MIAMI — Last year’s success does not dictate this year’s results. The Heat know that.
“The past is the past,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said Tuesday. “Nobody lives off that. What’s done is done. Nobody cares about that, starting tomorrow or starting the beginning of this year. Nobody cares about that, including myself.”
While the Heat (46-36) survived the play-in round last year, that has no bearing on whether Miami’s season will continue past this week. Win Wednesday in Philadelphia, and the Heat get the Knicks in the first round. Drop a game and win Friday, and the Heat face frequent playoff foe Boston. Lose both games, and the season is over.
“We’ve been in a lot of big games before,” center Bam Adebayo said. “We’ve all been experienced, we’ve been to the Finals. We understand what’s at stake.”
Miami will have to play at least one of those games without a key player: Guard Terry Rozier will miss Wednesday’s 7 p.m. game against the 76ers (47-35) due to neck spasms. It will be the fifth straight game the Heat’s midseason acquisition has missed.
The good injury news is that forward Duncan Robinson, who has missed four consecutive games with a back issue called left facet syndrome, is listed as probable. Forward Kevin Love, who played just three minutes against Toronto on Sunday, is listed as available.
Philadelphia also has someone available who has missed time this year: star center Joel Embiid. Embiid has played in just 39 games this season but is back on the court. He missed three of the four matchups between the Heat and 76ers this season.
“It’s a big difference, but you can’t expect it to be easy,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re a good team. We’re a good team. He can score at all three levels and draw fouls, puts a ton of pressure on your defense and then defensively, he does a really good job of protecting the paint, protecting the rim for them. So we have to be intentional.”
Embiid and star point guard Tyrese Maxey will not be the only ones making life difficult for Miami on Wednesday. The 76ers present a challenge for the Heat with “a little bit of everything,” Martin said.
“They have size, they can shoot the ball spread the floor, they’re fast, they’re athletic, they’re a physical team,” Martin said. “Obviously, they have two major stars on their team who can put the ball in the hole at a very high level. It’s going to take every bit of, like coach says, all hands on deck. We’re going to need everybody to he involved to get the job done.”
In the four games between the two teams this year, Miami and Philadelphia won two games each. Both teams won a game in their home arena and on the road. The Heat are ready to try to take this crucial fifth game.
“Our guys are looking forward to it,” Spoelstra said. “You don’t know what to expect in this, other than it’s going to be high-level competition and you have to be about that. I know our locker room is. It’s going to be a really fun environment, so just want to clear our minds, do a prep and then just get ready for this. You don’t want to overthink at this time. … We are who we are, they are who they are at this point. Let’s tip this thing up.”
