MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers entered South Florida for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday shorthanded. Of course, when a team is missing a player the caliber of Joel Embiid, there is no way to truly make up for that.
The Miami Heat led by as many as 21 points on Monday and the Sixers were not able to find any type of offensive rhythm in a 106-92 loss to the Heat. Philadelphia shot a miserable 6-for-34 from deep as they were just not able to knock down any open looks.
The Sixers had to get very creative with their lineups and while they started DeAndre Jordan, they turned to Paul Reed a lot as well. The second-year big man had four points and nine rebounds in 13:03, but he felt like he saw some positives in this one.
“We can definitely beat this team,” said Reed. “I think if we go out there, be more physical than them, and play more aggressive and keep them on their heels, they’re gonna fold. We seen that happen in the second quarter and a little bit in the first. I think there’s one thing we realize playing this team.”
To Reed’s point, the Sixers did trail by 14 in the first half before rallying to take a 51-50 lead heading into halftime. They then took a 5-point lead in the third quarter before the Heat turned it on and there wasn’t much that the Sixers could do to respond.
“We have the offense, that’s not the problem,” Reed added. “I think the only thing we have to worry about is locking them down every possession and getting out in transition. Once we do that, they can’t stop us.”
Game 2 is on Wednesday in Miami.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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