Eastern Conference | Round 1 | (4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors (PHI 3-2)

[Wilfried]

Another prove of how hard Sixers are getting the advantage by the refs

Read on Twitter

I understand people don't like the style, but please can we stop the whining for just a bit? Most of the calls are legit calls, pretty obvious fouls to me.

[Black Mage]

All I hear is the 7 bounces that bounced your only championship contention hopes. It's not crying, it's literally a fact. When our team is basically g-league outside of our top 4, and the refs put everyone in foul trouble, because of your stars baiting contact.. how is that not factual? Embiid is the biggest flopper in the league and troll.. who cost your team their only change in their history a championship (i.e. with Butler).

Oh wow, what a surprise, the response is to remind us that you beat us in a game four years ago. The refs aren't putting everyone in foul trouble, they are putting themselves in foul trouble by fouling.

And who knows if that was our only shot at a championship. Maybe one year everyone will get injured and we can celebrate a fake title like you!

I mean - listen, if you're going to be delusional about the brand of basketball your two star players are playing - that is fine. I betcha if I go back and see games against Harden v Sixers, you probably cried about the way Harden played.

Ultimately health is a skill. Unfortunately, when your star player deliberately tries and has injured our players, we don't really have a chance this series.

Know what? Raps got this all wrong, it was Scottie Barnes who deliberately tried to Zaza Joel on that play, but for once the dude trying to injure a player got burned instead. It's clear Nurse wanted guys to attack Joel from his blind side and crowd him. So Scottie, who as Raps fans tell us has elite agility, nimbleness and body control, clearly thrusts his left leg forward knowing Embiid, the uncoordinated, unbalanced, lumbering oaf, is coming out of a spin move and his foot is about to land in that spot. Barnes intentionally put his foot where Joel was bout to step knowing Joel couldn't see Barnes coming and wouldn't be able to avoid stepping on his foot likely rolling his ankle in the process as usually occurs 90% of the time. It's the same mechanic as a Zaza foot placed under a 3 pt jumper. Nurse and Barnes clearly intended to try and injure Joel only to have it backfire and hurt Barnes.

Need anymore proof? Nurse send his untalented goon Siakam into game 2 with the clear intent to try and injure Joel just like Siakam was told to do back in the 2019 playoffs. Look at that, clear indisputable proof of the pattern and practice of Nurse coached teams doing dirty tactics to take out Joel.

[6ersfolife]

Man these Raptors fans are on this board crying and complaining like Joel snatched their first born. The coach is running up and down the sideline yelling and screaming bloody murder while sending half the team to swarm and be physical with Embiid. Then Begging and pleading with the world to please let his team Mollywhop the Sixers without being called for fouls because Embiid is too big.... You are delusional if you think EMBIID tried to hurt Barnes who double teamed him from BEHIND while Embiid was making a move to get out of a double team. Then they get like a petulant child and scream about beating the sixers 4 years ago like we will shut up....STOP CRYING AND COMPLAINING, nobody cares how many times you post it... Go back to posting EMBIID crying meme and take this whooping like a true soldier.

[Rubio9Guy]

Is that what we're considering flopping?

Embiid turns his left ankle and Harden gets slammed into by about 400 lbs of mass in his neck.

You're trying too hard.

What color is the sky in your world!?

Anonoby was staying in front of a driving Harden, until Embiid shoves Achiuwa into Anunoby, creating a wall that Harden drives into and flops. Embiid, for no reason at all, also flops.

Neither Achiuiwa (who was shoved) or Anunoby (who got shoved into) fall down, but the two guys creating the contact fall like a couple of dead fish.

Foul on the Raptors.

Anyone who says that was a legit foul is being dishonest.

You're arguing with a wall. I've never said it was, or wasn't a foul. It looks like an accident where players legitimately got banged up. Embiid was moving faster than Precious, it looks like he stepped in front of him to wall him off and his momentum carried all of them into collision.

The image is there of them lying on the floor like they died, but Harden gets rammed into and Embiid's ankle does a spin. No flop.

Even if your fantasy scenario were true, maybe that'd be avoided if Harden would attempt a basketball move for once.

