RECAP – Game 3 vs Raptors: How the Tables Have Turned
Oh, how the tables have turned. A 2-1 series lead for the 76ers after last night’s 95-116 game 3 win has sent the Raptors reeling.
Here’s what to expect from the rest of the series.
A new Toronto in games 4 and 5
Unfortunately for the Raptors, a promising regular season has once again turned into a dark second-round playoff series. At this point in the series, both teams’ strengths and weaknesses have been on full display, and changes will be made at the digression of each team’s coaching staff. What Toronto can’t do with an adjustment is get their all-star point guard to put the ball in the basket. Lowry has gone a combined 9-26 in the last 2 games from the field and has struggled to get anything going either in rhythm or in isolation. The same goes for Cameroonian most-improved candidate Paskal Siakam, who has shot a combined 16 for 40 in the same two games.
The Raptors should look to take a page out of their own book, specifically from their round 1 series vs. Orlando. The Raptors like to work fast and are at their best when they are out in transition. Both Siakam and Kawhi Leonard have long frames suited for transition basketball. These transition baskets generally result from effort plays on the defensive end made by 2-time DPOY Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka followed by a quick outlet pass. The team also needs to look to get off to a hot start in the 1st quarter. The team’s 31-7 start in their game 5 closeouts of the Magic gave them a comfortable cushion to sit on for the rest of the game. Nick Nurse and his staff will go back to the drawing board in search of a formula that will limit the offensive output of the best starting 5 in basketball by the numbers.
2. The Sixers are the real deal this year
If you had told any NBA fan, analyst, player, or coach at the start of this season that the Sixers would be in a position to beat the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the Eastern playoffs, you’d be hard-pressed to find a soul who believed you. Two blockbuster trades orchestrated by rookie GM Elton Brand and here we are. At the start of the series, 18 out of 20 ESPN NBA experts chose the Raptors to beat the 76ers, mostly in 5 or 6 games. In all fairness, this was the safe choice. The Raptors were coming off a 58 win regular season, have a top 5 player in the league in Kawhi Leonard, and have one of the best NBA home courts in ScotiaBank Arena.
The 76ers are simply too talented. As Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd put it, “The Raptors are simply too one-sided.” This was, of course, in reference to their reliance on Kawhi Leonard’s 45, 35, and 33 point efforts to begin this series. The team really can’t ask more of him. Cowherd continued, “Of the series’ best 7 players, 5 of them play for Philadelphia.” Toronto’s lack of depth has and will continue to hinder them as long as the bench’s +- continues to be as poor as it has been throughout the playoffs. The media was quick to fault the Sixers for their woes to end the regular season, but the newly-formed roster is beginning to click at just the right time. And when they click, a team that relies on one player for the bulk of the production offensively like the Raptors will stand no chance at keeping up.
3. The X-Factors
If there’s one thing I ask, don’t count out Toronto. The Sixers get one more game at home before hitting the road for Toronto again. Brett Brown has made this abundantly clear in his press conferences. Comfort after a playoff win “cannot exist,” he said. You won’t see the same sluggish Raptors team on the floor on Sunday afternoon, and the Sixers can’t expect for that to be the case. Luckily for the Sixers, they can still build on their previous performances and avoid becoming complacent.
Forward Tobias Harris is yet to get it going in the second round. After being arguably the Sixers’ best player in the first round vs Brooklyn, Harris has 11 ppg to his name this series as opposed to the 20 he averaged during the regular season. Luckily, his teammates have picked up the slack. While the team has been admirable from a defensive standpoint over the course of the series, the obvious correction would be to pay very close attention to wherever Leonard is on the floor without drawing too much attention to him to the point where his teammates are left open.
Last but not least, Wells Fargo Center was absolutely amazing in game 3. Almost every Sixer credited the fans with energizing the team in their post-game presser, and for good reason. Mike Scott went as far as to say that the fans in Atlanta, DC, and Los Angeles were nothing close to those in Philadelphia. Having Philadelphia celebrities Allen Iverson, Meek Mill, DeSean Jackson, Zach Ertz, and Carson Wentz, and Rhys Hoskins in the building obviously didn’t hurt. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the fans will keep the building raucous (as it should be) in game 4.
To say that this series has taken an interesting turn is an understatement by every stretch of the word. If you missed game 3, here are the night’s highlights.
Thoughts on the series or the NBA Playoffs? Drop them below.
All images: Philadelphia 76ers Photography
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