When the Philadelphia 76ers fought their way to a 109-105 win over the Miami Heat in a key NBA game on Wednesday, it felt more like the NCAA tournament.
The teams exchanged major runs and the lead went back and forth before the Sixers finally finished the job.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey scored 37 points and All-Star center Joel Embiid added 29 as the Sixers (42-35) moved a half-game behind the Heat for seventh in the NBA East.
“Every game matters,” Maxey told reporters. “Every game is a playoff game at this point. Honestly, we’re like in a March Madness situation. You know, every game is not an elimination game, but every game is important.”
Maxey wasn’t speaking just for the Sixers, but really, for the entire Eastern Conference — and really, the entire NBA for that matter.
But it’s all about keeping focused on the task at hand, according to Heat big man Bam Adebayo.
“There’s no time for emotion right now,” he said. “We’ve got a game tomorrow, so on to the next, focus on that.”
As for the Sixers, Embiid suggested it’s not a matter of what seed you nab, but what you do once you get to the playoffs.
“We don’t care where we end up,” Embiid said. “For me personally, I didn’t have to come back, but I want to play. I love playing basketball, and I want to be on the floor.
“[But] it doesn’t matter. Obviously I would rather not be in the play-in, but that’s the situation we’re in. If that’s where we end up, that doesn’t change. The goal is to go out there and try to win every single game. So it doesn’t matter when we end up.
“I think we have a pretty good chance. We just need to find a way to get on the same page, and I need to find a way to get back close to where I want to be.”
So, yes, Maxey is right. March Madness has begun for the NBA, too. Forget that it’s April — the playoff seeding chase feels like a tournament in and of itself.
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