The Philadelphia 76ers walloped the Toronto Raptors in Game 3. Now is not the time for complacency.
Thursday night was a euphoric one for many Philadelphia 76ers fans. It was a breakthrough moment in The Process — one that, for some, provided a sense of justification. It’s why Sam Hinkie began the rebuild years ago. To get to moments like Game 3.
The Sixers, following a hard-fought Game 2 win in Toronto, showed out in front of the home crowd on Thursday. Joel Embiid became the first player in postseason history to drop over 30 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in under 30 minutes. Jimmy Butler was one rebound and one assist shy of his first career postseason triple-double. The Sixers won by 21 points after a magnificent fourth-quarter display.
Credit is in abundance at this point. Brett Brown has coached Nick Nurse in circles two consecutive games. Butler was the workhorse in Game 2, while Embiid rebounded from his worst outing yet in historic fashion in Game 3. The Sixers have out-adjusted, out-hustled, and out-talented the Raptors so far.
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If you told me before the series that Philadelphia would hold a 2-1 series lead — featuring a blowout victory, to boot — I would have been hesitant in my belief. I predicted Toronto in six for various reasons, the main one being the Sixers’ lack of defensive continuity and depth coming into the series.
But as Game 5 against Brooklyn showed us, the Sixers have always had a higher defensive gear. A ceiling that wasn’t quite reached in the regular season. It has since been on display in Games 2 and 3, showing Kawhi Leonard various looks and rotating with incredible precision.
Brown has managed to mix and match assignments to keep Toronto’s offense in rhythmic disarray, using Joel Embiid as the fulcrum for that success. Switching him between Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam in Game 3 worked supremely well, not allowing the Raptors to settle into one particular matchup.
The Sixers have shown the defensive chops, along with a more offensive chemistry, to win this series. To compete against the Eastern Conference elites. All Raptors jokes aside, that team is no joke. Kawhi is an absolute great. Being up 2-1 is a testament to Elton Brand‘s willingness to bet on talent.
Even with a convincing win and a series lead under wraps, though, the Sixers can’t get comfortable. The Raptors were seeded higher for a reason — there’s a much larger body of work there.
Whereas the Sixers were tinkering and developing chemistry all season, Toronto was consistently great. They were in the discussion for best Eastern Conference team from the get-go, excelling in Kawhi’s presence despite his load management.
The Raptors have enough talent and versatility to beat the Sixers, and at some point, Nick Nurse is going to adjust. One would think so, at least. And Kawhi looks like the best player in the NBA right now, proving solution-less on offense and thriving on defense. He’s absolutely petrifying.
Leonard’s 45-point performance in Game 1 was the peak, but he hasn’t fallen too far in the Raptors’ losses either. He scored an efficient 35 in Game 2 and dropped 33 on 59.1 percent shooting in Game 3. He was the lone force keeping Toronto competitive before the final period.
If one buys into the argument that Leonard, in his current form, is the NBA’s best player, it’s easy to devise a path to victory for Toronto. The Sixers have effectively defended Leonard and it hasn’t mattered. If the Raptors’ role players step up, Toronto gets right back in the series.
Outside Leonard and Pascal Siakam, Toronto has gotten very little production from the supporting cast. Danny Green was the only other double-digit scorer in Game 3, notching 13 points in his sole good game of the series. The bench has been especially bad for Toronto — far worse than Philadelphia’s, which says quite a bit.
The Sixers need to maintain the energy and focus that made Game 3 such a spectacle. Brown needs to continue unlocking Embiid’s best attributes on offense, running more pick-and-rolls and allowing Embiid to beat Gasol in space. Jimmy Buckets needs to continue to show up.
If the Sixers can continue to overwhelm the Raptors on defense and add new wrinkles on offense, there’s a very real chance we see Philadelphia in the conference finals. Some might rightfully favor the Sixers moving forward.
But it’s too early for unmitigated confidence, and it’s too early to rule out a Raptors team that has one factor distinguishing it from its predecessors: Kawhi Leonard. Game 4 remains a must-win, with home-court advantage remaining imperative.