“Bam Adebayo is a terrific player but he’s only like 6’7” - Charles Barkley questions Miami Heat's mettle in absence of 5x All-Star who could have exploited their weakness in the Round 2 matchup
Inside The NBA analyst Charles Barkley questioned the Miami Heat's mettle in the absence of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in their round-two matchup. Barkley believes the Heat's biggest weakness is their lack of size. The TNT analyst mentioned that Embiid could have exploited that if available to play against Erick Spoelstra's side.
Here's what Charles Barkley stated regarding this on Inside The NBA (via House Of Highlights):
"The one thing that really sucks is the one weakness they have his size. Bam Adebayo is a terrific player but he's only like 6'7" somewhere like that and he got no chance against Joel. That's the one thing that just really sucks. We can't even get an example of how good the Heat are even though we know they got a good team because we can't exploit their one weakness."
The Philadelphia 76ers do not have a reliable backup option at the five in Joel Embiid's absence. Veteran DeAndre Jordan has lost most of his athleticism and pace at this stage of his career, while Paul Reed isn't experienced enough to absorb the pressure of playing in the postseason.
Meanwhile, James Harden has struggled to lead the team against the Miami Heat in Embiid's absence, managing 36 points across the first two games, shooting at a dismal 39% from the floor and 24% from the arc.
Miami Heat take care of business by successfully protecting homecourt against shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers
The Miami Heat have done a remarkable job of staying focused and playing in a disciplined manner, despite the Philadelphia 76ers missing talisman Joel Embiid. This has helped them protect their homecourt advantage in Games 1 and 2 of the series.
The Heat were efficient on both ends of the floor in Game 2 on Wednesday. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for 45 points on 15 of 26 shooting, while Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo had 18 and 19 points off the bench, respectively. Miami shot 51.3% from the floor, including 14 3-point field goals.
Did what we were supposed to do ☑️
2-0 https://t.co/Pg8grZsLhE
The Miami Heat capitalized on Joel Embiid's absence on the boards again, securing a 44-34 advantage in that department. That led to them bagging 21 points on second-chance opportunities.
As per reports, Joel Embiid is still 'steps away' from returning from injury, so he may not return to play Game 3 for the Philadelphia 76ers. Even if he returns, Embiid could struggle to perform at the MVP-caliber level fans have seen him play this year.
That said, the Miami Heat have a golden opportunity to wrap this series up in four games and make their second Conference Finals appearance in three years.