Enjoy Vintage Dwyane Wade While It Lasts, and Other Monday NBA Playoff Takeaways

Ten years down the road, you couldn't be blamed for wondering if this contest took place in 2008.

If you're watching a replay of the Miami Heat's 113-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, you might be so blown away by Dwyane Wade's performance that you're wholly convinced this was a showing taking place right in the heart of his prime. 

Ben Simmons' presence on the court should be a giveaway that you're wrong. But let's pretend you don't notice the talented rookie and spend all 48 minutes either watching Wade cook or breathlessly waiting for him to strip off the warmups and get onto the hardwood. 

How could you not think this was anything but a vintage display?

The 36-year-old shooting guard wound up recording 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He was locked in on defense, bodied up against younger adversaries and constantly jumped into passing lanes on the perimeter. Wade even recorded a plus-16 when he was on the floor. 

Now, the series is tied up at a game apiece. But can the Heat count on more heroics from their unexpected veteran savior? 

Especially in the wake of a resounding defeat to open the 2018 playoffs, the Heat did so much right during their Game 2 victory over the 76ers. 

Josh Richardson, James Johnson and Justise Winslow hounded Simmons throughout the contest by throwing him off his game with full-court physicality and a determination to shut down passing lanes in favor of forcing him into a scoring role. Goran Dragic quietly racked up some nice offensive plays while Wayne Ellington put on a shotmaking display with an off-the-charts degree of difficulty. We can't overlook Kelly Olynyk's two-way contributions, either. 

But Wade was still the star of the night, and that's not a sentence we expected to write at this stage of the 2017-18 calendar. 

His first half was a throwback masterpiece, as he recorded 21 points. The Sixers were subjected to an endless barrage of mid-range jumpers and crafty plays within the half-court set, helpless while he made the most of his patented pump fake and slashing skills. Without Wade, Philadelphia might've been able to stay somewhat close on a rough offensive night, rather than spending the entire third and fourth quarters attempting to engage in a furious rally that fell just short after, at one point, closing the margin to two points. 

Allow yourself to get sentimental. Think about all the vintage showings from Wade we've seen in previous postseasons, before Father Time sapped some of his athleticism and prevented him from making so many explosive plays in a quick stretch. Monday night should remind you of the version that's a veritable lock to make the Hall of Fame on the initial ballot. 

Sure, Wade didn't make much of an impact for lengthy stretches of the second half. But thanks to his first two quarters, he'd already put his teammates in a position to succeed. Playing with a double-digit advantage is a nice luxury for a deep team filled with veterans and an elite coach patrolling the sidelines. 

Of course, that should also serve as a stark warning: Fun as Wade's outing may have been, Miami can't rely on him to bail out any lackluster performances at later dates in this series. He may have some magical possessions left in the tank, but counting on continued excellence is a massive ask. 

Lest we forget, Wade averaged just 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 22.0 percent from downtown and 74.5 percent at the stripe after his midseason return to the Heat. The advanced stats aren't particularly pretty, either. He finished the year ranked No. 344 in ESPN.com's real plus/minus and No. 495 in win shares per 48 minutes—numbers not exactly indicative of a reliable playoff hero. 

But don't view this as a Debbie-downer attempt. We're not trying to spoil the fun, because recognizing the unsustainability of Wade-as-hero and acknowledging the entertainment of his throwback aren't mutually exclusive. 

He was excellent on Monday night. The Heat are going to need other players to step up as they try to take control of this series. Both can be true. 

Focusing on Simmons and Joel Embiid is easy. Each hyper-marketable star is arguably a top-20 talent, but these 76ers have still become so much more than a two-man show—or a one-man wrecking ball with Embiid still recovering from his facial fracture. 

Before the All-Star break, Philadelphia didn't get much out of its bench. The second unit was outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions during that early stretch, which left it ranked No. 22 throughout the Association. But that narrative has flipped 180 degrees after some key midseason additions, to the point that the bench's net rating skyrocketed to 6.3—No. 2 in the league, trailing only the Detroit Pistons (7.5)—during the 15 games heading into the postseason. 

Those key cogs were on full display Monday night, despite the losing efforts. 

Ersan Ilyasova, who tortured Hassan Whiteside and rendered the stud center virtually unplayable in Game 1, continued strutting his stuff in the starting lineup—a role change made necessary by Embiid's absence. The power forward finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting, and his energy on the offensive boards kept Philadelphia alive in the first half when no shots seemed destined to find nylon. Amir Johnson filled a similar role, while Marco Belinelli continued drilling off-balance shots. 

And that's saying nothing of the other typical starters who don't fall into the Embiid/Simmons category. 

Hot shooting from Dario Saric nearly closed the gap during the second half, as he continued to look the part of a Most Improved Player candidate. His growth as a defender, distributor and efficient tertiary scorer doesn't garner nearly as much interest as stories about the superstars, but it's been vital to Philadelphia's quick ascent up the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

Ditto for JJ Redick and Robert Covington, though their combined 2-of-16 showing from beyond the arc was a key culprit for the Game 2 loss. One of those makes even came in garbage time.

Don't be surprised when these guys prove the difference-makers in a series now guaranteed to go at least five games. 

The Heat executed their plan brilliantly by slowing down the proceedings against the 76ers and gumming up the half-court set from start to finish. They were physical against Simmons by forced him to become more of a scorer than a distributor, which goes against all his natural inclinations. 

