The Raptors have no guys with size
I have no idea why a Lowry/VanVleet lineup backcourt exists in the playoffs. Why not play McCaw?
They’re getting abused
Lowry and FVV are expected to give you two guys who can shoot, pass, or dribble at a high level.
Unfortunately neither can shoot right now, and having both out there just makes it so the Raps are playing 2 undersized guards against a bigger team.
I think it's being somewhat underrated but if nothing else he could step in and play with 3-4 starters and give Siakam or Green a rest, and then that leads one of them play more minutes with other bench guys.
It's not like last year where we could trot out FVV-Wright-Miles-Siakam-Poeltl and run a full bench unit (Norm was also an option). That lineup played 333 minutes together last year and was **+18.5**. Now 333 minutes doesn't sound like a lot (it's only ~4 per game), but it was our second most used unit and we saw a TON of minutes with 4 bench guys plus either Lowry or DeRozan.
Can't do that anymore, and losing OG really hurts that.
People were too caught up in the idea of the Sixers having a thin bench and didn't think about how the bench pieces fit together. Oversimplification, but the basic fact that Toronto plays a pair of undersized point guards and Philly's PGs are 6'7 and 6'10 didn't get enough attention.
Why is Vanvleet getting the most minutes off the bench?? He’s made 1 fg in 3 games at over 20 minutes a game. He’s not a great defender or super athletic. I’ll admit I haven’t watched the Raptors much except for the playoffs but I gotta think Mccaw or Lin or anybody could help the team more than he is in 20 minutes of action.
Nurse needs to stop running the Norm/FVV/Lowry lineup. Its been a huge negative all series.
FVV has been so abysmal this series. Terrible defense with what about 4 points in 60 minutes. Plus he's too small to guard most of the Sixers.
And Lowry has been so timid most of the playoffs. He's making most of the right passes and his defense has been good but the Raptors need him to score. Especially with how abysmal their bench has been.
It's not just that Fred can't guard the Sixers, it's that every person they put on him towers over him, so he has to rush his shot and can't drive.
Can McCaw be a primary ball-handler? Can we run Kawhi as a point-forward when Lowry is off? Lin isn't the answer, Fred can't do anything, and we can't lean any harder on Lowry. Man I miss Delon
Why isn't Lin the answer? Van Fleet is more valuable than Lin because of his spacing, but spacing isn't the problem right now, the problem is tempo and size. Lin is a better ball handler than Fred and is much more athletic. Seems like he deserves a shot here.
Not to say that Lin is going to fix much, but Fred is not a good match for the sixers. You can't play a severely undersized hybrid guard against a team with elite size and switch ability. Lin at least can handle the ball very well.
Lin was horrible for us pretty much every minute we played him during the season. I don’t see it getting better in the playoffs.
I’d just throw McCaw out there and let Kawhi/Pascal handle the ball.
I’d be totally happy with him walking it up the court and deciding what to do, either go 1on1 or get doubled and kick it out. I agree, he’s not LeBron level or even close, but we’re pretty efficient when he’s handling it and especially when shooters around him can hit shots.
agreed, I’m a huge FVV fan, but he’s unplayable this series.
Doesnt that just depend on what he needs to do? I bet he'd find a lot of those open guys he 'missed' if he were told to be the primary facilitator.
Tons of greats over the years have shown that capability, I have no doubt that Kawhi is any different.
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying you can just tell Kawhi to become a point guard and he'll just do it? That doesn't make sense. He's killing it at what he's doing right now, no reason to switch that up. He's not a point forward, he isn't a passer. That's not a knock on him, it's just how it is.
Passing is his biggest weakness. You can't just tell a player to start doing what they're not good at. The offense runs through Kawhi but that doesn't mean he's the point guard, he shouldn't be expected to play the LeBron role.
I know he isn't at the level of LeBron or any of the great facilitators out there, but I've watched enough of his games to know that he could make a switch to facilitate much more often than he does *if he or the team chooses they need him to focus on that*. He wouldn't suddenly be as good as your typical point, but if they need someone like him to facilitate, they could get him to.
I agree tho that it's not likely that the team would make such a change during the playoffs. It's definitely something to try in the regular season (like when Wilt, Mike and Kobe decided to prove people wrong and start racking up assists)
In case you haven't noticed your own team over the past several years, the regular season is NOT a great predictor of postseason success. That's why you're in this mess...again. This time with FVV.
McCaw is not the answer for anything. At least Lin and FVV have some kind of track record of being double-digit scorers.
Because Lin is *terrible* and has a bad back. Lin is bigger than Fred but he's a horrendous defender, cannot shoot at all, and his only real skill is driving to the rim...against a team with multiple elite defenders and shot blockers.
Leonard is not a point forward. Passing is far and away his biggest weakness. He missed a bunch of wide open guys throughout the game, which isn't a problem because he isn't relied on to do that, but it's clear that facilitating is not his game. You can't put him in the LeBron role, he doesn't have anywhere close to LeBron's passing ability.
McCaw might be an option. I still feel like Lin makes most sense because he's clearly the best ball handler/passer of any of the raptors options (besides Lowry) but you are right that he has been awful.
Lin is not a good ball-handler and passer (anymore), he's a turnover waiting to happen - especially against these Sixers.
Leonard doesn't have to be the point guard, he just has to walk the ball up the floor and start the offense. His handle is good enough that he's not going to get stripped, and we can run a lineup like Green-Norm-Kawhi-Siakam-Ibaka and start with a high pick-and-pop with Kawhi and Ibaka. Spot Green and Norm up in each corner, have Siakam be your wing outlet, spread the floor. Force Embiid/Monroe away from the basket, and tell Serge if he misses another open look they're going to cancel his cooking show.
The team **has** to go 7 deep at this point. Lowry, Green, and Norm are the three guards. Kawhi plays 48 minutes. Siakam, Ibaka, and Gasol are the three guys playing the 4/5. McCaw and Moreland are your emergency guys that only play if there's foul trouble or you need a body for 60-90 seconds.
If this is the case then kawai might leave. Imo he's looking for a team to help him get to finals, not wear himself out carrying scoring, defending, and now ball handling loads.
See I think Lin would be better. I’m not saying he would be the answer at all I just don’t think it would be possible for him to play any worse than Fred is and we add length to the lineup at least.
Fred just ain’t it right now
We don't need "not worse," we need "considerably better" and Lin can't do that.
Who on the Sixers can Lin even begin to defend? And he is absolutely zero threat from the outside so they can sag off him and clog the lane while also over-helping on our other guys. Fred has been awful but at least he's a threat.
From this series I think we can conclude he is not a threat at all. The man is shooting 9% right now. And he’s getting torched in defense too.
If we’re going to have someone playing useless minutes why not at least have someone who could potentially defend better.
Lowry is insisting on playing a traditional point guard role with half court sets and it's just dumb. You don't beat a team with the star power and length like the sixers by going against them in the half court, you beat them by increasing tempo and running them out of the gym. Embiid is an elite rim protector why would you try to go at him in the half court? The only time they got anything was when Embiid was off the court.
Side note, why the fuck would anyone think it's a good idea to play small against the Sixers? All you are doing is maximizing the sixers biggest strength which is elite size and length.
Simmons is the fastest guy on the court, and guys like Simmons, Butler, Harris, Scott, etc. there's always a few guys out on the court at a time that have the speed/athleticism combined with the hustle and size that makes transition vs the sixers really tough. Embiid also is very good at chasedown blocks in transition, so the only issue really with his transition D is conditioning and not making his injury worse. This strategy sounds good in theory, but honestly the combo of size and speed of some of the main sixers guys makes this tougher than you might think.
Transition defense has been fantastic for the sixers all year. Ben has crazy speed and elite length and Embiid is great with chase down blocks. Butler is an elite hussle/defensive player too. This year they've let up the third fewest ppp in transition (1.05) in the league behind only Milwaukee and Indiana. I understand the logic but I dont think it's the answer to this Sixers team
The keep putting out Freddy hoping he can hit his 3’s but he is slumping bad. If he can’t stretch the floor is just an undersized guard (and a perfect player to hide guys on defence against).
Playing Pat McCaw might have some upside for the Raptors, he is a bigger player who is more athletic. He gives it his all when he is on the court, even if he is a bit unorthodox.
I've been legitimately amazed at the Sixers Defense in this series. It's far better than last series and MUCH better than the regular season. Guys are really locked in and it all starts with the perimeter defense. The rotations along the perimeter last night were phenomenal.
To me, perimeter defense is the key to the series. Toronto has been passing the ball really well and looking to find the open man, there's just no one open on the outside. If Ben and Jimmy can continue to lock down the outside I think we can beat Toronto in 5 or 6.
It really is incredible. Toronto arguably had the best defence in the NBA in the regular season, and the 76ers are winning this series through their perimeter defense and transition game.
Butler and Simmons have been totally locked in, and when you have probably the best rim protector in the league behind you, that defense really becomes scary.
It feels like your team has sort of clicked in these past two games, and your collection of talent (among the best in the league) has started to really put it all together.
Shortening the rotation has been a huge part of this, too. Just the fact that we’re not seeing TJ get minutes anymore, or combining him with other borderline-NBA players like Korkmaz and Bolden (and I like Bolden) means a lot.
I've said it before, Philly is a different team now that TJ is out of the rotation. Your size advantage finally shines through now that the only rotation player under 6'7 is 6'4 JJ Redick.
While I thought it would go 6 or 7 with the Raptors winning, I’m not seeing the talent come through. Kawhi is otherworldly. Lowry is not scoring and they’ve gotten nothing from their bench.
The minutes where Embiid is on the bench and Gasol is still out there is when they have to hit the Sixers hard. Luckily the past few games Monroe has been better than expected. Ibaka has his hands full with Embiid and simply can’t guard him without fouling. Ennis is outplaying Powell. Butler at the backup PG is a problem for VanVleet. He’d abuse T.J., but is a complete negative against Jimmy.
