The Philadelphia 76ers looked primed to make a comeback from 2-0 down to the Miami Heat after crucial wins in Games 3 and 4. However, in the extremely crucial Game 5, the 76ers completely capitulated and fell to a nearly 40-point loss with a scoreline of 85-120.
The 76ers couldn’t really keep up with Miami who remedied their offense instantly after struggling mightily in Game 4. Joel Embiid and James Harden combined for a paltry 31 points, with Embiid still recovering from his injury and Harden struggling to play against the Heat defense.
While people expected Miami to win this series, nobody expected Game 5 to be this one-sided. Fans are equally surprised at how this game was complete domination of the Sixers and now expect the Heat to most definitely be the team winning this series and qualifying for the Conference Finals.
NEEDED THAT.
3-2 lead pic.twitter.com/yI3j65XORj
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 11, 2022
Harden’s back! (To being the other Harden.)
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 11, 2022
. @HardenFinalsMVP James Harden is washed. More like Brick Ross lmao. Heat in 6
— Rim Sports ® (@rimsports) May 10, 2022
charles barkley accusing Embiid of being distracted like there isn't a literal throbbing crack in his skull
— #1 Keith Smith fan (@Mao_ZeDunk) May 11, 2022
Jimmy butler has been the most complete player this whole entire playoffs with all due respect
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) May 11, 2022
Most minutes in the game and had the worst plus/minus.
39% shooting while getting outscored by Hall of Famer Max Strus in a 35 point blowout.
“bUT wAiT I thOuGhT nEtS wON tHe TrADe”
And they still did.
The Harden’s Back parade lasted 1 game, congratulations. pic.twitter.com/5vG2SiaQmP
— 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙗𝙝 ⁶𓅓 (@OVOLakeShow) May 11, 2022
TURN ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/LPdcnqDytE
— DON DRAPER (@osmelvergara) May 11, 2022
Damn heat dumpin on the sixers
— hotpockets (@jconnally7) May 11, 2022
James Harden is so washed, then again his been mediocre when it comes to the playoff anyways….
— yasir said🇸🇴🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@PRINCE_YAZ) May 11, 2022
Not sure I’ve seen a team fail to execute so mightily in a Game 5 in my life
— Coach Derek (@DerekRStein) May 11, 2022
Your #MiamiHeat are in a playoff series against real competition with some the best players in the league doing battle with each other for all the stakes
Stop all your insistent whining!
THIS IS PLAYOFF BASKETBALL THIS SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL ALIVE! #HEATCulture
— Tony Schwartz (@TonySchwartzNBA) May 10, 2022
The Philadelphia 76ers will have a mountain to climb the rest of the series, as they will be required to win both the remaining games. With the flow in which the Heat are playing, it may be incredibly challenging for the 76ers to even take a single game back at this point. This game was not a good look for the 76ers and they need to address their issues ahead of the next game.
The Miami Heat just played with a lot more focus, after they evidently struggled away from their home court. However, they will need to go back to Philadelphia for Game 6, so they need to make sure they keep this energy alive.
All eyes will be on James Harden, as the expectation for him to perform will be even high. Hopefully, he can come up and show why he was so sought after by the 76ers. He led them in Game 4, can he do it again in Game 6? Philly will hope he can.