[stormi]

What color is the sky in your world!?

Anonoby was staying in front of a driving Harden, until Embiid shoves Achiuwa into Anunoby, creating a wall that Harden drives into and flops. Embiid, for no reason at all, also flops.

Neither Achiuiwa (who was shoved) or Anunoby (who got shoved into) fall down, but the two guys creating the contact fall like a couple of dead fish.

Foul on the Raptors.

Anyone who says that was a legit foul is being dishonest.

You're arguing with a wall. I've never said it was, or wasn't a foul. It looks like an accident where players legitimately got banged up. Embiid was moving faster than Precious, it looks like he stepped in front of him to wall him off and his momentum carried all of them into collision.

The image is there of them lying on the floor like they died, but Harden gets rammed into and Embiid's ankle does a spin. No flop.

Even if your fantasy scenario were true, maybe that'd be avoided if Harden would attempt a basketball move for once.

2-0

[bebopdeluxe]

All I hear is the 7 bounces that bounced your only championship contention hopes. It's not crying, it's literally a fact. When our team is basically g-league outside of our top 4, and the refs put everyone in foul trouble, because of your stars baiting contact.. how is that not factual? Embiid is the biggest flopper in the league and troll.. who cost your team their only change in their history a championship (i.e. with Butler).

Oh wow, what a surprise, the response is to remind us that you beat us in a game four years ago. The refs aren't putting everyone in foul trouble, they are putting themselves in foul trouble by fouling.

And who knows if that was our only shot at a championship. Maybe one year everyone will get injured and we can celebrate a fake title like you!

I mean - listen, if you're going to be delusional about the brand of basketball your two star players are playing - that is fine. I betcha if I go back and see games against Harden v Sixers, you probably cried about the way Harden played.

Ultimately health is a skill. Unfortunately, when your star player deliberately tries and has injured our players, we don't really have a chance this series.

A question for you: do you actually BELIEVE what you post?

Another question for you: how did Embiid INTENTIONALLY injure Barnes? Huh? Does he, like, have eyes in the back of his head that 1) sees that Barnes is right behind him, and 2) lets him see EXACTLY where to step on his foot? Huh?

I do firmly believe that part of the reason so many Raptors fans whine about the officiating is becomes it comes from the top. When Nurse whines as much as he does - both on the sidelines as well as after games - about the officiating, it becomes this overriding narrative that the fans embrace.

I found it fascinating that Nurse actually copped to the strategy of being physical with Embiid as the strategy - in essence, saying that there "probably is" contact, but they are "playing with their hands up" (I had no idea that, as long as your hands are up, you can foul another player...you learn something new every day), and when Embiid told Nurse that if his players keep fouling him, he will keep making the free throws, Nurse's response was "well, you are gonna have to keep making them". Basically saying the quiet part out loud.

I am so glad that Embiid punked Nurse after the game...and I am also happy that the media is having fun with it as well. Perhaps Nurse can be shamed into toning down his act...although I wouldn't count on it.

[skones]

This new obsessions with needing someone to blame for this injury or that injury is so strange to me. Do people not play sports? There is physical contact in closed quarters because it's part of the game. People get hurt. Between some Brooklyn fans with Kyrie, Atlanta fans with Trae, and Toronto fans here claiming intent to injure!? It's really pathetic.

[fbalmeida]

During the regular season, Philly shot 46.6% - 36.4% and 58% TS.
In this series thus far they're at: 51.6% - 48.4% (!!!!) and 67.1%.

Meanwhile, the Raptors are shooting very close, and slightly above, their regular season averages.

Small sample size of course, but those Philly rates are either sustainable, and something has gone dramatically wrong with the Raptors' 10th best rated defense, or it isn't sustainable and Raptors will even this up.

This series isn't over.

Issue is, those first numbers also have a sample size issue.

Yeah, those % are unsustainable but are also a result of the scheme.

Raptors normally double Embiid. With Harden on the line up he basically see an open guy every time he get by his men because of the double. That logically will lead to open shots.

With a competent PG, the size adventage Embiid had over the Raptors is actually explotable. Your defense has been exploitable because your committement to stop the Harden/Embiid PnR has lead to open shots for Tobias and Maxey.