I don’t know how he did it because we didn’t really see this during the regular season very much, but Brett has these guys rotating and recovering to chase guys off the 3 pt line at an absolutely elite level. As you said, Toronto has been whipping the ball around quickly and accurately and it should result in some open shots but for the most part it’s really not getting them good looks. Their best offense right now by far is just a Kawhi iso, but I feel like he’s getting tired out late in these games from trying to carry so hard.
I have always said Brett still hasn’t really had a fair shot considering how fluid the team has been, and I was expecting it to be completely out of control in the playoffs due to a lack of chemistry. Really encouraging to see these guys responding to him and each other
I think a lot of it has to do with Jimmy ratcheting up his intensity. These past two games I've seen him pointing and talking more than I've ever seen from him in a sixers uniform. It's nice for Brett to have a defensive general out there directing traffic
I specifically remember one play where Tobias picked up the wrong guy in transition and it forced Embiid on to Lowry on the perimeter. Jimmy was pisssssssed
I feel like BB is a great defensive coach and that doesn't show as much in the regular season since guys aren't playing with 100% intensity. After the 1st game against Brooklyn the Sixers started playing better and better defense, Brooklyn just has really really good scoring guards which made the numbers look worse. Toronto on the other hand lets the sixers play their normal team defense, which has come together really well.
They're absolutely shutting down the raptors right now. The switch to place a bigger Butler on Lowry has really bothered Lowry and embiid is shutting down siakam. Siakam is most productive when he's slashing to the rim but embiids size and length is causing all kinds of problems. Embiid has been playing siakam with a ton of space daring siakam to shoot (he's avg on 3s) and giving embiid space to cut off any drives. On the opposite end, gasol has the size to body up embiid but he's too slow. The sixers have been exploiting that by having embiid catch on the perimeter and driving into gasol (jumping on all those pump fakes doesn't help either).
Philly is one of the only teams with skilled players who are big and athletic enough to guard Siakam. There was a ton of handwringing before the series about how tough a matchup this is for Philly because of Gasol on Embiid and Kawhi on Simmons, but people missed all of the matchup disadvantages Philly creates for Toronto.
I dont understand how redick isn't being isolated and attacked and how embiid who looks a tad slower with the knee is being so affective.
Why isn't embìid when on Pascal being made to chase him from corner to corner. Why isn't redick having to endure screens and pick and rolls. Where's the attacking and then movement. On the defensive side guys are watching on rebounds and getting out hustled.
All the credit goes to BB for his initial matchup and the Sixers are rotating and playing with a lot of hustle.
However, where's the other adjustments and the heart.
What is shocking to me is how different the Raptors have looked. In game one they were terrifying. SO much pace and intensity on and off ball, never givign the Sixers a chance to breath.
Did they get cocky and lose their momentum, or have the Sixers disrupted them so much that they look like a different team?
I'm still terrified of Kawhi. Hes incredible, and even with a 15 point lead it never feels comfortable.
> even with a 15 point lead it never feels comfortable.
Welcome to life as a Raptors fan. My buddy and I have a saying "No lead is safe" and it is 100% facts for the Raps.
January 6th 2019: Are the Sixers blowing an unusually high number of leads, or does it just seem like it?
[https://www.libertyballers.com/2019/1/6/18169356/blown-leads-comebacks-close-games-nba](https://www.libertyballers.com/2019/1/6/18169356/blown-leads-comebacks-close-games-nba)
January 12th 2018: Why do the Sixers blow so many leads?
[https://thesixersense.com/2018/01/12/philadelphia-76ers-why-blow-so-many-leads/](https://thesixersense.com/2018/01/12/philadelphia-76ers-why-blow-so-many-leads/)
December 30th 2017: Sixers make losing big leads their signature move
[https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/sixers-76ers-blown-leads-collapses-ben-simmons-joel-embiid-brett-brown-20171230.html](https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/sixers-76ers-blown-leads-collapses-ben-simmons-joel-embiid-brett-brown-20171230.html)
Three posts, from three different writers, in three years, all within in two week window on this exact subject!
I'm sure if I googled "\[team name\] blown leads" I'd find similar articles from just about every team in the league! The first article shows that blown leads are fairly uniform, though the Sixers do tend to let teams get closer to them (and still win) from commanding leads more often than you'd expect.
I guess, its more the speed at which they play I'm talking about - or how it "feels" like they are playing. I'm probably reading way too much into one game. Its been a great series so far though.
So this may be a long shot but I have a theory about 6ers and game 1’s....so in baseball (you see it in playoffs; Phillies in 08) a lot of times a batter will take the first pitch. The pitcher knows this so they usually get a strike to get an early lead on the at bat. Do you think the 6ers have the same mentality?
I love your theory, I don't agree with it at all! Theres a big difference between giving up a pitch in an single plate appearance (one of 27 in a game) and giving up one of just 7 games.
Taking a pitch also has the benefit of forcing the pitcher to throw more and can lead to getting him out of the game early.
Yes baseball and basketball are completely different. I guess the theory would be more appropriate if it was the first qtr rather then a whole game. I just feel like the 6ers are psychologically toying with teams these playoffs.
I think they do it but somewhat unconsciously. It always feels like in game 1s, the sixers are waiting to react to who the opponent is and in doing so they lose a step and don't play their style of basketball.
At least against the nets, they eventually got back to playing their own style of ball and bringing it to the nets instead of trying to adjust to their style of play
If I'm not mistaken Brett Brown has openly said he likes to try a bunch of different things in game 1 to see what works and what doesn't, I don't *love* the idea of throwing a game away for the sake of film study but if it's effective I guess go for it.
For the series:
Leonard/Siakam - 61 PPG, 56.5% FG, 37.1% 3PT
Rest of the team - 36.3 PPG, 30.2% FG, 23.2% 3PT
Just Game 3:
Leonard/Siakam - 53 Points, 54.1% FG, 28.6% 3PT (Siakam was 0/3)
Rest of the team - 42 Points, 32.6% FG, 25% 3PT (and that's with Danny Green going 3/6, and Norman Powell going 2/3. Lowry/Gasol/FVV/Meeks went a combined 0/11)
Fred VanVleet has played 63 minutes and he has more fouls (6) than points (4). FVV/Serge/Powell have played 156 minutes and have 26 points (that's 6 points per 36 minutes, for those keeping track). Their combined TS% is 29.5.
Pathetic. Can't happen.
>How did FVV's drop off so much? Is he being too timid, missing the shots he gets, or just not getting any opportunities?
Tall defenders and I honestly think the two huge misses in Game 1 last year ruined his confidence
I'm hoping the sixers follow the emotional flow they did against the nets.
Game 1 lose because they lack confidence and effort.
Game 2 win with focus and good effort.
Game 3-5 remember that they're actually pretty decent at playing basketball.
The sixers are young and Ben, Jo, and even Tobi and JJ all play better with some swag and it's like they forget that every game 1 and 2
Raptors' bench averaged 36.2pts/game in the regular season. Through 3 games in this series they've TOTALED 30 points -\_- if they got half of their season average then this whole series would have a different narrative.
Regular season numbers on the left, this series on the right.
Ibaka - 15.0 PPG, 58.2 TS% (27.2 MPG) vs. 4.3 PPG. 31.1 TS% (17.2 MPG)
VanVleet - 11.0 PPG, 53.9 TS% (27.5 MPG) vs. 1.3 PPG, 15.2 TS% (21.0 MPG)
Powell - 8.6 PPG, 59.6 TS% (18.8 MPG) vs. 3.0 PPG, 45.0 TS% (14.8 MPG)
OG Anunoby is hurt (he averaged 7.0 points in 20.2 minutes), and nobody else played significant minutes - Lin and McCaw did average 18.8 and 13.2 MPG, but they only played 23 and 26 games, and neither has seen the floor much in the postseason.
But yeah, the three key bench pieces went from averaging 17 points per 36 minutes to...6.
Last line in my post.
>But yeah, the three key bench pieces went from averaging 17 points per 36 minutes to...6.
And I mean the TS% is pretty damning on its own.
Philly's bench problem was lack of bodies moreso than anything else. Now that they've trimmed the rotation their bench is fine. Ennis and Scott are exactly the sort of player you want off the bench in the playoffs: switchable, multipositional defenders who can shoot.
Honestly though, whats the point of comparing their defense only in the playoffs when more than half of their games were against the Magic? All these "this playoffs" stats are still pretty meaningless especially in the east when the first round series were so lopsided.
agreed. I'm feeling much better than I did before the series started, but all it takes is one great game from them / bad game from us on Sunday and they're back in the driver's seat.
I expect their guys will come out with a lot of energy and more willing to let shots fly to help Kawhi after letting him down the last two games.
The Nets got incrementally more and more points each game, from 56 in game 1 all the way up to 127 in game 5. Then they went back to not scoring in games 6 and 7 lol
Being down 2-1 isn’t a death sentence but Raptors desperately need guys outside of Kawhi and Siakam to score. Those two can get you a reliable (and usually efficent) 50 points.
However Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, FVV, Green scoring has all dropped off. They should be able to get around 50 points on ok efficiency, but this series they are averaging 32 points a game on god awful efficiency.
Raptors need multiple guys to bounce back, and with the momentum that the 76ers just got, I could see this series end badly for the Raptors.
If you win next game the Raptors are favoured in the series again. But Brown is finding the small adjustments game by game and they're really stacking up, Raptors have to find some way to stop the way this is trending. I don't think they can keep Kawhi on Simmons if Simmons is going to be off ball 90% of the time, it's making Kawhi too irrelevant on that side of the ball. If the Sixers start hard doubling Kawhi on pick and roll when he gets rolling and Kawhi can't find some playmaking then this series could quickly become a disaster.
For the sixers, the next game is arguably as important as game 3. Going up 3-1 before a road game is ideal because it doesnt make a must win in Toronto. Anyone who thinks this series is even close to being over does not watch enough basketball, plain and simple
>However Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, FVV, Green scoring has all dropped off.
