Heat’s P.J. Tucker makes big Game 1 impact with defense, effort: ‘That’s pretty much my job’
To understand why P.J. Tucker truly loves competing in the NBA playoffs, one has to look back at why he loved watching the playoffs as a kid.
“My whole life, the playoffs as a kid, just not missing a game,” the 36-year-old Miami Heat forward said to the Miami Herald. “My whole life, you just see everybody’s game elevate. I’m a big [Michael] Jordan fan. In the playoffs with Jordan, you could see it in his eyes with his passion and how much he loves it and how much he turns into a killer with that killer instinct. I’m all about that.”
Tucker might not be Jordan, but he is one of the NBA’s best intangible players who consistently makes a positive impact without necessarily standing out in the box score.
Tucker had one of those performances in Game 1 on Monday night, as the Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 at FTX Arena to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-7 second-round playoff series. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, seven rebounds and one assist, but he was one of the game’s most important players because of his relentless defense on 76ers star guard James Harden and effort on the offensive glass that led to extra possessions for the Heat.
“You can’t put an analytic to it,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat and 76ers set to face off in Game 2 of their series on Wednesday at FTX Arena (7:30 p.m., TNT). “I literally don’t know what his stats were. But he has those momentum-shifting plays. They’re just timely winning plays and he has a way of doing things that just inspires your whole team. It was those offensive rebounds, diving on the floor, really competing on the ball against one of the toughest covers in the league.
“Everybody just feels an added inspiration and life from what he does out there. That has a 10 x factor. He was tremendous on both ends of the court. That’s what winning basketball is supposed to look like.”
Probably the biggest ovation of the night from the Miami crowd in Game 1 was sparked by one of Tucker’s trademark effort sequences in the middle of the third quarter.
With a five-point lead and just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Tucker flashed what makes him special on one long Heat possession:
▪ Gabe Vincent missed a three-pointer and Tucker came crashing in from the weak side to grab the offensive rebound.
▪ Jimmy Butler then missed a three-pointer and Tucker secured the loose ball for another offensive rebound in the paint.
▪ Vincent then missed another three-pointer and Tucker fought off 76ers forward Tobias Harris long enough to allow for Bam Adebayo to grab the offensive rebound. Adebayo was quickly fouled on the putback attempt, making both free throws to extend the Heat’s lead to seven with 6:13 left in the third quarter.
The Heat went on to outscore the 76ers 56-41 in the second half to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 14-point win.
“There’s really a timeliness to his winning plays. It’s tough to describe it,” Spoelstra added regarding Tucker. “They’re momentum-shifting plays and he just senses the moment. A lot of times, it’s going to be those intangible plays with loose balls, deflections, taking a charge or just his pursuits on both ends of the court that don’t necessarily translate to a stat. They just infuse confidence and life into your team. He’s a really inspiring player.”
But it was on the defensive end where Tucker really left his mark Monday, spending most of Game 1 as Harden’s primary defender. Tucker picked up Harden full court, pressured him constantly and challenged nearly all of his shots.
The 76ers need Harden to step into an even bigger offensive role than usual with All-Star center Joel Embiid out for at least the first two games of the series because of a facial fracture and concussion. But according to NBA tracking stats, Harden was limited to just five points on 2-of-3 shooting and committed three turnovers in 29 possessions with Tucker as his primary defender.
“They need him to be him,” said Tucker, who was Harden’s teammate with the Houston Rockets for three-plus seasons from 2017-21. “So it’s my job to try to make it tough. He’s going to score, he’s going to take shots, he’s going to be aggressive. I just try to make it tough. Just knowing tendencies, what he wants, how he gets fouled, how he scores, just everything.”
When asked about Tucker’s defense on him in Game 1, Harden said: “P.J. is P.J. He plays hard, but it’s not something that I’m worried about.”
In addition, Tucker was one of the Heat players who was tasked with picking up Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young full court in the first round. Tucker also took on the assignment of defending Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant all the way down the court in last season’s playoffs as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, which went on to win the NBA championship.
“He has been on the same team as James, so he knows his tendencies better than anybody on our team,” Adebayo said. “It just shows the sacrifice that he’s willing to give up. Picking up 94 feet is not easy in the NBA, especially playing 30 minutes a game and doing that and sacrificing your body for that. It’s just the utmost respect for him.”
Tucker, who signed with the Heat as a free agent last summer, has averaged 9.7 points on 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) shooting on threes, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in six playoff games this season. Miami has outscored opponents by an absurdly dominant 24.9 points per 100 possessions with Tucker on the court this postseason.
Adebayo labeled Tucker as “one of the best defenders in this league,” and Heat guard Tyler Herro called Tucker “our heart and soul” on Monday night.
For Tucker, the impact he made in Game 1 was just a continuation of what he has been doing for years. Defense and relentless efforts all over the court is what he has become known for.
“That’s pretty much my job,” he said. “That’s what I do. I just try to change the game, affect the game without scoring and figure out a way to win the game. That’s it.”