The amount of open corner 3's the Sixers got right at the start of the first game are the best example of this.

I agree with you, this is still a series tho until we actually win one game in Toronto. Coming back 2-2 to Philly could de hard for us

Drilling down the percentages further, the 76ers are spot on shooting their season avg on 2pt attempt, but have jumped from 36.4% to 48.4% on threes. Nurse's schemes require physically zealous execution on closeouts to mitigate the ppp on threes. But for whatever reason, the execution just hasn't been there, even when Barnes was out there.

I still think it'll tighten up.

[bebopdeluxe]

This new obsessions with needing someone to blame for this injury or that injury is so strange to me. Do people not play sports? There is physical contact in closed quarters because it's part of the game. People get hurt. Between some Brooklyn fans with Kyrie, Atlanta fans with Trae, and Toronto fans here claiming intent to injure!? It's really pathetic.

This ties in nicely with the "the refs are screwing us" narrative that so many (but not all ) Raptors embrace:

"The refs are screwing us"

"Embiid hurt Barnes intentionally"

It is so pathetic.

In last season's playoffs, some scrub on the Wizards undercut Embiid on his way to the basket - which was what caused his torn meniscus. Sixers fans didn't go on a f'k'n non-stop-pity party about it. Stuff happens. Nut the f up and move on.

[Rubio9Guy]

You're arguing with a wall. I've never said it was, or wasn't a foul. It looks like an accident where players legitimately got banged up. Embiid was moving faster than Precious, it looks like he stepped in front of him to wall him off and his momentum carried all of them into collision.

The image is there of them lying on the floor like they died, but Harden gets rammed into and Embiid's ankle does a spin. No flop.

Even if your fantasy scenario were true, maybe that'd be avoided if Harden would attempt a basketball move for once.

2-0

I see finally admit it. Proud of you

[bebopdeluxe]

During the regular season, Philly shot 46.6% - 36.4% and 58% TS.
In this series thus far they're at: 51.6% - 48.4% (!!!!) and 67.1%.

Meanwhile, the Raptors are shooting very close, and slightly above, their regular season averages.

Small sample size of course, but those Philly rates are either sustainable, and something has gone dramatically wrong with the Raptors' 10th best rated defense, or it isn't sustainable and Raptors will even this up.

This series isn't over.

Issue is, those first numbers also have a sample size issue.

Yeah, those % are unsustainable but are also a result of the scheme.

Raptors normally double Embiid. With Harden on the line up he basically see an open guy every time he get by his men because of the double. That logically will lead to open shots.

With a competent PG, the size adventage Embiid had over the Raptors is actually explotable. Your defense has been exploitable because your committement to stop the Harden/Embiid PnR has lead to open shots for Tobias and Maxey.

The amount of open corner 3's the Sixers got right at the start of the first game are the best example of this.

I agree with you, this is still a series tho until we actually win one game in Toronto. Coming back 2-2 to Philly could de hard for us

Drilling down the percentages further, the 76ers are spot on shooting their season avg on 2pt attempt, but have jumped from 36.4% to 48.4% on threes. Nurse's schemes require physically zealous execution on closeouts to mitigate the ppp on threes. But for whatever reason, the execution just hasn't been there, even when Barnes was out there.

I still think it'll tighten up.

The problem is spacing. Nurse likes to blitz on defense - use his players' length and athleticism to make things hard for opposing offenses - and as a way to make up for their relative lack of size down low. That has worked in the past with the Sixers - they would blitz Embiid into turnovers and easy transition baskets. The problem for Nurse is it isn't working anymore - or at least it hasn't worked the past couple of games. Embiid is handling the double teams much better, and when the Raptors try to crowd the paint on the Embiid/Harden two-man action, the Sixers spacing is so much better now - the ball is getting swung to Maxey and Harris, who are straight punishing the "bent" Raptors defense.

