DeAndre Jordan of the Philadelphia 76ers has appeared in many playoff games throughout his career.
For many of those games, he has found some great success and has been a pivotal part of his team.
However, in a huge Game 1 against the Miami Heat on Monday night, Jordan wasn’t producing much of anything.
He put up 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
All in all, it wasn’t a pretty night for him.
Doc Rivers: “We like DJ. We’re gonna keep starting him whether you like it or not.” #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 3, 2022
However, head coach Doc Rivers has no plans to change the lineup.
Following the painful 106-92 loss, Rivers told the press: “We like DJ. We’re gonna keep starting him whether you like it or not.”
Rivers is currently in a tough situation because he’s lacking his biggest star but he risks upsetting all of Philadelphia if he doesn’t make some alterations for Game 2.
Tough Loss
The 76ers are currently without their biggest star, Joel Embiid.
Embiid is recovering from a head injury and may be back for Game 3 or 4.
Until then, bigger players such as Jordan need to step up.
Make no mistake: Jordan wasn’t the original choice to start in Game 1 – he was attempting to fill the void left by Embiid.
That’s a huge task on any night but he really didn’t even come close to doing what he needs to.
There is a lot on the line for Philly with this series.
The team made a major trade in the mid-season when it acquired James Harden for Ben Simmons – that was a move that was supposed to improve their playoff chances.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that Rivers’ job is on the line: he could be fired if things don’t go well.
It isn’t easy being as good as Embiid and Jordan’s Monday night performance proved that.
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