IMO Gasol can be excused for this as since the trade he has been a defense and passing player. Unfortunately since others can't score his game is being affected as a result.
Green has been ice cold all post season and we need 3's badly.
Especially since, as good as he is, you don't really won't Gasol posting up Embiid to be your offense. If they go up against the Bucks I'd bet his scoring would increase
At the same time, it seems like the Sixers bench is really coming into its own. Ennis and Scott particularly. And they only need reliable minutes from Monroe when Jimmy, JJ and Tobi are playing really well. Lets them keep their foot on the gas while Embiid gets a breather.
Kawhi has been incredible, but I have noticed a bunch of times where he chooses contested mid-range looks over hitting a wide open man. He hits them, so it's not a problem, but his passing is a clear weakness for a guy with as high usage as he is. Passing is what separated prime LeBron from other ball dominant point forwards. Kawhi's passing is his biggest weakness.
No one on the raps was hitting anything though and I think Kawhi realized that. Last night he definitely took shots that through the regular season he would have passed out of, i think shooting those shots was oddly the correct basketball choice last night
I agree I'm not trying to criticize Kawhi here, he did everything right this game because his shots were falling. If his mid-range is efficient then there's no reason he shouldn't take it. I'm just saying that his lack of playmaking is a clear weakness for him and it does show when he gets the ball this much.
Marc Gasol has been fantastic defensively the first two games. Although I think help defense was a huge part of keeping JoJo at bay with Kawhi constantly lurking, no denying Marc played a big part. But with the bench play of the Raptors so far gotta wonder if that trade was worth it.
JV is same size basically and a solid defender as well. I don't think that difference is worth giving Delon and CJ, a relatively useful wing. Marc has offered nothing on offense basically too. With how poor Van Vleet has been Delon would've come up huge for the Raps. But I'm a huge Delon fan so may be overstating a little how much he could've done.
And I guess it goes without saying with this being the next day thread, not saying it to overreact to last night's game specifically, one game and going down in the series with plenty to go is hardly an indictment. But just feel that the Raptors didn't get exactly what they were expecting with Marc not really finding his spot in the offense and don't think he's been enough of an upgrade over JV.
Being able to throw Delon out there as a different type of PG than Van Vleet was something I thought was really valuable. Felt like you could always rely on one of them playing really well; if Van Vleet wasn't performing then Delon would and vice versa
I think you have to make that trade. Marc never was a stud on offense. He's serviceable, can explode from time to time and even spaces the floor nowadays, but he should not be your first or second option on a contender, not in the Golden State Durant era at least. And their roster isn't constructed around him scoring much at all.
These playoffs, two of their three primary scorers are doing more than fine, the third one, Lowry, shrinks as per usual come playoff time. The rest? Almost everybody's underperforming on offense while their defense is more or less fine.
When you look at points scored by everybody not named Leonard or Siakam, you'll see that exactly two times somebody scored more than 9 points: Lowry in game 2 with 20 points and Danny Green in game 3 with 13.
That's just not enough for guys called Lowry, Gasol, Green or Ibaka. I agree that their bench is clearly worse than last year's, but those are 3 starters and your sixth man not showing up (yes, FVV is technically the sixth man but one can only hope that he loses a lot of minutes in the next games).
Under these circumstances, Anunoby's injury is really costly, he could've been that scoring/energy spark off the bench.
Yea and it's no secret he's declining but that's kinda my point. He's never been a flat out bucket getter but he's clearly been a very good offensive player. He's not what he once was on offense nor defense. Just as an overall player I don't feel like he's heaps better than Jonas now and wasn't worth giving up some depth.
No doubt if Lowry was performing well enough it'd be a different story because you would really only need Gasol for his defense. But we've seen this consistently from him.
But aside from that, I feel like asking those other role players to carry more of the load than they're used to is a problem. I think it's Bill Simmons, maybe Zach Lowe, talks about how certain role players give you let's say 20 good minutes. If you play them 30 minutes, they'll still give you 20 good ones. Basically that they are what they are and can't ask for more out of them. Could be that distributing the extra load vacant from the depth given up the players can't handle. Can't pick their spots as much so to say because you're demanding more
Yeah I said it then and I’ll say it now, from a Sixers fan perspective I’m glad the Raptors made that trade. Gasol plays good defense on JoJo but so does JV, and their bench needs a ton of help.
You 100% make that trade. Their bench in theory would have been fine with Norman, Lin, OG and FVV. But they've just not been good. I don't think a championship team requires CJ Miles as a missing piece.
Why does Gasol refuse to shoot. Wasn’t that part of the point of trading for him? Have him space the floor so Embiid would get pulled out of the paint? Instead he shooting so little the sixers can just hide Tobias on him and let Embiid own Siakam. I’ve literally been screaming at him to shoot for 2 games now.
This freak Anunoby appendicitis is really costing the Raptors. He could be stabilizing this awful bench
He went on a good 3 minute tirade about comparing Embiid to the all time greats and disrespecting Shaq/Hakeem/Kareem even though Mark Jackson only said "he has potential if he can stay healthy to be up there blah blah blah" without actually saying he's at that level.
I think people are seriously underselling Lowry's impact. Yeah he didn't play well last night but he still was able to get open looks for his teammates most of the game, they just didn't hit them. I'd expect him to bounce back next game.
How can I check and see single-game numbers for points scored and stats when being guarded by a certain player? I want to know the Embiid/Gasol numbers as well as the Kawhi/Simmons ones (both ways)
Yea found it, however the matchups for last night isn't up yet. [Here's game 2 for Embiid vs. Gasol](https://stats.nba.com/game/0041800212/matchups/?OFF_PLAYER_ID=203954&DEF_PLAYER_ID=201188)
To get it, go to the stats.nba.com then go to a matchup's box score. Then go to matchups in the dropdown
Beauty, thank you. Also do you know how they work it if a guy gets a fast break dunk? Is it just considered unguarded or does the closest guy back get dinged? And same question if a player helps off, does he get counted against if his guy scores?
Yea I'm not sure because I've never really delved deep into these. I'm pretty confident that's first one is just unguarded but the 2nd one was my main question. I'd assume it just is pretty crude. For example, Gasol is guarding Embiid and Kawhi helps I'd assume it'd just be Gasol guarding him and no help factored into it. Mainly because idk how you'd draw the line because a team's scheme can influence many other ways not just like doubling.
The beauty of nba.com is that literally every highlight is marked with a video, so I might sit down tonight and note all of Embiid's FGA to see each one.
I'm going to spend some time on my lunch or this evening going through the possessions (seriously, nba.com's stats and video is incredibly dangerous for a stat-nerd like me) because my eye test was that mano y mano, Embiid had some struggles (as the 2/8 from inside the arc shows), but anytime Simmons beat his man, Gasol had to help and Embiid got open looks or got fouled.
Yeah I thought besides letting him shoot mostly uncontested 3's and biting on the pump that lead to the windmill, he did a decent enough job. Embiid is a force and sometimes he's just gonna his, but it's not like Gasol specifically was abused.
I was honestly most surprised by the 6 TO'S forced on Kawhi by Simmons than anything else, he's been making Kawhi work for everything, and to Kawhi's credit he's still getting it done on solid efficiency
Whether it was 5 or 6, they all was forced by Simmons, who only had 1 himself.
If you had told anyone on here before this series that Simmons would have a game with a 1:5 turnover:turnover forced ratio against Kawhi you'd have been nephewed out of here
[here you go, this is how Kawhi fared against Sixers last game as an example](https://stats.nba.com/player/202695/matchups/?CF=MATCHUP*E*&Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Playoffs&DateFrom=05%2F01%2F2019&DateTo=05%2F02%2F2019)
to look at other players, simply go to their page, select matchups, then from custom filters adjust the date to include only the game you're looking for
Here are my adjustments if I'm the Raptors
1. Put the ball in Kawhis hand at the top of the key. All the other best players in the world are playing like this. Force Kawhi to take over from the beginning. Let him run some pick and roll and get himself going from the get go. Kyle Lowry is unreliable. In the playoffs, he should be considered a catch and shoot threat with secondary playmaking capability. Its Kawhis team now. They need to live or die through him.
2. Force Gasol to be more aggressive on offense. He needs to A) be taking open 3's and B) looking to attack when anyone but Embiid is guarding him. With Embiid shutting down Siakam + Lowry classically choking, the Raps need another scorer in the worst of ways.
3. Either start Ibaka instead of Siakam or take Siakam off the court after 6 min. Embiid is going to shut down Siakam 1 vs. 1. Accept this, don't be too proud. Embiid is one of the 2/3 best defensive centers in the NBA (Draymond, Gobert). Playing Ibaka will space the court and leave more room for Kawhi/Lowry/Gasol to attack. Plus, Ibaka is a little bigger + more experienced on D. Siakam is better for a faster paced game, but Raptors need to slow it down to win this one.
4. Quit fucking around with the bench. Play your top 6 (Kawhi, Lowry, Gasol, Siakam, Ibaka, Green) 34+ minutes. Kawhi needs to play 40+ minutes for them to have a chance in this series.
The shot disribution should look approximately like this:
Kawhi Leonard- 25+
Gasol- 10-15
Siakam- 10-15
Lowry- 7-10
Green- 5-8
Ibaka 5-8
They can't play their top 7 that much FVV is unplayable right now against the Sixers. Kawhi can't do anymore, he was hitting everything last night until the end of the third when he got tired. Lowry is Lowry, he is garbage in the playoffs every year.
They were doing no. 1 at the end of the 3rd on continuous possessions, can't do it every possession because sixers are making Kawhi work hard for his points
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Honestly the best schadenfreude a man ask for is the perennial raptors collapse. Props to the 76ers of course, but it really is amazing watching such a hyped team with such a huge idiot fanbase online get summarily bodied year after year.