Nurse has a choice - either abandon the strategy of crowding Embiid and taking away the two man game - play more straight up on Maxey and Harris - and risk Embiid and Harden going off - or stay with what they have been doing and hope that Maxey and Harris cool off. And this doesn't take into account he fact that the Raptors are also losing the rebounding battle - which has led to something like a 52-20 disparity in fast break points. If the Raptors have to constantly take the ball out of the basket, and they are not getting offensive rebounds or forcing turnovers, they have to rely on their half-court offense - which was 26th in the NBA this past season. Come up empty there, and Maxey and the Sixers are off to the races.

I don't think the series is over, but (says Captain Obvious) they need to win Game 3. Only one off day, the Sixers starters played a ton of minutes in Game 2, and the home court should give the Raptors some juice. We will see what happens.

[Courtside]

This new obsessions with needing someone to blame for this injury or that injury is so strange to me. Do people not play sports? There is physical contact in closed quarters because it's part of the game. People get hurt. Between some Brooklyn fans with Kyrie, Atlanta fans with Trae, and Toronto fans here claiming intent to injure!? It's really pathetic.

This ties in nicely with the "the refs are screwing us" narrative that so many (but not all ) Raptors embrace:

"The refs are screwing us"

"Embiid hurt Barnes intentionally"

It is so pathetic.

In last season's playoffs, some scrub on the Wizards undercut Embiid on his way to the basket - which was what caused his torn meniscus. Sixers fans didn't go on a f'k'n non-stop-pity party about it. Stuff happens. Nut the f up and move on.

Embiid did not intentionally attempt to hurt Barnes. No one seriously believes this. He could have easily rolled his own glass ankle on that play, so we know he won't ever deliberately step on another player.

That said, he is awfully clumsy and reckless for a guy his size, which is actually dangerous on the floor. He tries to play physical and use his size advantage, but is often a bull in a china shop, and has terrible feet and balance, and so he deliberately falls to save himself from further injury, but that's a risk to others also. I'm surprised he doesn't cause more injuries, really.

[fbalmeida]

Incidentally, even if we finesse the issue of shooting percentages as they result from an "open 3pt as a result of a poorly executed scheme" vs a sharply contested shot, had the 76ers shot exactly their regular season 3pt%, the potential impact would've been 12 points less in game 1 (Philly still wins) and 9 less points in game 2 (Philly still wins).

Hence Nurse's noise about the officiating's level of tolerance. On his part, it's not about scapegoating or being bitchy: it's about trying to find ways to win. Even if we add stellar perimeter defense to the reasonably efficient offense we've played, it might not be enough. It's in the math and Nurse knows it.

[Perseus1966]

it will be nice and civilized in Toronto.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Looks bad for the Raptors, but I think if Gary Trent can recover in time for game 3 he can reclaim some space and alleviate the pressure on VanVleet and Anunoby to bury their 3s. The Raptors have made 23 3s so far and those two have 15 of them. I think Khem Birch has another, and that might have been his first on the year, iirc. Philly's shooting has been consistent and spread out. They've got 3 of their big 4 scorers all going and Harden can get his own shot whenever he wants.

The long game is that Embiid's body is his biggest strength and enemy because he plays too carelessly. We're seeing him limp around in the 2nd and they call for an alley-oop to start the 3rd. Or when he hyperextended his elbow grabbing Siakam while his own player was in the way. He just does dumb stuff and if the Raptors can extend the series they can wear him out.

[Slacktard]

By definition, everybody gets “fouled” in nba on nearly every possession — on AND off the ball.

I’m so tired of seeing fans of whatever team Harden plays for suddenly become FT advocates.

Sure Embiid gets fouled — but what about the other 25 times a game this 315lb dude ends on floor?

Embiid goes to the floor a lot because trainers WORKED WITH HIM ON THAT. It's to avoid having that 300+ pound body land and put all that weight and force onto one leg and hurt his knee or foot. Both things which he has had injuries on. The less 'damaging' assessment is to have him deliberately go to the ground and not put all that weight onto one limb.

[bebopdeluxe]

This new obsessions with needing someone to blame for this injury or that injury is so strange to me. Do people not play sports? There is physical contact in closed quarters because it's part of the game. People get hurt. Between some Brooklyn fans with Kyrie, Atlanta fans with Trae, and Toronto fans here claiming intent to injure!? It's really pathetic.

