National Basketball Association

NBA 2K17 Edition: Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Philadelphia 76ers host the Miami Heat after they lost franchise hero Dwayne Wade. This NBA 2K17 match up of reformulated teams ends in a close score.

This fourth article will disappoint some fans in the results of the the box score for both the team and the franchise player. The 29 part series so far has given Philadelphia 76ers fans exactly what they wanted. This match up is not the case. The rules and guidelines of how the game was played and articles were written can be found in the first and second articles of the series.

Final Score and Comparison

More from The Sixer Sense

The Miami Heat held on late for the 129-124 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers did not lead in the majority of game stats, just like in their previous match up against the Phoenix Suns. They only lead in the following categories, 55 percent field goal shooting, 40 percent 3-shooting while making 10 shots, 88 percent shooting on 25 free throw attempts, 54 bench points, 32 assists, 41 defensive rebounds, and 11 blocks.

The big problems for the Sixers like in every other match up so far was the team’s turnover rate; for the game, the team as a whole had 23 turnovers. This is way to high for any team and it is more than understandable why the Sixers lost this match up.

Several positives can be taken from these stats. The shooting in every area was good considering the Miami Heat is a good defensive team. The bench was once again very productive. The Sixers bench could prove to be reliable during the regular season which could consequently help provide more wins.

Player Of The Game

NBA 2K17 declared Chris Bosh the Player of the Game. He finished with the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 turnover. One point I would like to make is that NBA 2K 17 has not taken Chris Bosh out of the Heat’s lineup even though he is not medically cleared to play. Bosh may never be back and would have changed the outcome of the game completely if he did not play.

Jahlil Okafor would have gained the honor again, if the Sixers would have won the contest. He finished the contest with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, and a net score of -3. He made his only 3-point attempt while shooting 10-12 from the floor and 8-9 from the foul line in 28 minutes. Okafor is obviously a dominant offensive force in NBA 2k17. This can translate to this season where Okafor could be one of the more dominant scorers in the league this year.

Notable Players

Joel Embiid yet again is at the top of the list. Embiid dominated in the 20 minutes, he finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, and a net score of 5. There several differences in Embiid’s play this game versus the past performances. Embiid played a 10 minute quarter in the third and still ended the game in his 20 minute restriction. He also ended the game with playing next to Okafor. Embiid still played center the whole game but was to co-exist with Okafor very well.

Players with other notable performances

Trends and Game Play

The major change in strategy that I made was to have two bigs on the floor whenever Bosh and Hassan Whiteside were playing together. Ben Simmons could not keep up with either player and as a result turnovers and foul trouble pursued. Noel and Embiid had worked well together in the past, but this was the first time that Okafor and Embiid had major floor time together. Offensively and defensively each center was able to check Miami’s big men.

Jerryd Bayless was able to take advantage of the weak defense provided by the simulated Goran Dragic. He was able to get his shot off and get to the basket easily. As the competition begins to get tougher, Bayless appears to be playing better.

Surprise Player Of The Game

Dario Saric has had his best game yet in the NBA 2K Edition. His very impressive stat line can be seen above. His most efficient from the floor except his 3-point percentage. He was able to help the second unit to be viable for the Philadelphia 76ers. Saric is plainly not a 3 point shooter in this game, but only time will tell if he will be.

Heat Analysis

This season will be lead by Dragic and Whiteside for the Heat. They both had double-doubles in this match up. The Heat’s young players in Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, and Tyler Johnson will decide how fair the franchise will go this season. Besides Waiters, the other three young players had good and efficient outings. Another side note, Richardson should not have been on the active roster due to his own injury. The Heat will need to increase production from this young group of players to advance in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers will have a chance to rebound with their next match-up against Nuggets. Stay tuned for any NBA 2K17 updates.