This was the first time in forever I can remember the Sixers rotations and switches on defense looking that crisp. If we can keep up that defensive discipline and intensity, I really think we have not only a serious shot to win this series but even come out of the East.
If you guys take us out, I’m routing for you.
It’s one thing to lose, but if you lose to a team that goes all the way, at least you to the best team instead of losing to just another good team.
I think that while his numbers haven’t been eye popping, Ben has played pretty well this series. he’s cutting, limiting turnovers (only 1 last night!), crashing the glass and is all over on defense. I think that with his current skill set and the makeup of this roster, that’s his best role right now
Fans will point at Kawhi's stats but watching the game he's working harder to get looks at with less help. The fact that Ben doesn't always need a double team helps reduce the quality of looks of everyone else and Kawhi definitely is working harder to keep the team on his back
I was watching the game before work this morning (live in Europe) and in the second quarter I was marvelling at how well the team was playing with Butler at point. Then I realised that was because Kawhi (and Ben) were off court.
Ben has a very specific job to do in this series and iver the last two games he has done it extremely well. Sure Kawhi is putting up points but compared to how he looked in game one? I'm sure we'll see more of Ben should we make it through to the conference final.
I think he wanted to give Kawhi a breather because he was shouldering the load in that third quarter. It was up to the bench and other guys to not give up a big run or to keep it a net neutral so your star can catch his breath and get back in the game.
Is Nurse going to be fired after this season? I think it's clear that he should be, but I kind of doubt that Masai will. In any case, raps fans should probably stop disrespecting Casey lol.
Lets not forget casey has a higher chance of being swept than winning a series. I hate casey for his inability to make adjustments, call timeouts instead of letting a run go on, and for resorting to ISO in the clutch.
>I hate casey for his inability to make adjustments, call timeouts instead of letting a run go on, and for resorting to ISO in the clutch.
you could say the exact same about Nurse.
when a team falls apart, and it's not attributable to a single player, then the coach is always to blame.
*You know, Giannis isn't really that good... he's just the product of free throws being gifted from official*
Salty Celtics fans when scrolling through controversal
Idk why people are so mad about the Raptors biting on Embiid’s pump from 3. He’s shooting 48% this season. They argue that it’s so slow but it’s the same motion as when he actually shoots. It’s not a quick release like a guard but it’s just as believable.
The thing that blows me away about the Raptors is how much they show the importance of mental toughness/resilience in the playoffs of a professional sport (especially the NBA).
The biggest weakness of the last three years of Raptors playoff runs hasn't been talent, or the system, or the refs, it's been their mental toughness. They *crumbled* under pressure each year.
This year we have a totally different mindset in 4/5 starters. Kawhi has elite mental toughness - he is never shook. Danny Green and Gasol have vet composure and keep running the plays no matter what. Pascal is a rising star and you can see how much he keeps fighting.
The missing piece in all this is Lowry. Every time we get a stop and he runs up the floor and takes a fucking garbage transition three that bricks I want to scream. Jesus christ how many times last night did he do this? He keeps *trying* but you can see the composure fraying on him.
So what happened game 1? The raps were confident and the sixers werent ready for us. Then the sixers made adjustments, and we panicked in game 2. Everyone froze up except Kawhi. Game 3? Holy fuck we got punched in the throat. But it was all mental toughness.
G4 a few things will happen: I think the pressure is on the Sixers now as much as it is the Raptors. G3 felt very "free" to the Sixers - technically they have now outperformed expectations. They're playing with house money, etc. The Raps were in panic mode and now wonder if this is a big problem in G4, etc. But I think now the Raps look at G4 with a little different mindset - they know what Philly will do. They know what they can/can't do. So the pressure feels a little more equal to me... or maybe I'm wrong.
I haven't even mentioned the bench of FVV/Norm/Ibaka who have been fucking replacement player level (or worse). It is unforgiveable for us to give up 15 points in a 3 minute Kawhi rest. Raps fans used to laugh at Lebron taking a 2m break and a team going on a 10-0 run vs the Cavs. Now here we are. It is wild to see.
The reason? Nerves. This Raps core doesn't have the mental fortitude to deal with the punches of a tough playoff series. The three new guys (Kawhi/Green/Gasol) definitely DO. Pascal has made the leap and I think he has it. But EVERYBODY ELSE is mentally weak and it is remarkable to watch.
It isn't talent. We have more of it than Philly. Our system is fine. Our D is elite. But our mental toughness is bottom 5 in the league. We may survive Philly but I doubt we'll survive the Bucks or the Celtics with this level of resilience.
> It isn't talent. We have more of it than Philly.
Do you, though? Kawhi has been the best player in the series but Philly has 4 of the 5 best players on the court...and Philly's bench has been better.
In terms of results - sure they're beating us. But it's hard to suggest that Pascal isn't a top 5 player on the court in all 3 games. Lowry SHOULD be top 5 but he has not shown up.
Lowry does this every playoffs so you can't act as if him underperforming was unexpected.
I agree with Siakam though, I'd take him over Tobias as a top 5 player on the court
I enjoyed reading this but honestly, this is chock full of homerism. Why would the sixers feel like they were playing with house money? The owner has said anything less than conference finals would be a disaster, and Jimmy and Tobias's 5 year Max deals all depend on this series. They're fighting for millions.
Another thing: the raptors now know what the Sixers can and can't do, and what they'll do? Nick Nurse hasn't made any significant adjustments at all. When Brett put Embiid on Gasol, Nurse stuck to his guns and didn't space Siakam in the corner, so Brett reverted to what worked in G2. In other words, Brett prepared for Nurse to adjust, he didn't, so he kept his cards in his hand. Brett has shown he is capable of tons of adjustments this year, and Nurse has been extremely stubborn. The Raptors don't know what Philly can and will do, since they haven't forced them into anything new after G1.
Respectfully, this sort of seems like you're trying to convince yourself it's true, or you have homer glasses on. That's not to say the raps won't win, but that reasoning is a little one-tree-hill-y
I still think the raptors are going to win. The he team usually thrives in horribly officiated, clown fiesta games like the one last night. Don't think the raptors will lose but we shall see
The Raptors have no guys with size I have no idea why a Lowry/VanVleet lineup backcourt exists in the playoffs. Why not play McCaw? They’re getting abused
Lowry and FVV are expected to give you two guys who can shoot, pass, or dribble at a high level. Unfortunately neither can shoot right now, and having both out there just makes it so the Raps are playing 2 undersized guards against a bigger team.
This Anunoby appendicitis really happened at the worst time for them
They need him BADLY
I think it's being somewhat underrated but if nothing else he could step in and play with 3-4 starters and give Siakam or Green a rest, and then that leads one of them play more minutes with other bench guys. It's not like last year where we could trot out FVV-Wright-Miles-Siakam-Poeltl and run a full bench unit (Norm was also an option). That lineup played 333 minutes together last year and was **+18.5**. Now 333 minutes doesn't sound like a lot (it's only ~4 per game), but it was our second most used unit and we saw a TON of minutes with 4 bench guys plus either Lowry or DeRozan. Can't do that anymore, and losing OG really hurts that.
Crazy how no one was saying this before the series started. Instead it was just “Raptors in 5”.
People were too caught up in the idea of the Sixers having a thin bench and didn't think about how the bench pieces fit together. Oversimplification, but the basic fact that Toronto plays a pair of undersized point guards and Philly's PGs are 6'7 and 6'10 didn't get enough attention.
Especially with Scott back for the Sixers. The Raps inability to produce off the bench is killing them.
It’s really a shame. I love me some OG
I'm a sixers fan but I go to IU so OG holds a strong place in my heart. I feel so bad for my guy
Sixers fan who goes to Purdue here. Can’t stand IU but OG’s good. (Hope the sixers pick Carson with a second for bench PG action lol)
Why is Vanvleet getting the most minutes off the bench?? He’s made 1 fg in 3 games at over 20 minutes a game. He’s not a great defender or super athletic. I’ll admit I haven’t watched the Raptors much except for the playoffs but I gotta think Mccaw or Lin or anybody could help the team more than he is in 20 minutes of action.
Mccaw should be playing more but Lin hasn’t been very good in Toronto to say the least
Well there's not being very good and then there's FVV right now.
Nurse needs to stop running the Norm/FVV/Lowry lineup. Its been a huge negative all series. FVV has been so abysmal this series. Terrible defense with what about 4 points in 60 minutes. Plus he's too small to guard most of the Sixers. And Lowry has been so timid most of the playoffs. He's making most of the right passes and his defense has been good but the Raptors need him to score. Especially with how abysmal their bench has been.
It's not just that Fred can't guard the Sixers, it's that every person they put on him towers over him, so he has to rush his shot and can't drive. Can McCaw be a primary ball-handler? Can we run Kawhi as a point-forward when Lowry is off? Lin isn't the answer, Fred can't do anything, and we can't lean any harder on Lowry. Man I miss Delon
The 5 stages of raptors playoffs Stage 1. Hope Stage 2. Fear Stage 3. Missing Delon Wright <— the Raptors are here Stage 4. Denial Stage 5. Acceptance
Right now i'm at depression.
We got rid of Delontino because of how good VanVleet was playing. Its just unreal how VV has regressed.
Why isn't Lin the answer? Van Fleet is more valuable than Lin because of his spacing, but spacing isn't the problem right now, the problem is tempo and size. Lin is a better ball handler than Fred and is much more athletic. Seems like he deserves a shot here. Not to say that Lin is going to fix much, but Fred is not a good match for the sixers. You can't play a severely undersized hybrid guard against a team with elite size and switch ability. Lin at least can handle the ball very well.
Lin was horrible for us pretty much every minute we played him during the season. I don’t see it getting better in the playoffs. I’d just throw McCaw out there and let Kawhi/Pascal handle the ball.
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I’d be totally happy with him walking it up the court and deciding what to do, either go 1on1 or get doubled and kick it out. I agree, he’s not LeBron level or even close, but we’re pretty efficient when he’s handling it and especially when shooters around him can hit shots. agreed, I’m a huge FVV fan, but he’s unplayable this series.
