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The Philadelphia 76ers were the latest team to be eliminated from the 2022 NBA playoffs. Joel Embiid and Co. will have to wait another year to complete their quest to make a Conference Finals appearance.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks continued to build pressure on the league-leading Phoenix Suns in their round two series. The Mavs capitalized on their home-court advantage in Game 6 to tie the series at 3-3 and force a Game 7.
Several other storylines caught the eye of NBA fans this week. Let's have a look below.
Miami Heat eliminate Philadelphia 76ers from the 2022 NBA playoffs
On Thursday, the Miami Heat emerged victorious by a 99-90 margin in their closeout Game 6 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat were the better team for most of the series and proved their mettle when it mattered the most.
Jimmy Butler once again led the charge for Miami as he bagged 32 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Sixers hung around till halftime, trailing the Heat by just one point. However, they had no response to their opponent's lethal third quarter.
Erik Spoelstra's men outscored the 76ers 25-15 in that stretch, which swung the tie in their favor, and they eventually went on to win by a nine-point margin.
No one made a significant impact for Philadelphia as Joel Embiid scored only 20 points, shooting a measly 29% from the floor, and James Harden went scoreless in the second half to finish with 11 points and nine assists.
Luka Doncic outperforms Chris Paul and Devin Booker to tie Mavs-Suns series
Luka Doncic continued to thrive in his young playoff career with yet another 30-point outing for the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic delivered when it mattered most as his team was on the brink of elimination from the 2022 NBA playoffs, down 3-2 against the Phoenix Suns.
Doncic played a brilliant all-around game to ensure the Mavericks lived to fight another day. He tallied 33 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and four steals on the night, single-handedly outperforming the Suns' All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Booker and Paul scored combined to score 32 points, ten rebounds, eight assists and committed 13 of the Suns' 22 turnovers. Dallas won the tie 113-86.
James Harden plans to stay with Philadelphia 76ers following difficult postseason run
James Harden struggled to deliver in the playoffs yet again. This time, with the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden went 1-8 in his last nine elimination games, following the Sixers' Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in their 2022 NBA playoffs second-round series.
The 'Beard' produced only 11 points on four of nine shooting in the 99-90 loss, failing to get on the scoresheet throughout the second half as he missed his only two field-goal attempts during that stretch.
Age seems to have caught up with the 32-year-old, and his lack of explosiveness is quite evident. He hasn't been able to create space on offense to create scoring opportunities for himself, and his ability to shift gears and attack the rim has also taken a hit since his hamstring injury last year.
After his dismal showing against the Heat, questions were raised regarding his potential contract extension and whether the Sixers would offer him a max deal. As things stand, Philadelphia will hesitate to offer a large sum at this point because of his decline in performances, so Harden is likely to opt into his $47 million player option.
The 32-year-old also indicated that he would stay in Philadelphia and help them become better in any way possible moving forward.
"I’ll be here … whatever allows this team to grow and get better and do the necessary things to win and compete at the highest level,” Harden said in the team’s postgame news conference.
Jimmy Butler caught sledging his former team Philadelphia 76ers after eliminating them from the playoffs
Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler didn't mince words when talking about his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, after scoring 32 points to close them out in Game 6 of their round two series.
On his way back to the locker room after the match, Butler was captured taking a sly dig at the Sixers for trading him in 2019 as they eventually went on to sign Tobias Harris in free agency.
"Tobias Harris over me?" yelled Butler on his way back to the locker room.
76ers talisman Joel Embiid also expressed that he wished to be teammates with Jimmy Butler. Here's what Embiid said after the match:
"Like I said, I'm happy for him. I wouldn't want to sit here and say I didn't wish he was my teammate. Still don't know how we let him go. But, I wish I could have gone to battle with him still, but it is what it is. Just got to keep building and keep trying to reach that goal."
Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman named NBA Executive of the Year
![Memphis Grizzlies' GM Zach Kleiman [Source Front Office Sports]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/05/292f1-16524462456352-1920.jpg)
Memphis Grizzlies' vice president of basketball operations, Zach Kleiman, won the NBA's 2022 Executive of the Year award on Thursday. He was the runaway winner, accumulating 85 points. Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman and Chicago Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas were tied behind him for 27 points, but Altman's two first-place votes saw him rank behind Kleiman in second.
Kleiman received 16 first-place votes in total. At the age of 33, he became the youngest recipient of the NBA's Executive of the Year award.
Klieman has been instrumental in forming the Grizzlies' young core, featuring Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr., among others. He traded the franchise's best players, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, in 2019. The draft capital that the Grizzlies received in return helped them form their current young core, which led them to a second-place finish in the conference standings this year.
