The second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs has produced two great comebacks already. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat, the No. 1 seeds in the Western and Eastern Conference, opened up 2-0 leads, winning Games 1 and 2 at home with relative ease.
The Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks with some of the best postseason shooting performances we have ever seen. They won Game 1 121-114, but it wasn’t anywhere as close as the score would indicate as Phoenix led by as many as 21 points and never trailed. In Game 2, it was even more lopsided as the Suns won 129-109, leading by as many as 27.
While not as efficient offensively, the Miami Heat were nearly as dominant in the first two games against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat won Game 1 106-92 and Game 2 119-103. The 76ers just had no answers on either side of the court as they were playing without Joel Embiid.
But, the tables were turned when the series went to Dallas and Philadelphia. Both the Mavericks and 76ers have now won two in a row to even up their series at two wins apiece.
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Dallas finally got their defense figured out, winning Game 1 103-94. Game 2 was similar, as the Phoenix Suns won 111-101, a game in which the Mavericks led at halftime, 68-56.
Philadelphia got Embiid back in the lineup and looked like a totally different team. They won Game 3 by a score of 99-79. There was more offense in Game 4, but the 76ers were victorious again, winning 116-108.
The series is now heading back to the home courts of the No. 1 seeds, but all of the momentum is now going against them. The Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers are riding high after strong performances at home. A fair question to be asked now is, which top seed is more at risk of being eliminated?
Some similar factors contribute to both teams being worried. Having the homecourt is certainly advantageous, as both series look like they could very well go seven games. Out of the two teams, it is the Heat that is at more of a risk of being eliminated.
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Getting Embiid back is the key as to why the Heat has a higher risk than the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix had some bad luck when it came to foul trouble in Game 4, as some ticky-tack calls didn’t go their way. If that is what it is going to take to lose games, they should be able to overcome the Dallas Mavericks, especially with home-court advantage.
Miami isn’t getting the kind of production that they were hoping they would from Kyle Lowry, who has battled injuries in the postseason. He has not played well at all in five games, averaging 6.2 points with 5.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.
That kind of production isn’t going to get it done, especially when his replacement, Gabe Vincent, actually performed worse in PER. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are the only players with a PER above average in the postseason.
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While the Miami Heat is scuffling, the Philadelphia 76ers look to be rounding into form and gaining confidence. Getting Embiid back in the lineup is huge. His impact was on full display in Games 3 and 4, as he is integral to their success on offense and defense. As long as he is in the lineup, they have a chance every night they step on the court.
We may also be witnessing the resurrection of James Harden. He was showing a few glimpses of turning things around without Embiid on the court, attacking the basket a little more. It culminated in a vintage Harden performance, as he scored 31 points with nine assists and seven rebounds in Game 4 to help tie the series up.
If Harden is going to start producing at that clip, the Heat are going to be in trouble. Philadelphia has received strong contributions from Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris throughout the postseason. If they can settle into third and fourth roles with Harden elevating to a 1B behind Embiid’s 1A, Philadelphia will have something cooking.
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Embiid’s presence, even at less than 100 percent, gives his teammates confidence and puts everyone back into roles they are comfortable in. They are a dangerous team if they are clicking on all cylinders as they were close to doing in Games 3 and 4, putting the Miami Heat on notice.
