NBA Playoffs 2018: 5 keys to Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat matchup

1. Which role players catch fire?

A month-and-a-half ago, the battle of the bench would have swung wildly in Miami’s favor. Whereas the Sixers struggled to produce offense from their reserve unit prior to the All-Star break, the Heat were receiving steady contributions from the likes of Tyler Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Wayne Ellington.

Both teams only further bolstered their bench since the start of February. The Heat gave up a heavily protected second-round pick to bring Dwyane Wade back to South Beach, whereas Philly took advantage of the buyout market to lure a pair of former Atlanta Hawks, Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli, to help provide extra scoring punch in its second unit.

That paid off handsomely for both squads.

Since the All-Star break, Miami leads the NBA with 48.8 points per game from its reserves, while the Sixers rank 12th with 39.2. Fultz’s surprise return after a 68-game absence added even more pop to Philly’s bench, as he became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double after he racked up 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Sixers’ regular-season finale against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

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With so many high-volume, high-variance three-point shooters on both sides, the main question now is which unheralded player (or players) will help swing a game or two. Whereas stars often draw the headlines going into a playoff series, relative afterthoughts frequently wind up playing integral roles. Look no further than Olynyk’s 26-point eruption in Game 7 of the Boston Celtics’ conference semifinals victory over the Washington Wizards last spring for proof of that. 

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com or Basketball Reference.