The Philadelphia 76ers are getting worked by the Miami Heat.
Miami made it look easy against Philadelphia on Wednesday night, winning Game 2, 119-103.
This means that Miami is up 2-0 and it also means that the 76ers are in serious trouble.
The team is struggling without Joel Embiid, who is possibly coming back in the next game.
What are the main issues with the squad right now and why are they having such a hard time?
“Shotmaking. It’s pretty simple. When it comes down to it, you’ve got to make shots. Especially on the road. It’s pretty simple. We had numerous chances”
-James Harden on @NBCSPhilly
Sixers 8-30 from 3 – 26.7%
Heat 14-29 from 3 – 48.3% pic.twitter.com/0MUg87wX9b— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 5, 2022
James Harden has an idea of what’s gone wrong.
“Shotmaking,” Harden said plainly after the game.
“It’s pretty simple. When it comes down to it, you’ve got to make shots. Especially on the road. It’s pretty simple. We had numerous chances,” Harden added.
He’s not wrong: shotmaking is very important and, quite frankly, Philly has been terrible at it.
Missing Shots
The 76ers went 8-of-30 from the three-point line against the Heat.
Meanwhile, Miami was 14-of-29.
That’s 26.7% versus 48.3% and you don’t have to be a mathematician to see the advantage Miami has.
While Philadelphia’s defense has been porous as well, their shooting from deep has been rough, to say the least.
This is troubling because Harden is supposed to be the team’s sharpshooter.
So far, his shots have been decidedly not sharp.
Harden has scored fewer than 20 points in the last five games and his three-point percentage has been just 29%.
Watching the game on Wednesday, he had multiple major misses and only sank one of his five three-point attempts.
If the 76ers are hoping to make it through this round, this sort of work simply will not work.
The 76ers are having a lot of problems right now but they’re not going anywhere without improving their shooting.
NEXT: Should The 76ers Trade James Harden This Offseason?