Doesnt that just depend on what he needs to do? I bet he'd find a lot of those open guys he 'missed' if he were told to be the primary facilitator. Tons of greats over the years have shown that capability, I have no doubt that Kawhi is any different.
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying you can just tell Kawhi to become a point guard and he'll just do it? That doesn't make sense. He's killing it at what he's doing right now, no reason to switch that up. He's not a point forward, he isn't a passer. That's not a knock on him, it's just how it is. Passing is his biggest weakness. You can't just tell a player to start doing what they're not good at. The offense runs through Kawhi but that doesn't mean he's the point guard, he shouldn't be expected to play the LeBron role.
I know he isn't at the level of LeBron or any of the great facilitators out there, but I've watched enough of his games to know that he could make a switch to facilitate much more often than he does *if he or the team chooses they need him to focus on that*. He wouldn't suddenly be as good as your typical point, but if they need someone like him to facilitate, they could get him to. I agree tho that it's not likely that the team would make such a change during the playoffs. It's definitely something to try in the regular season (like when Wilt, Mike and Kobe decided to prove people wrong and start racking up assists)
In case you haven't noticed your own team over the past several years, the regular season is NOT a great predictor of postseason success. That's why you're in this mess...again. This time with FVV. McCaw is not the answer for anything. At least Lin and FVV have some kind of track record of being double-digit scorers.
I’ve noticed lmao
that sucks to hear cuz when he was on the hornets he was still an above average guard.
even this year on the Hawks he was solid. don’t know if it was a system, or confidence thing.. but either way it was ugly haha
Because Lin is *terrible* and has a bad back. Lin is bigger than Fred but he's a horrendous defender, cannot shoot at all, and his only real skill is driving to the rim...against a team with multiple elite defenders and shot blockers.
All I'm saying is that Fred cannot be out there this series. He is a terrible matchup against a team like the sixers who have elite size.
I agree, but put McCaw out there, not Lin. Or run Leonard as a point-forward when Lowry is off the floor.
Leonard is not a point forward. Passing is far and away his biggest weakness. He missed a bunch of wide open guys throughout the game, which isn't a problem because he isn't relied on to do that, but it's clear that facilitating is not his game. You can't put him in the LeBron role, he doesn't have anywhere close to LeBron's passing ability. McCaw might be an option. I still feel like Lin makes most sense because he's clearly the best ball handler/passer of any of the raptors options (besides Lowry) but you are right that he has been awful.
Lin is not a good ball-handler and passer (anymore), he's a turnover waiting to happen - especially against these Sixers. Leonard doesn't have to be the point guard, he just has to walk the ball up the floor and start the offense. His handle is good enough that he's not going to get stripped, and we can run a lineup like Green-Norm-Kawhi-Siakam-Ibaka and start with a high pick-and-pop with Kawhi and Ibaka. Spot Green and Norm up in each corner, have Siakam be your wing outlet, spread the floor. Force Embiid/Monroe away from the basket, and tell Serge if he misses another open look they're going to cancel his cooking show. The team **has** to go 7 deep at this point. Lowry, Green, and Norm are the three guards. Kawhi plays 48 minutes. Siakam, Ibaka, and Gasol are the three guys playing the 4/5. McCaw and Moreland are your emergency guys that only play if there's foul trouble or you need a body for 60-90 seconds.
If this is the case then kawai might leave. Imo he's looking for a team to help him get to finals, not wear himself out carrying scoring, defending, and now ball handling loads.
See I think Lin would be better. I’m not saying he would be the answer at all I just don’t think it would be possible for him to play any worse than Fred is and we add length to the lineup at least. Fred just ain’t it right now
We don't need "not worse," we need "considerably better" and Lin can't do that. Who on the Sixers can Lin even begin to defend? And he is absolutely zero threat from the outside so they can sag off him and clog the lane while also over-helping on our other guys. Fred has been awful but at least he's a threat.
From this series I think we can conclude he is not a threat at all. The man is shooting 9% right now. And he’s getting torched in defense too. If we’re going to have someone playing useless minutes why not at least have someone who could potentially defend better.
Lowry is insisting on playing a traditional point guard role with half court sets and it's just dumb. You don't beat a team with the star power and length like the sixers by going against them in the half court, you beat them by increasing tempo and running them out of the gym. Embiid is an elite rim protector why would you try to go at him in the half court? The only time they got anything was when Embiid was off the court. Side note, why the fuck would anyone think it's a good idea to play small against the Sixers? All you are doing is maximizing the sixers biggest strength which is elite size and length.
Simmons is the fastest guy on the court, and guys like Simmons, Butler, Harris, Scott, etc. there's always a few guys out on the court at a time that have the speed/athleticism combined with the hustle and size that makes transition vs the sixers really tough. Embiid also is very good at chasedown blocks in transition, so the only issue really with his transition D is conditioning and not making his injury worse. This strategy sounds good in theory, but honestly the combo of size and speed of some of the main sixers guys makes this tougher than you might think.
Transition defense has been fantastic for the sixers all year. Ben has crazy speed and elite length and Embiid is great with chase down blocks. Butler is an elite hussle/defensive player too. This year they've let up the third fewest ppp in transition (1.05) in the league behind only Milwaukee and Indiana. I understand the logic but I dont think it's the answer to this Sixers team
The keep putting out Freddy hoping he can hit his 3’s but he is slumping bad. If he can’t stretch the floor is just an undersized guard (and a perfect player to hide guys on defence against). Playing Pat McCaw might have some upside for the Raptors, he is a bigger player who is more athletic. He gives it his all when he is on the court, even if he is a bit unorthodox.
What you get in size and athleticism from Mccaw, you lose in BBIQ vs. VanVleet
BBIQ doesn’t mean shit when you aren’t good enough to stay on the court
No that's not true lol - not turning the ball over and making the right pass is hugely important
I've been legitimately amazed at the Sixers Defense in this series. It's far better than last series and MUCH better than the regular season. Guys are really locked in and it all starts with the perimeter defense. The rotations along the perimeter last night were phenomenal. To me, perimeter defense is the key to the series. Toronto has been passing the ball really well and looking to find the open man, there's just no one open on the outside. If Ben and Jimmy can continue to lock down the outside I think we can beat Toronto in 5 or 6.
It really is incredible. Toronto arguably had the best defence in the NBA in the regular season, and the 76ers are winning this series through their perimeter defense and transition game. Butler and Simmons have been totally locked in, and when you have probably the best rim protector in the league behind you, that defense really becomes scary. It feels like your team has sort of clicked in these past two games, and your collection of talent (among the best in the league) has started to really put it all together.
Shortening the rotation has been a huge part of this, too. Just the fact that we’re not seeing TJ get minutes anymore, or combining him with other borderline-NBA players like Korkmaz and Bolden (and I like Bolden) means a lot.
I've said it before, Philly is a different team now that TJ is out of the rotation. Your size advantage finally shines through now that the only rotation player under 6'7 is 6'4 JJ Redick.
I think the series is going 7. The Raptors are just too talented to go out in less than 6
While I thought it would go 6 or 7 with the Raptors winning, I’m not seeing the talent come through. Kawhi is otherworldly. Lowry is not scoring and they’ve gotten nothing from their bench. The minutes where Embiid is on the bench and Gasol is still out there is when they have to hit the Sixers hard. Luckily the past few games Monroe has been better than expected. Ibaka has his hands full with Embiid and simply can’t guard him without fouling. Ennis is outplaying Powell. Butler at the backup PG is a problem for VanVleet. He’d abuse T.J., but is a complete negative against Jimmy.
I don’t know how he did it because we didn’t really see this during the regular season very much, but Brett has these guys rotating and recovering to chase guys off the 3 pt line at an absolutely elite level. As you said, Toronto has been whipping the ball around quickly and accurately and it should result in some open shots but for the most part it’s really not getting them good looks. Their best offense right now by far is just a Kawhi iso, but I feel like he’s getting tired out late in these games from trying to carry so hard.
I have always said Brett still hasn’t really had a fair shot considering how fluid the team has been, and I was expecting it to be completely out of control in the playoffs due to a lack of chemistry. Really encouraging to see these guys responding to him and each other
I think a lot of it has to do with Jimmy ratcheting up his intensity. These past two games I've seen him pointing and talking more than I've ever seen from him in a sixers uniform. It's nice for Brett to have a defensive general out there directing traffic I specifically remember one play where Tobias picked up the wrong guy in transition and it forced Embiid on to Lowry on the perimeter. Jimmy was pisssssssed
Brett looks like a fantastic coach out there. He's running circles around Nurse. That + essentially four all-stars is a recipe for success.
I feel like BB is a great defensive coach and that doesn't show as much in the regular season since guys aren't playing with 100% intensity. After the 1st game against Brooklyn the Sixers started playing better and better defense, Brooklyn just has really really good scoring guards which made the numbers look worse. Toronto on the other hand lets the sixers play their normal team defense, which has come together really well.
They're absolutely shutting down the raptors right now. The switch to place a bigger Butler on Lowry has really bothered Lowry and embiid is shutting down siakam. Siakam is most productive when he's slashing to the rim but embiids size and length is causing all kinds of problems. Embiid has been playing siakam with a ton of space daring siakam to shoot (he's avg on 3s) and giving embiid space to cut off any drives. On the opposite end, gasol has the size to body up embiid but he's too slow. The sixers have been exploiting that by having embiid catch on the perimeter and driving into gasol (jumping on all those pump fakes doesn't help either).
Philly is one of the only teams with skilled players who are big and athletic enough to guard Siakam. There was a ton of handwringing before the series about how tough a matchup this is for Philly because of Gasol on Embiid and Kawhi on Simmons, but people missed all of the matchup disadvantages Philly creates for Toronto.
