Even as the Philadelphia 76ers exceeded expectations this season Authentic Kemoko Turay Jersey , those who have indeed trusted the process still could not have imagined the team’s quick ascension to the NBA’s elite.
Joel Embiid, for one, isn’t about to pump the brakes on what has been a whirlwind ride that has the 76ers heading into their Game 5 home matchup on Tuesday sporting a 3-1 lead over the visiting Miami Heat.
“A lot of people say we have a bright future,” said Embiid, whose 76ers host the Heat at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center. “But I think our time is now. We have a special team and I feel like now we have a pretty good chance to go forward.”
Speaking of the now: With their backs against the wall, the Heat are not flailing their arms wildly, looking for any target.
They are pointedly focused on the present: Game 5 and the 76ers.
“It’s not necessarily us against the world,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s us against the Philadelphia 76ers. We have to find a way to finish games. They’ve really nailed us in the fourth quarters of all four games, except the one we were able to pull away. We just have to do better. Through three quarters, we’ve been up. It’s going to require a full 48-minute game of our absolute best effort.”
Miami has been outscored by Philadelphia by an astounding 42 points in just the fourth quarters through four games. Even in the Heat’s 113-103 Game 2 win at Philadelphia, the 76ers still outscored Miami 28-27 in the fourth quarter.
In a roundabout way, that Game 2 loss — which snapped Philadelphia’s 17-game winning streak — actually gave 76ers coach Brett Brown some much-needed locker room material heading into the game.
“Everybody’s trying to break somebody’s spirit Browns Authentic Jerseys ,” Brown said Monday. “It’s always the same thing. It happens on the other side of it. And I know (Spoelstra), who is a great coach, would be in his locker room saying, ‘All we got to do is win a game and come home.’
“They’re going to live in a really isolated, sort of roomed-in world of, ‘Let’s just win a game. We won a game last time we were here, and just come home and figure it out.’ You can see it.”
Knowing his team can close out a hungry opponent on Tuesday, Brown isn’t changing his message too much.
“My intention is not to speak anything into existence,” Brown said. “It’s all about trying help the team win. Like, we want to get better. We’re gonna. We’re going to go into Tuesday night and we’re going to get better. I believe that if we think like that, act like that, coach like that Trent Murphy Jersey Elite , then the habit becomes, I hope, we’re going to win.”
J.J. Redick, no stranger to heated playoff series, echoed his coach’s thoughts on Monday.
In Game 4, Redick led the 76ers with 24 points en route to a 106-102 win in a game that Philadelphia trailed by four after three quarters.
“You’re feeling each other out and then later on in the series you have to deliver a crushing blow,” Redick said. “You have to finish that. A team like Miami, their culture, their organization, their group of guys, they have fighters. They have warriors on their team. Every game in this series has been tough and there’s no indication that Game 5 will be different. It’s going to be a tough game.”
The Miami Dolphins concede that Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki could block better. They drafted him anyway, which shows how much they like his pass-catching skills.
Gesicki was a second-round selection Friday in the Dolphins' latest attempt to fill a position that has been problematic since Adam Gase became coach two years ago.
The 6-foot-5 Gesicki was the second tight end drafted because his athleticism Jets Authentic Jerseys , including thunderous dunks in basketball and success in volleyball.
There's a reason he lasted until the 42nd overall pick, however.
"The one thing everyone talks about is him not being a great blocker," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. "But there are a lot of really good tight ends and pass catchers who are not great blockers. And this kid wants to be a better blocker."
In the third round Miami drafted Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker. He'll be reunited with another former Buckeyes linebacker, Raekwon McMillan, the Dolphins' second-round choice in 2017.
The Dolphins hope Gesicki's deficiencies don't keep him from starting as a rookie. He could give Ryan Tannehill the downfield target in the middle of the field that Miami has lacked in recent years.
"He's a hard matchup for people, being that big and athletic," Grier said. "The speed will open up other stuff."
Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron were disappointments at tight end for Miami the past two years, and they're no longer on the roster. Gesicki joins an offense that averaged 17.6 points last season to rank fifth-worst in the NFL, and he expects to help the Dolphins do better.
"I'm exactly where I belong," he said. "I'm excited to get to work in this offense. It can become very exciting in Miami."
Gesicki had 15 career touchdown catches at Penn State and averaged 11.5 yards per reception. He acknowledged he has room for improvement and expects to benefit from NFL coaching.
"I definitely need to continue to improve my run blocking," he said. "My best attributes are in the passing game, and I need to continue to develop on the other side."
While Gesicki's size made him an appealing choice Daniel Castro Colorado Rockies Jersey , the 225-pound Baker is undersized. But he had seven sacks and a hand in six takeaways the past two seasons, and led the Buckeyes last year with 72 tackles.
"He has speed, and we want to get faster on defense," Grier said. "He's sideline to sideline."
Grier said the Dolphins considered using the pick to take a quarterback, but decided Baker was too good to pass up, and McMillan's assessment of his former Ohio State teammate was a factor.
"We had some insider trading with Raekwon," Grier said.
McMillan suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first exhibition game last year but is expected to start in 2018.
The Dolphins took Alabama All-America safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round with the 11th overall choice. On the final day of the draft they'll be in the market for a defensive tackle and backup quarterback.
.