Heat forward P.J. Tucker has been tasked with guarding top players throughout his long career, and this year’s playoffs are no different. After hounding Trae Young in the first round, Tucker is now guarding former teammate James Harden, who has been contained by Miami through the first two games of their second-round matchup with the Sixers.
Despite the grueling physical toll that comes with covering great offensive players, Tucker says he feels like he’s still in the midst of his prime, as Marc J. Spears of Andscape relays in a lengthy interview with the veteran.
“I told [my agent] that I feel better now than I felt when I was 31 and 32. And he was like, ‘Yo, what?’ I feel like during those two or three years I hit my prime. I’m still in the middle of my prime,” Tucker said. “From my body to my mind, and the way I play the game and understanding how to win, to be a real winner, I feel like I’m hitting my prime, and it’s crazy, man, to be 36, about to be 37 [Tucker turns 37 on May 5] and still feel like that. It’s crazy.
“I’ve spent a ton of money on my body, therapists. I take care of my body and I have my whole career. So, that’s a blessing to still be able to be out there and play whatever amount of minutes and do what I do and [put] my body on the line nightly.”
Here’s more on the Heat/Sixers series:
- Kyle Lowry, who missed Game 2 after suffering a strained hamstring in Game 3 vs. Atlanta, is eager to return to action, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, but the Heat are being cautious with their starting point guard, leery of the possibility of him aggravating the injury. “We’re not basing any of these decisions on whether we’re winning or losing,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Tuesday after practice. “This is what we think is best right now.”
- After an inconsistent regular season and having his minutes gradually reduced in the first round, Heat guard Duncan Robinson has been out of Miami’s rotation completely in round two, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). “It literally can change next game. It’s a playoff rotation,” Spoelstra said of not playing Robinson on Monday. “He’s stable enough, he’s ready enough and it might just be some moments where he really can change a quarter or a game and just be ignitable. It’s just the way we went tonight.”
- Joel Embiid‘s status remains up in the air for Game 3, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. When asked if Embiid could play on Friday, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said he was uncertain. “He’s got so many steps to go through. I don’t think he’s cleared any of them,” Rivers said after Game 2’s loss on Wednesday. Embiid is expected to be reevaluated on Thursday.
- Sixers forward Georges Niang fouled out in just ten minutes of action in Game 2’s 119-103 loss and he’s apparently been limited by a knee injury. “(Niang) hasn’t been 100 percent for awhile,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Niang has been playing through the injury, but it’s a situation worth monitoring because he’s a key bench contributor and was the team’s second-best three-point shooter during the regular season at 40.3%.
·Game 3 Niang went for a minus107 Rtg. Thx for the warning.
·Sixers should be setting up Tobias Harris in times like this.
·I suspect Miami’s zone D is inspired by Boston’s switching D.
Oh, I see. Those philly fans are quiet in here. :)
Rather go to the Simmons bashing on the other thread. It’s all they got.
It’s only a matter of time before the knives come out, tho. I think Doc is next. Somebody must take the fall. Maybe Harden. But I think it will finally set in who the real problem is…
If you take the best player off any team, they probably won’t win against the top seeded team in the playoffs. Not much else to it, it’s not that deep.
That’s rational. But the point is, in Philly, it is the blame game. And somebody is responsible for that best player showboating in a 4th qtr blow-out.
Lots of tight lips right now, but that’s just because it’s pretty clear the golden boy f’d it up for this team… again. Had to have his revenge, took his eye off the prize. And the mastermind coach recklessly let another year go by.
It is another embarrassing end to a year. The last time in TOR, it was Kahwi scoring the season ending shot in his face, and this time it was Siakim elbowing a season ending shot in his face.
So far the sixers have been outplayed by a deeper and stronger heat team.
It sure is fun watching this unfold. Doc Rivers is the most overrated coach in NBA history. And Harden lol. What a failure. Sixers, Lakers, Nets hahaha. Better luck next year.
I’d hardly say that Doc is overated not would I say that Harden is a failure. Embiid’s injury has badly hurt the 76ers. Doc has a ring which is more than most coaches could say and Harden is a former MVP, most of us only wish we could “fail” like he has.
Doc should have 3 rings at least. He Coached Chris Paul in his prime. He is overrated but this is a great heat team. If Philly is stupid enough to give Harden more max money past next year they deserve their fate.
Nah Miami is good not great. If they go to the Finals again they will be shown up. Their perimeter defense cannot handle any of the remaining West teams – maybe Memphis, but then the Heat would likely be shut down too in a grind it out Finals.
The same “great” Heat team that lost to the Sixers sans Embiid and Harden in March?
As I said before game 1, I personally think the Heat should switch Strus and Robinson back. They need both of their shooting in this matchup, and I think Strus would be more valuable off the bench than Duncan would be, and I didnt think Strus would be as effective starting against philly’s starters. Doc Rivers has really helped the Heat though, so maybe they dont need it as much as I was previously saying. The defense might just be enough on it’s own, but I have to think philly will eventually start knocking down shots, even if they dont figure out who should be playing in this series