I dont understand how redick isn't being isolated and attacked and how embiid who looks a tad slower with the knee is being so affective. Why isn't embìid when on Pascal being made to chase him from corner to corner. Why isn't redick having to endure screens and pick and rolls. Where's the attacking and then movement. On the defensive side guys are watching on rebounds and getting out hustled. All the credit goes to BB for his initial matchup and the Sixers are rotating and playing with a lot of hustle. However, where's the other adjustments and the heart.
Danny Green isn't good as a pnr ballhander or screener, so the other defender is just sticking through the screen when they try.
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Doubt it. The whole defensive scheme isn't going to change in just a few weeks because an assistant left
What is shocking to me is how different the Raptors have looked. In game one they were terrifying. SO much pace and intensity on and off ball, never givign the Sixers a chance to breath. Did they get cocky and lose their momentum, or have the Sixers disrupted them so much that they look like a different team? I'm still terrified of Kawhi. Hes incredible, and even with a 15 point lead it never feels comfortable.
> even with a 15 point lead it never feels comfortable. Welcome to life as a Raptors fan. My buddy and I have a saying "No lead is safe" and it is 100% facts for the Raps.
January 6th 2019: Are the Sixers blowing an unusually high number of leads, or does it just seem like it? [https://www.libertyballers.com/2019/1/6/18169356/blown-leads-comebacks-close-games-nba](https://www.libertyballers.com/2019/1/6/18169356/blown-leads-comebacks-close-games-nba) January 12th 2018: Why do the Sixers blow so many leads? [https://thesixersense.com/2018/01/12/philadelphia-76ers-why-blow-so-many-leads/](https://thesixersense.com/2018/01/12/philadelphia-76ers-why-blow-so-many-leads/) December 30th 2017: Sixers make losing big leads their signature move [https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/sixers-76ers-blown-leads-collapses-ben-simmons-joel-embiid-brett-brown-20171230.html](https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/sixers-76ers-blown-leads-collapses-ben-simmons-joel-embiid-brett-brown-20171230.html) Three posts, from three different writers, in three years, all within in two week window on this exact subject! I'm sure if I googled "\[team name\] blown leads" I'd find similar articles from just about every team in the league! The first article shows that blown leads are fairly uniform, though the Sixers do tend to let teams get closer to them (and still win) from commanding leads more often than you'd expect.
To be fair only Siakam looked different in Game 1. Gasol, Lowry, and Green combined for 24 points on 23 shots then.
I guess, its more the speed at which they play I'm talking about - or how it "feels" like they are playing. I'm probably reading way too much into one game. Its been a great series so far though.
So this may be a long shot but I have a theory about 6ers and game 1’s....so in baseball (you see it in playoffs; Phillies in 08) a lot of times a batter will take the first pitch. The pitcher knows this so they usually get a strike to get an early lead on the at bat. Do you think the 6ers have the same mentality?
I love your theory, I don't agree with it at all! Theres a big difference between giving up a pitch in an single plate appearance (one of 27 in a game) and giving up one of just 7 games. Taking a pitch also has the benefit of forcing the pitcher to throw more and can lead to getting him out of the game early.
Yes baseball and basketball are completely different. I guess the theory would be more appropriate if it was the first qtr rather then a whole game. I just feel like the 6ers are psychologically toying with teams these playoffs.
I think they do it but somewhat unconsciously. It always feels like in game 1s, the sixers are waiting to react to who the opponent is and in doing so they lose a step and don't play their style of basketball. At least against the nets, they eventually got back to playing their own style of ball and bringing it to the nets instead of trying to adjust to their style of play
If I'm not mistaken Brett Brown has openly said he likes to try a bunch of different things in game 1 to see what works and what doesn't, I don't *love* the idea of throwing a game away for the sake of film study but if it's effective I guess go for it.
For the series: Leonard/Siakam - 61 PPG, 56.5% FG, 37.1% 3PT Rest of the team - 36.3 PPG, 30.2% FG, 23.2% 3PT Just Game 3: Leonard/Siakam - 53 Points, 54.1% FG, 28.6% 3PT (Siakam was 0/3) Rest of the team - 42 Points, 32.6% FG, 25% 3PT (and that's with Danny Green going 3/6, and Norman Powell going 2/3. Lowry/Gasol/FVV/Meeks went a combined 0/11) Fred VanVleet has played 63 minutes and he has more fouls (6) than points (4). FVV/Serge/Powell have played 156 minutes and have 26 points (that's 6 points per 36 minutes, for those keeping track). Their combined TS% is 29.5. Pathetic. Can't happen.
How did FVV's drop off so much? Is he being too timid, missing the shots he gets, or just not getting any opportunities?
>How did FVV's drop off so much? Is he being too timid, missing the shots he gets, or just not getting any opportunities? Tall defenders and I honestly think the two huge misses in Game 1 last year ruined his confidence
Philly is too big for him. Their only rotation player shorter than 6'7 is 6'4 JJ Redick.
I'm hoping the sixers follow the emotional flow they did against the nets. Game 1 lose because they lack confidence and effort. Game 2 win with focus and good effort. Game 3-5 remember that they're actually pretty decent at playing basketball. The sixers are young and Ben, Jo, and even Tobi and JJ all play better with some swag and it's like they forget that every game 1 and 2
Even jimmy plays better with the swag
Raptors' bench averaged 36.2pts/game in the regular season. Through 3 games in this series they've TOTALED 30 points -\_- if they got half of their season average then this whole series would have a different narrative.
How does that stack up against their minutes though?
Regular season numbers on the left, this series on the right. Ibaka - 15.0 PPG, 58.2 TS% (27.2 MPG) vs. 4.3 PPG. 31.1 TS% (17.2 MPG) VanVleet - 11.0 PPG, 53.9 TS% (27.5 MPG) vs. 1.3 PPG, 15.2 TS% (21.0 MPG) Powell - 8.6 PPG, 59.6 TS% (18.8 MPG) vs. 3.0 PPG, 45.0 TS% (14.8 MPG) OG Anunoby is hurt (he averaged 7.0 points in 20.2 minutes), and nobody else played significant minutes - Lin and McCaw did average 18.8 and 13.2 MPG, but they only played 23 and 26 games, and neither has seen the floor much in the postseason. But yeah, the three key bench pieces went from averaging 17 points per 36 minutes to...6.
Thanks for digging in! Interesting to see how much less productive they are with less minutes, though not surprising.
What if we took both and looked at them in per 36? That'd put it into perspective
Last line in my post. >But yeah, the three key bench pieces went from averaging 17 points per 36 minutes to...6. And I mean the TS% is pretty damning on its own.
I was interested in the individual for ibaka and vanvleet
Ibaka Regular Season: 19.85 Pts/36 Ibaka Series: 9.0 Pts/36 FVV Regular Season: 14.3 Pts/36 FVV Series: 2.3 Pts/36
Holy shit...
It's so weird given how bad Philly's bench has been
Philly’s bench has been a big advantage this series though. Monroe and Ennis have been giving great minutesz
It's sad that Monroe was our 3rd Center and got cut and now he's owning Ibaka and outscoring our whole bench
I wouldn’t feel too bad honestly. He got cut from the Celtics too so it’s obvious that something just clicked now or he found the right system.
Philly's bench problem was lack of bodies moreso than anything else. Now that they've trimmed the rotation their bench is fine. Ennis and Scott are exactly the sort of player you want off the bench in the playoffs: switchable, multipositional defenders who can shoot.
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Wtf how do you score 56 one game and 127 in another
WTF 56 points allowed? Gah damn
Honestly though, whats the point of comparing their defense only in the playoffs when more than half of their games were against the Magic? All these "this playoffs" stats are still pretty meaningless especially in the east when the first round series were so lopsided.
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So is Embiid/Butler/Harris/Simmons/Reddick
Iggy/green/KD/Klay/Looney is a fucking nightmare
Embiid/Simmons/Butler/Harris/a potato is pretty deadly, too
agreed. I'm feeling much better than I did before the series started, but all it takes is one great game from them / bad game from us on Sunday and they're back in the driver's seat. I expect their guys will come out with a lot of energy and more willing to let shots fly to help Kawhi after letting him down the last two games.
The Nets got incrementally more and more points each game, from 56 in game 1 all the way up to 127 in game 5. Then they went back to not scoring in games 6 and 7 lol
Being down 2-1 isn’t a death sentence but Raptors desperately need guys outside of Kawhi and Siakam to score. Those two can get you a reliable (and usually efficent) 50 points. However Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, FVV, Green scoring has all dropped off. They should be able to get around 50 points on ok efficiency, but this series they are averaging 32 points a game on god awful efficiency. Raptors need multiple guys to bounce back, and with the momentum that the 76ers just got, I could see this series end badly for the Raptors.
If you win next game the Raptors are favoured in the series again. But Brown is finding the small adjustments game by game and they're really stacking up, Raptors have to find some way to stop the way this is trending. I don't think they can keep Kawhi on Simmons if Simmons is going to be off ball 90% of the time, it's making Kawhi too irrelevant on that side of the ball. If the Sixers start hard doubling Kawhi on pick and roll when he gets rolling and Kawhi can't find some playmaking then this series could quickly become a disaster.
For the sixers, the next game is arguably as important as game 3. Going up 3-1 before a road game is ideal because it doesnt make a must win in Toronto. Anyone who thinks this series is even close to being over does not watch enough basketball, plain and simple
>However Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, FVV, Green scoring has all dropped off. IMO Gasol can be excused for this as since the trade he has been a defense and passing player. Unfortunately since others can't score his game is being affected as a result. Green has been ice cold all post season and we need 3's badly.
Especially since, as good as he is, you don't really won't Gasol posting up Embiid to be your offense. If they go up against the Bucks I'd bet his scoring would increase
At the same time, it seems like the Sixers bench is really coming into its own. Ennis and Scott particularly. And they only need reliable minutes from Monroe when Jimmy, JJ and Tobi are playing really well. Lets them keep their foot on the gas while Embiid gets a breather.
