Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has refused to back away from his decision to play veteran big man DeAndre Jordan extended minutes against the Miami Heat.
Despite not logging a single minute during the first-round series against Toronto, Jordan was not only picked in the Sixers’ starting line-up in the absence of All-Star big man Joel Embiid, but logged 17 minutes in which his side was outscored by a whopping 22 points.
Jordan’s disastrous minutes proved to be the difference for the Sixers as Tyler Herro exploded for 25 points to give the Heat a comfortable 106-92 game one win.
READ MORE: Greg Norman confirms PGA Tour’s worst nightmare
READ MORE: ‘Complete garbage’ that NRL must stamp out
READ MORE: Veteran in firing line amid Bombers’ struggles
Following the 76ers’ loss, Rivers was questioned for his decision to play Jordan, an ageing veteran, and said the experiment would continue despite the sub-optimal results.
“We like DJ (Jordan). We’re gonna keep starting him whether you like it or not,” a defiant Rivers told reporters.
The veteran coach’s decision left fans in disbelief due to all available numbers suggesting the Sixers would be better served to play back-up big man Paul Reed instead.
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1521309040311107584https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1521301370711597056https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1521306349933514753https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1521302122155094016
The 76ers were without Embiid, the MVP finalist who isn’t even in Miami while recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion – injuries suffered in Philadelphia’s first-round-clinching win at Toronto. He’s not expected to play in game two.
And as would be expected, he was missed. Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which got 19 from Tyrese Maxey and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
Miami came out as aggressive as could be, putting rugged defender P.J. Tucker on Harden and having him guard him the entire length of the court in a similar approach to what the Heat utilised against Atlanta’s Trae Young in the first round series.
It worked – for a while. Miami led by as many as 12 in the opening quarter, then a 10-2 run fuelled by eight points from Herro gave the Heat a 13-point edge at 37-24 to mark their biggest of the half. The margin was still 46-36 midway through the second after another Herro basket.
The rest of the first half was all Philly. Miami went 1-of-9 from the field over the final six minutes of the half, with four turnovers in there as well, and Philadelphia went on a 15-4 spurt. Harden’s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left put the 76ers up 51-50, their first lead of the night and the score that they took into the locker room.
The 76ers scored the first four points of the second half, going up by five. That was as good as it got for the 76ers.
Adebayo took a bullet pass from Tucker for a dunk that put Miami up 62-61, and that would be the final lead change of the night. It was the start of a 10-0 run that built a cushion, and then an 13-2 run early in the fourth decided matters and pushed the Heat edge out to 98-77.
Game two of the best-of-seven series will once again be played in Miami on Thursday morning AEST.