blur. Then you have lots of 3pt shooting and length in Oubre, Hield, Batum and Harris, a bruiser in Reed, and a pain (npi) of a backup guard tandem in Lowry and Payne. Nurse is a hell of a coach, probably on Thibs’ level. I like out chances but think this will be a tough series.

One thing that might work in out favor is that we might have 7 home games.

“Why on earth would professional athletes be tired with 72 hours between games? They might lose but fatigue as a factor?”

I was kidding, Bob. Try to keep up! 🙂

Yeah I don’t think we’re going to blow them off the floor, and think this should be a competitive series. But with Embiid not at 100% they’re not so much tougher than any other opponent we might have faced in the first round. This is not some disastrously unfavorable matchup.

The Heat had no shooting. Tyler Herro missed so many open shots. And their offense is not particularly fluid. The shots will be there for the Knicks, it’s just a question of whether they will make them. It’s really hard to guard an offense with 3 or possibly 4 good 3pt shooters when your center can’t move.

I don’t underestimate Philly – I think Maxey will be a major problem and they can grind out games too. But if Embiid doesn’t get more mobile, I don’t see how their defense holds up.

“Yeah I don’t think we’re going to blow them off the floor, and think this should be a competitive series. But with Embiid not at 100% they’re not so much tougher than any other opponent we might have faced in the first round. This is not some disastrously unfavorable matchup.”

I wonder if anyone has revised their opinion on whether they would prefer to be playing Indiana. AND NO E, I”M NOT TROLLING YOU! FEEL FREE NOT TO ANSWER!

I think it is simple, the series is a cakewalk if he can’t get healthy and a nightmare if he can.

I wouldn’t call this series a piece of cake. Embiid’s mere presence on the floor makes Philly play with confidence. They have talent and can be dangerous. Complacency on our end will be lethal. If we play consistently good defense, which is not what we did the last month of the regular season, then we should easily win the series.

I’ll tell you who scares me — Maxey. If we can keep him to 19 points, on 1-6 from three, like in this game, then we should cake-walk. But the kid could go off for 40 or 50.

But the kid could go off for 40 or 50.

Unlikely to happen with Thibs on our bench, dude!

I see the Hawks didn’t get the memo that teams have to play defense in the postseason. 😉😉😉

My Celtics fan friend said that he really didn’t want to face Miami because even tho he thinks Boston would prevail they’ll batter and bruise the C’s in the process.

So assuming we beat Philly it really is kind of a best case scenario!

So assuming we beat Philly it really is kind of a best case scenario!

Well, talking of best case scenarios. Can you imagine we play the Celts without Porzingis because Dirty Bam did his thing? 😉😉😉

Jimmy Butler talking mcl injury, the winner of this game is probably playing Boston

Miami could still beat either of these teams without Butler.

Of course, Herro would actually have to show up.

Bulls are light years better without Lavine, I wonder if a team like the Warriors would get desperate and trade for him

Jimmy Butler is believed to have suffered an MCL injury during Wednesday’s loss by the Miami Heat to the Phialdelphia 76ers in the Play-In.

Butler will undergo an MRI and could miss an indefinite period of time.

If the Heat win their Play-In game on Friday, they would play the Boston Celtics in the first round.

SHAMS CHARANIA/THE ATHLETIC

Unless you think Chicago is going to give Boston a challenge, they have a clear road to the ECF

just saw the series is currently at even odds (-110) for both us and the sixers…

I hope the knicks win within 5 games, and a bunch of folks bet it…

we really really need to win that game saturday…

I’m enjoying watching the bulls battle, hopefully they move past the heat, who I have no love for at all…send them home…

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