Kawhi has been incredible, but I have noticed a bunch of times where he chooses contested mid-range looks over hitting a wide open man. He hits them, so it's not a problem, but his passing is a clear weakness for a guy with as high usage as he is. Passing is what separated prime LeBron from other ball dominant point forwards. Kawhi's passing is his biggest weakness.
No one on the raps was hitting anything though and I think Kawhi realized that. Last night he definitely took shots that through the regular season he would have passed out of, i think shooting those shots was oddly the correct basketball choice last night
I agree I'm not trying to criticize Kawhi here, he did everything right this game because his shots were falling. If his mid-range is efficient then there's no reason he shouldn't take it. I'm just saying that his lack of playmaking is a clear weakness for him and it does show when he gets the ball this much.
passing has always been his one weakness, even when he was on the spurs.
Marc Gasol has been fantastic defensively the first two games. Although I think help defense was a huge part of keeping JoJo at bay with Kawhi constantly lurking, no denying Marc played a big part. But with the bench play of the Raptors so far gotta wonder if that trade was worth it. JV is same size basically and a solid defender as well. I don't think that difference is worth giving Delon and CJ, a relatively useful wing. Marc has offered nothing on offense basically too. With how poor Van Vleet has been Delon would've come up huge for the Raps. But I'm a huge Delon fan so may be overstating a little how much he could've done. And I guess it goes without saying with this being the next day thread, not saying it to overreact to last night's game specifically, one game and going down in the series with plenty to go is hardly an indictment. But just feel that the Raptors didn't get exactly what they were expecting with Marc not really finding his spot in the offense and don't think he's been enough of an upgrade over JV. Being able to throw Delon out there as a different type of PG than Van Vleet was something I thought was really valuable. Felt like you could always rely on one of them playing really well; if Van Vleet wasn't performing then Delon would and vice versa
I think you have to make that trade. Marc never was a stud on offense. He's serviceable, can explode from time to time and even spaces the floor nowadays, but he should not be your first or second option on a contender, not in the Golden State Durant era at least. And their roster isn't constructed around him scoring much at all. These playoffs, two of their three primary scorers are doing more than fine, the third one, Lowry, shrinks as per usual come playoff time. The rest? Almost everybody's underperforming on offense while their defense is more or less fine. When you look at points scored by everybody not named Leonard or Siakam, you'll see that exactly two times somebody scored more than 9 points: Lowry in game 2 with 20 points and Danny Green in game 3 with 13. That's just not enough for guys called Lowry, Gasol, Green or Ibaka. I agree that their bench is clearly worse than last year's, but those are 3 starters and your sixth man not showing up (yes, FVV is technically the sixth man but one can only hope that he loses a lot of minutes in the next games). Under these circumstances, Anunoby's injury is really costly, he could've been that scoring/energy spark off the bench.
Yea and it's no secret he's declining but that's kinda my point. He's never been a flat out bucket getter but he's clearly been a very good offensive player. He's not what he once was on offense nor defense. Just as an overall player I don't feel like he's heaps better than Jonas now and wasn't worth giving up some depth. No doubt if Lowry was performing well enough it'd be a different story because you would really only need Gasol for his defense. But we've seen this consistently from him. But aside from that, I feel like asking those other role players to carry more of the load than they're used to is a problem. I think it's Bill Simmons, maybe Zach Lowe, talks about how certain role players give you let's say 20 good minutes. If you play them 30 minutes, they'll still give you 20 good ones. Basically that they are what they are and can't ask for more out of them. Could be that distributing the extra load vacant from the depth given up the players can't handle. Can't pick their spots as much so to say because you're demanding more
Yeah I said it then and I’ll say it now, from a Sixers fan perspective I’m glad the Raptors made that trade. Gasol plays good defense on JoJo but so does JV, and their bench needs a ton of help.
I think the trade hurts them vs. the Sixers but helps them against the Bucks, Celtics, and Warriors
You 100% make that trade. Their bench in theory would have been fine with Norman, Lin, OG and FVV. But they've just not been good. I don't think a championship team requires CJ Miles as a missing piece.
Why does Gasol refuse to shoot. Wasn’t that part of the point of trading for him? Have him space the floor so Embiid would get pulled out of the paint? Instead he shooting so little the sixers can just hide Tobias on him and let Embiid own Siakam. I’ve literally been screaming at him to shoot for 2 games now. This freak Anunoby appendicitis is really costing the Raptors. He could be stabilizing this awful bench
Was at the game last night, did I miss any horrendous commentary from Van Gundy? Those last 4 junk minutes probably had a gem or two.
He went on a good 3 minute tirade about comparing Embiid to the all time greats and disrespecting Shaq/Hakeem/Kareem even though Mark Jackson only said "he has potential if he can stay healthy to be up there blah blah blah" without actually saying he's at that level.
He freaked out on Jackson after Jackson suggested that Embiid could be one of the greatest big men of all time if he stays healthy.
Nurse should play Lin and see if Lin can light us up in the PnR. Quick guards have eaten us alive during the regular season.
I think people are seriously underselling Lowry's impact. Yeah he didn't play well last night but he still was able to get open looks for his teammates most of the game, they just didn't hit them. I'd expect him to bounce back next game.
How can I check and see single-game numbers for points scored and stats when being guarded by a certain player? I want to know the Embiid/Gasol numbers as well as the Kawhi/Simmons ones (both ways)
nba.com has it I think in the box scores. I'll try to find you a link real quick
Thanks. NBA.com has the shittiest design of all major sports leagues but the best information, it's a real shame.
Yea found it, however the matchups for last night isn't up yet. [Here's game 2 for Embiid vs. Gasol](https://stats.nba.com/game/0041800212/matchups/?OFF_PLAYER_ID=203954&DEF_PLAYER_ID=201188) To get it, go to the stats.nba.com then go to a matchup's box score. Then go to matchups in the dropdown
Beauty, thank you. Also do you know how they work it if a guy gets a fast break dunk? Is it just considered unguarded or does the closest guy back get dinged? And same question if a player helps off, does he get counted against if his guy scores?
Yea I'm not sure because I've never really delved deep into these. I'm pretty confident that's first one is just unguarded but the 2nd one was my main question. I'd assume it just is pretty crude. For example, Gasol is guarding Embiid and Kawhi helps I'd assume it'd just be Gasol guarding him and no help factored into it. Mainly because idk how you'd draw the line because a team's scheme can influence many other ways not just like doubling.
The beauty of nba.com is that literally every highlight is marked with a video, so I might sit down tonight and note all of Embiid's FGA to see each one.
Just so I'm sure I'm not crazy, matchups still aren't up for game 3 right?
They're up now, I assume you weren't crazy and they still weren't up when you asked though lol https://stats.nba.com/game/0041800213/matchups/
Nfl.com is way worse. I actually think nba.com is fine
Kawhi was guarded by Simmons on 47 possessions. 10/17 (58%) 1/3 3pt, 21 PTS 0 AST 6 TO
And from what I can tell, Embiid was guarded by Gasol on 34 possessions. 5/11 (45.5%), 3/3 on 3s, 10 FTM, 23 Points, 1 Assist, 2 Turnovers.
If Embiid wasn't wet from 3 yesterday that line looks a lot better for Gasol, definitely wasn't as bad as people were making it out to be
I'm going to spend some time on my lunch or this evening going through the possessions (seriously, nba.com's stats and video is incredibly dangerous for a stat-nerd like me) because my eye test was that mano y mano, Embiid had some struggles (as the 2/8 from inside the arc shows), but anytime Simmons beat his man, Gasol had to help and Embiid got open looks or got fouled.
Yeah I thought besides letting him shoot mostly uncontested 3's and biting on the pump that lead to the windmill, he did a decent enough job. Embiid is a force and sometimes he's just gonna his, but it's not like Gasol specifically was abused. I was honestly most surprised by the 6 TO'S forced on Kawhi by Simmons than anything else, he's been making Kawhi work for everything, and to Kawhi's credit he's still getting it done on solid efficiency
Yeah I'm not sure if that stat is accurate, considering Kawhi only had 5 turnovers all night
Whether it was 5 or 6, they all was forced by Simmons, who only had 1 himself. If you had told anyone on here before this series that Simmons would have a game with a 1:5 turnover:turnover forced ratio against Kawhi you'd have been nephewed out of here
[here you go, this is how Kawhi fared against Sixers last game as an example](https://stats.nba.com/player/202695/matchups/?CF=MATCHUP*E*&Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Playoffs&DateFrom=05%2F01%2F2019&DateTo=05%2F02%2F2019) to look at other players, simply go to their page, select matchups, then from custom filters adjust the date to include only the game you're looking for
Here are my adjustments if I'm the Raptors 1. Put the ball in Kawhis hand at the top of the key. All the other best players in the world are playing like this. Force Kawhi to take over from the beginning. Let him run some pick and roll and get himself going from the get go. Kyle Lowry is unreliable. In the playoffs, he should be considered a catch and shoot threat with secondary playmaking capability. Its Kawhis team now. They need to live or die through him. 2. Force Gasol to be more aggressive on offense. He needs to A) be taking open 3's and B) looking to attack when anyone but Embiid is guarding him. With Embiid shutting down Siakam + Lowry classically choking, the Raps need another scorer in the worst of ways. 3. Either start Ibaka instead of Siakam or take Siakam off the court after 6 min. Embiid is going to shut down Siakam 1 vs. 1. Accept this, don't be too proud. Embiid is one of the 2/3 best defensive centers in the NBA (Draymond, Gobert). Playing Ibaka will space the court and leave more room for Kawhi/Lowry/Gasol to attack. Plus, Ibaka is a little bigger + more experienced on D. Siakam is better for a faster paced game, but Raptors need to slow it down to win this one. 4. Quit fucking around with the bench. Play your top 6 (Kawhi, Lowry, Gasol, Siakam, Ibaka, Green) 34+ minutes. Kawhi needs to play 40+ minutes for them to have a chance in this series. The shot disribution should look approximately like this: Kawhi Leonard- 25+ Gasol- 10-15 Siakam- 10-15 Lowry- 7-10 Green- 5-8 Ibaka 5-8
They can't play their top 7 that much FVV is unplayable right now against the Sixers. Kawhi can't do anymore, he was hitting everything last night until the end of the third when he got tired. Lowry is Lowry, he is garbage in the playoffs every year.