That's exactly how you beat the current Philadelphia iteration, even if no one else had been able to do so during the Sixers' 17-game winning streak that ended Monday.

But that plan might not work so well once Embiid is back on the floor, recovered from his orbital fracture enough that he can at least enter the fray and start making an impact. Not only does his defensive prowess help prevent driving lanes from the Heat, but his offensive game is just what the hosts were missing. 

As Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown explained after the game, per Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, "You need Joel Embiid. ... I felt tonight it was a really strong example of how you wished you had him."

When games slow down and points become hard to come by, you need a go-to scorer who can create for himself on a consistent basis. Talented as Simmons and his supporting cast are, that's the one thing they're missing without the superstar center. Granted, a standout game from Markelle Fultz might've changed this, but the rookie point guard logged only five minutes and missed all three of his shots. 

Embiid can function as that go-to scorer. He's comfortable commandeering possessions and knocking down shots out of the post, and Miami's only recourse when he gets hot would involve throwing a second defender at him and opening either a slashing lane or shooting opportunity. 

During the regular season, just three members of the Philly roster took even three field-goal attempts per game after holding the ball for between two and six seconds. Fultz (in limited showings, given the mysterious shoulder ailment) took 3.6 and made 41.2 percent. Simmons checked in at 5.5 and 52.5 percent, though many of those were line drives knifing through transition defenses.

Embiid was at 7.5 attempts, converting them at a 54 percent clip. Throw him into the mix, and the complexion of this series may well change yet again. We certainly know he's motivated, given the NSFW message he shared, per Neubeck, in a since-deleted Instagram post after the game. 

Hats off to the San Antonio Spurs for their valiant effort in Game 2. A 116-101 loss is nothing to be ashamed of, particularly because they held a lead for so much of the proceedings and gave themselves some semblance of hope for a future victory. LaMarcus Aldridge was a phenomenal offensive presence, dueling as best he could with 34 points and 12 boards on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 showing at the stripe.

But the Spurs' greatest achievement is one with which they won't be particularly happy. Thanks to their inspired play on both ends of the floor, they managed something precious few teams have been capable of doing since the All-Star break.

They awoke the beast.

Golden State finally faced significant adversity during a game with real stakes—"punched in the mouth," as head coach Steve Kerr said during an in-game interview on the TNT broadcast—and responded to said adversity as you might expect from a group of defending champions. 

From the third quarter through the end of the contest, the Dubs showcased that explosive spurtability the basketball-watching world has come to expect. 

Kevin Durant, who finished with 32 points, six rebounds and six assists, heated up, draining pull-up threes and getting to his spots so easily you could see the outlines of flames rising up from his jersey. The defense looked fully engaged, switching on screens and rotating seamlessly to contest perimeter jumpers after doubling down on LaMarcus Aldridge in the post.

After Durant went on his 13-point tear during the third quarter, Klay Thompson took over with his spot-up prowess to drop 16 in the fourth. You know, because you might as well use all the weapons in that deep arsenal. 

A 22-10 run against a Gregg Popovich-coached team is always special, especially because it came while Stephen Curry was watching from the sidelines and excitedly cheering for his comrades—sometimes before the shot swished through the net. It's just the latest evidence these Warriors still have that extra gear only available to special squads. 

Need a big stop? It could come from anywhere. Need buckets? Plenty of stars can go nuclear, and the deadliest of them is waiting to make his postseason debut until the second round. 

A locked-in version of Golden State remains terrifying, particularly to a Spurs squad devoid of the same levels of upper-tier talent. 

If you don't think Kyle Anderson has become a high-quality basketball player, you need to start paying attention to more than just the points-per-game statistic. All season long, the UCLA product has been a defensive stalwart for the Spurs, using his knack for positioning, cerebral acuity and lanky arms to wreak havoc within the half-court set. 

But as was the case for lengthy stretches of the Spurs' 116-101 loss to the Warriors in Game 2 of their first-round series, that doesn't mean he's impervious to matchups. Popovich benched him in favor of Rudy Gay to start the contest, and Anderson's minutes were sporadic after an ugly airball on a corner three late in the first quarter sent him back to the pine. 

Anderson re-entered the fray near the end of the third quarter, but only once Durant had caught fire and willed the Golden State offense back toward its regular-season level. That speaks volumes, since the slow-moving forward has been one of the few defenders capable of slowing the Warriors star throughout the 2017-18 campaign. 

But that ability doesn't change the problem that originally diminished Anderson's playing time. 

He remains an offensive liability who struggles with his shooting motion and can often be left unguarded when he goes cold. That's been the case throughout this first-round series, as he's now followed up an 0-of-2 showing in 11 Game 1 minutes with another goose egg from the field. 

Anderson, who checked in as the No. 45 player entering the postseason in my joint rankings with Dan Favale, is at his best when operating as a primary pick-and-roll ball-handler, but that strategy simply doesn't work against a quick, athletic and stifling Golden State defense with length in the paint and at the point of attack. And when he's forced into a spot-up role, he can be left in the corner while double-teams are sent in Aldridge's direction. 

The 24-year-old is a good player, typically proficient enough from the corners to avoid becoming this much of an offensive anchor. He'll deserve a significant payday when he enters restricted free agency this offseason. But that doesn't make him an ideal fit in a matchup against the Warriors, who figure to remain near or at the top of the Western Conference throughout the foreseeable future. 

That alone means his future under Popovich could be in doubt. 

Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball Reference, NBA.com, NBA Math or ESPN.com.