The Toronto Raptors have nothing to lose in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, who carry the weight of expectations due to the presence of two future players in the Hall of Fame and three top players in their starting lineup, not to mention the home field advantage in the series. from the first round.
But the Raptors don’t see themselves as warming-ups for Joel Embeid’s strong Sixers pair and James Harden. They see the Sixers as a team with vulnerabilities they can exploit, and they see themselves as strengths. Philadelphia may have difficulty matching.
But the best chance for the Raptors is if they can control the nature of the race and force the Sixers into awkward places thanks to the very specific ways the Raptors believe they have to play to win matches – especially against teams with more high class top line talent.
Well, more luck in game 2.
Because the Philadelphia 76ers organized a seminar on how to turn the Raptors’ weird, non-positional ways on their heads and served themselves a very easy 131-111 victory.
And good luck? From the Raptors’ point of view, this will have to start with the hope that star rookie Scotty Barnes – the team’s bright spot in his playoff debut – is not as badly injured as he seemed when his teammates helped off the court after he was convulsing in pain like Sixers star Joel Embiid – all about 300 pounds – stepped on his left foot and ended his evening at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The Raptors can only hope that Embiid’s big foot doesn’t end the rookie’s season, because the way the Sixers played in Match 1 may not have too many games left.
It’s only one game in a series of seven games, but the Raptors were defeated by a better team that played superb basketball.
“I just think they were really great,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “They were fast and physical, hitting and pushing the ball, not turning it over and breaking the glass. They were really great, so I give them a lot of credit. “
Just one example? The Sixers recorded 29 assists in 43 goals from the flight against – surprisingly – only three turns per game. It doesn’t get much better than that, but there was more: the Sixers shot 51.2 percent from the floor, 16 from 32 from depth and 29 from 34 from the free throw line.
“We definitely helped them. A lot. In these areas, “said Raptors guard Fred Van Vlyt. “But they played a great game … We’ll tie them up on Monday and give them another chance.”
On the plus side? It will be difficult for the Sixers to play so flawlessly three more times. The Raptors must hope they can break the trajectory of Philadelphia and make them play in the chaos that Toronto wants to create.
The Raptors’ path to success usually relies on offensive glass control; forcing teams to turn and make mistakes and turn the lives of opposing stars into a vision of basketball hell thanks to double and triple teams when needed, and an accompanying wave of long, outstretched arms and hands every time their opponents touch the ball.
This is an approach that works again and again during the regular season, when teams do not have the luxury or energy to adjust their game plan for several matches per season.
But the playoffs gave the teams the luxury of preparing and full credit to the Sixers, they were extremely well prepared.
The Raptors didn’t play very badly – at the beginning of the fourth quarter they shot better than 50 percent of the floor, were 12 out of 26 out of three and made only seven turns: all excellent levels for them. Four of their five holders were in double digits.
But the Sixers played almost perfectly as they packed the paint to keep the Raptors away from the offensive glass, while making their way into enough of their own to make Toronto pay for all the running they do to help defend. They were antiseptic with the ball throughout the game, and while the Sixers Embiid stars (19 points and 15 rebounds) and Harden (22 points and 14 assists) were revealed, the attention they garnered gave Philadelphia minor players a good chance to shine. bathed in light.
No more than second-year guard Tyris Maxi, who finished with a record in the playoffs of 38, while Tobias Harris had 26 points in 14 shots.
“It simply came to our notice then [have] to keep it a little better, ”said VanVleet of Maxey, who shot 14 of 21 from the floor and 5 of 8 of three. “I think he found cracks in the defense and our game plan. Apparently we loaded a ton with Joel and we loaded a ton with James and he managed to find success in the cracks and creases. [We] you just have to take better care of him and pay a little more attention to him. He is a great player. He played an amazing, almost damn perfect game tonight… but it’s a game. “
The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam, who had 24 points and seven assists, while VanVleet and OG Anunoby had 18 and 20 respectively. Barnes looked comfortable in his first start of the playoffs, scoring 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists before dropping out after his injury after 32 minutes.
He was sent for X-rays after – as was Tad Young, who left after halftime with a sprained thumb. In both cases, the images are negative for fractures, but each will have an MRI on Sunday.
Barnes’ injury meant the end of the game, realistically, but before that you kept waiting for the Raptors to make a mistake and turn the jet into a torrent, as is their habit. But the Sixers were so neat that Toronto could never move.
The Raptors did not let go of the rope easily. The effort was there. Their best stretch came during a 17-4 series early in the third quarter, which helped reduce the Sixers’ lead from 24 points to 11, but because the Sixers made so few mistakes, the Raptors didn’t have the materials to spoil the game open. . They could have scored for the Sixers, but there weren’t enough extra chances to turn the run into an avalanche.
Harden balanced Philadelphia with a three-pointer, then took the lay-up strip and then hit the Maxey series for a quick break and the order was restored.
The Raptors had another chance to make a dent when Sixers head coach Doc Rivers chose to give Embide and Harden a break in the final minutes of the third quarter. To have a long life in this series, the Raptors will have to dominate these types of capabilities, but this did not happen in Game 1.
Maxey’s performance as a legitimate third star was not missed, as he started 10th in the last two minutes of the third to send the Sixers into the fourth lead with 21.
The Raptors’ success in the regular season depends largely on their commitment to winning more goal attempts than their opponents, something they do by being aggressive on the offensive glass, in passing passes and in double teams to generate extra shots and possession.
These are things that a well-trained team would strive to clear during a playoff series, so it would be interesting to see which one wins early: the Raptors ‘determination to generate extra shots or Sixers’ concern in limiting offensive rebounds or inversions.
A sister called it a test of will, and the Sixers won it early.
The 76ers jumped to an early 11-2 series, which was fueled by three elements that Rivers will take the entire series: a three from Harden, a Raptors tape and a quick break from Maxey and an offensive rebound and bucket from Embiid.
The Sixers had more elements working for them than that: all the bodies sent to Embiid and Harden would inevitably leave their eyes open elsewhere, and no one earned more than Maxey and Harris.
The tone was set. Meanwhile, the Raptors received nothing from secondary sources. Gary Trent Jr. was 2-for-11, and the Raptors received just 16 points from their bench before the time ran out.
The Sixers set the tone physically as Embiid made his way onto the offensive glass and sent Khem Birch and Barnes to the floor in heavy collisions. The Raptors didn’t give up exactly, but without a single body to match Embiid, they would have to do it as a band.
The Raptors would argue that officials played an equally important role. Two fouls touching VanVleet in the first two minutes forced one of the NBA’s most annoying defenders to play cautiously, while Chris Boucher’s reckless energy on the offensive glass was limited by three quick fouls.
And overall, it was Embiid, the bowling ball that sent the Raptors to fly more often than not.
“We have to believe that if we are legally protective, they will call these, right?” Said the nurse. “We had several times when we beat him on the spot and he beat us and they just let him kill him.
“I don’t care if you’re 5 feet 11 and 160 pounds, if you beat him on the spot and he runs over, it’s a foul. I thought he threw three or four elbows in his face, they called him for one. GOOD. I mean, we’ll stay there. We just have to, if we are legitimate in defense, then we have to call them or we have no chance, period. No one can protect this person if they just let him rule you over and over again.
It’s only one game and adjustments will be made, but heading to Game 2 on Monday, the Raptors have a pretty long list to follow if they’re going to play the way they need to get a chance in the series.
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