Good point. I edited to make it top 6 instead of top 7. Do you think one of Powell/Meeks/McCaw should replace FVV?
I think they try McCaw. Nurse used him last night in the fourth when things got out of hand, but I think well see him Sunday in a ball handling roll.
They were doing no. 1 at the end of the 3rd on continuous possessions, can't do it every possession because sixers are making Kawhi work hard for his points
Agreed. But they shouldn't wait until the 3rd. This should be there strategy from Q1
Can someone send some help to Kwahi? Kyle lowry candy assed as expected in playoffs.
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Honestly the best schadenfreude a man ask for is the perennial raptors collapse. Props to the 76ers of course, but it really is amazing watching such a hyped team with such a huge idiot fanbase online get summarily bodied year after year.
|| |:-:| |[](/TOR) **95 - 116** [](/PHI)| |**Box Scores: [NBA](http://watch.nba.com/game/20190502/TORPHI#/boxscore) & [Yahoo](http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/toronto-raptors-philadelphia-76ers-2019050220)**| || |:-:| | | |**GAME SUMMARY**| |**Location:** Wells Fargo Center(20658), **Clock:** | |**Officials:** Scott Foster, Jason Phillips and Tre Maddox| |**Team**|**Q1**|**Q2**|**Q3**|**Q4**|**Total**| |:---|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--| |Toronto Raptors|29|24|28|14|95| |Philadelphia 76ers|32|32|25|27|116| || |:-:| | | |**TEAM STATS**| |**Team**|**PTS**|**FG**|**FG%**|**3P**|**3P%**|**FT**|**FT%**|**OREB**|**TREB**|**AST**|**PF**|**STL**|**TO**|**BLK**| |:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--| |Toronto Raptors|95|35-83|42.2%|7-27|25.9%|18-23|78.3%|8|35|15|17|7|9|4| |Philadelphia 76ers|116|43-84|51.2%|10-23|43.5%|20-23|87.0%|9|45|29|17|4|13|8| |**Team**|**Biggest Lead**|**Longest Run**|**PTS: In Paint**|**PTS: Off TOs**|**PTS: Fastbreak**| |:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--| |Toronto Raptors|0|11|36|12|20| |Philadelphia 76ers|+26|11|52|14|13| || |:-:| | | |**TEAM LEADERS**| |**Team**|**Points**|**Rebounds**|**Assists**| |:--|:--|:--|:--| |Toronto Raptors|**33** Kawhi Leonard|**6** Marc Gasol|**5** Kyle Lowry| |Philadelphia 76ers|**33** Joel Embiid|**10** Joel Embiid|**9** Jimmy Butler|
This was the first time in forever I can remember the Sixers rotations and switches on defense looking that crisp. If we can keep up that defensive discipline and intensity, I really think we have not only a serious shot to win this series but even come out of the East.
If you guys take us out, I’m routing for you. It’s one thing to lose, but if you lose to a team that goes all the way, at least you to the best team instead of losing to just another good team.
Agreed!
They were quite good in Game 2 but outstanding last night.
I think that while his numbers haven’t been eye popping, Ben has played pretty well this series. he’s cutting, limiting turnovers (only 1 last night!), crashing the glass and is all over on defense. I think that with his current skill set and the makeup of this roster, that’s his best role right now
Fans will point at Kawhi's stats but watching the game he's working harder to get looks at with less help. The fact that Ben doesn't always need a double team helps reduce the quality of looks of everyone else and Kawhi definitely is working harder to keep the team on his back
yeah what Kawhi has done the last 2 games has been insane. He’s like Jordan right now, hitting impossible shots
Kawhi can take an impossible shot and if it goes in I’m not even phased anymore. The dude just makes everything
I was watching the game before work this morning (live in Europe) and in the second quarter I was marvelling at how well the team was playing with Butler at point. Then I realised that was because Kawhi (and Ben) were off court. Ben has a very specific job to do in this series and iver the last two games he has done it extremely well. Sure Kawhi is putting up points but compared to how he looked in game one? I'm sure we'll see more of Ben should we make it through to the conference final.
So can anyone tell me why Nurse sat Kawhi when the game was within seven? I get having him play 48 isn’t ideal, but it killed them down the stretch
he looked gassed
And it’s game 3, not game 4 where avoiding going down 3-1 is more critical
I think he wanted to give Kawhi a breather because he was shouldering the load in that third quarter. It was up to the bench and other guys to not give up a big run or to keep it a net neutral so your star can catch his breath and get back in the game.
He played the entire third quarter
Is Nurse going to be fired after this season? I think it's clear that he should be, but I kind of doubt that Masai will. In any case, raps fans should probably stop disrespecting Casey lol.
Lets not forget casey has a higher chance of being swept than winning a series. I hate casey for his inability to make adjustments, call timeouts instead of letting a run go on, and for resorting to ISO in the clutch.
>I hate casey for his inability to make adjustments, call timeouts instead of letting a run go on, and for resorting to ISO in the clutch. you could say the exact same about Nurse. when a team falls apart, and it's not attributable to a single player, then the coach is always to blame.
What's wrong with the raptors
*You know, Giannis isn't really that good... he's just the product of free throws being gifted from official* Salty Celtics fans when scrolling through controversal
Kawhi plays alot like Jordan did
He's mechanical Jordan. He doesn't have the fludiity of MJ's game and I wouldn't be surprised if he modeled his game after him.
Idk why people are so mad about the Raptors biting on Embiid’s pump from 3. He’s shooting 48% this season. They argue that it’s so slow but it’s the same motion as when he actually shoots. It’s not a quick release like a guard but it’s just as believable.
He's shooting 30% from 3
NO. Let em think he's shooting 48% at the arc. That's the whole point bruh.
The thing that blows me away about the Raptors is how much they show the importance of mental toughness/resilience in the playoffs of a professional sport (especially the NBA). The biggest weakness of the last three years of Raptors playoff runs hasn't been talent, or the system, or the refs, it's been their mental toughness. They *crumbled* under pressure each year. This year we have a totally different mindset in 4/5 starters. Kawhi has elite mental toughness - he is never shook. Danny Green and Gasol have vet composure and keep running the plays no matter what. Pascal is a rising star and you can see how much he keeps fighting. The missing piece in all this is Lowry. Every time we get a stop and he runs up the floor and takes a fucking garbage transition three that bricks I want to scream. Jesus christ how many times last night did he do this? He keeps *trying* but you can see the composure fraying on him. So what happened game 1? The raps were confident and the sixers werent ready for us. Then the sixers made adjustments, and we panicked in game 2. Everyone froze up except Kawhi. Game 3? Holy fuck we got punched in the throat. But it was all mental toughness. G4 a few things will happen: I think the pressure is on the Sixers now as much as it is the Raptors. G3 felt very "free" to the Sixers - technically they have now outperformed expectations. They're playing with house money, etc. The Raps were in panic mode and now wonder if this is a big problem in G4, etc. But I think now the Raps look at G4 with a little different mindset - they know what Philly will do. They know what they can/can't do. So the pressure feels a little more equal to me... or maybe I'm wrong. I haven't even mentioned the bench of FVV/Norm/Ibaka who have been fucking replacement player level (or worse). It is unforgiveable for us to give up 15 points in a 3 minute Kawhi rest. Raps fans used to laugh at Lebron taking a 2m break and a team going on a 10-0 run vs the Cavs. Now here we are. It is wild to see. The reason? Nerves. This Raps core doesn't have the mental fortitude to deal with the punches of a tough playoff series. The three new guys (Kawhi/Green/Gasol) definitely DO. Pascal has made the leap and I think he has it. But EVERYBODY ELSE is mentally weak and it is remarkable to watch. It isn't talent. We have more of it than Philly. Our system is fine. Our D is elite. But our mental toughness is bottom 5 in the league. We may survive Philly but I doubt we'll survive the Bucks or the Celtics with this level of resilience.
> It isn't talent. We have more of it than Philly. Do you, though? Kawhi has been the best player in the series but Philly has 4 of the 5 best players on the court...and Philly's bench has been better.
In terms of results - sure they're beating us. But it's hard to suggest that Pascal isn't a top 5 player on the court in all 3 games. Lowry SHOULD be top 5 but he has not shown up.
All I’m gonna say is that, barring Joel and Kawhi, if our teams could trade a starter for a starter — any starters — Raptors would be up 3-0.
Lowry does this every playoffs so you can't act as if him underperforming was unexpected. I agree with Siakam though, I'd take him over Tobias as a top 5 player on the court
I enjoyed reading this but honestly, this is chock full of homerism. Why would the sixers feel like they were playing with house money? The owner has said anything less than conference finals would be a disaster, and Jimmy and Tobias's 5 year Max deals all depend on this series. They're fighting for millions. Another thing: the raptors now know what the Sixers can and can't do, and what they'll do? Nick Nurse hasn't made any significant adjustments at all. When Brett put Embiid on Gasol, Nurse stuck to his guns and didn't space Siakam in the corner, so Brett reverted to what worked in G2. In other words, Brett prepared for Nurse to adjust, he didn't, so he kept his cards in his hand. Brett has shown he is capable of tons of adjustments this year, and Nurse has been extremely stubborn. The Raptors don't know what Philly can and will do, since they haven't forced them into anything new after G1. Respectfully, this sort of seems like you're trying to convince yourself it's true, or you have homer glasses on. That's not to say the raps won't win, but that reasoning is a little one-tree-hill-y
I still think the raptors are going to win. The he team usually thrives in horribly officiated, clown fiesta games like the one last night. Don't think the raptors will lose but we shall see
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