This ties in nicely with the "the refs are screwing us" narrative that so many (but not all ) Raptors embrace:

"The refs are screwing us"

"Embiid hurt Barnes intentionally"

It is so pathetic.

In last season's playoffs, some scrub on the Wizards undercut Embiid on his way to the basket - which was what caused his torn meniscus. Sixers fans didn't go on a f'k'n non-stop-pity party about it. Stuff happens. Nut the f up and move on.

Embiid did not intentionally attempt to hurt Barnes. No one seriously believes this. He could have easily rolled his own glass ankle on that play, so we know he won't ever deliberately step on another player.

That said, he is awfully clumsy and reckless for a guy his size, which is actually dangerous on the floor. He tries to play physical and use his size advantage, but is often a bull in a china shop, and has terrible feet and balance, and so he deliberately falls to save himself from further injury, but that's a risk to others also. I'm surprised he doesn't cause more injuries, really.

Now here I will throw Raptors fans a bone. Embiid is not as "clumsy" as he looks. I do think he sometimes thinks he is AI or DWade and gets all twisted up, but some of those falls are either 1) trying not to hurt himself even more or 2) embellishing legitimate contact to get to the line (aka FLOPPING).

There. I said it. Embiid embellishes sometimes to get to the line. Welcome to the NBA.

Having said all that, Embiid has so much "Dream Shake" and "Euro Step" in his game that to call him "clumsy" seems a bit silly. What other 7-footer in the NBA combines strength and agility the way Embiid does? Huh?

That is why guys like KD - the players who KNOW - believe that Embiid is the most dominant offensive player in the NBA, and why he should be the MVP. Because he is so highly skilled. There is this great GIF that is circulating on the internet this morning of the look of FVV and the rest of the bench after Embiid hit that 3 right next to them. It is funny as f, but again just points out how skilled Embiid is. No other big (with the possible exception of Jokic) is fluid and athletic enough to hit that shot. And that wasn't a prayer. That was skill.

Embiid is hardly a clumsy oaf or a "runaway train" that is reckless.

[Slacktard]

Read on Twitter

[Sixerscan]

This new obsessions with needing someone to blame for this injury or that injury is so strange to me. Do people not play sports? There is physical contact in closed quarters because it's part of the game. People get hurt. Between some Brooklyn fans with Kyrie, Atlanta fans with Trae, and Toronto fans here claiming intent to injure!? It's really pathetic.

This ties in nicely with the "the refs are screwing us" narrative that so many (but not all ) Raptors embrace:

"The refs are screwing us"

"Embiid hurt Barnes intentionally"

It is so pathetic.

In last season's playoffs, some scrub on the Wizards undercut Embiid on his way to the basket - which was what caused his torn meniscus. Sixers fans didn't go on a f'k'n non-stop-pity party about it. Stuff happens. Nut the f up and move on.

Embiid did not intentionally attempt to hurt Barnes. No one seriously believes this. He could have easily rolled his own glass ankle on that play, so we know he won't ever deliberately step on another player.

That said, he is awfully clumsy and reckless for a guy his size, which is actually dangerous on the floor. He tries to play physical and use his size advantage, but is often a bull in a china shop, and has terrible feet and balance, and so he deliberately falls to save himself from further injury, but that's a risk to others also. I'm surprised he doesn't cause more injuries, really.

Watch on YouTube

Spare us these lectures on how your guys have a moral high ground

They're playing basketball. Stuff happens. Sorry Barnes got hurt, we know first hand how it feels when a top pick gets injured, it sucks.

[durka]

Not even taking Barnes into account, if you replace 20 scoreless and in general useless minutes Flynn played with healthy Trent, that game probably would have been a lot closer than it it was. They probably still lose, but having a guy who can actually hit a shot would make a big difference.

That being said, going in the series the Raps needed a lot of things to break their way while things subsequently went wrong for the Sixers. The main thing in my mind was Barnes playing like a star, obviously not happening right now. The second was OG, FVV and Trent getting hot from 3 at the same time. The only thing hot about Trent right now is his temperature. Siakam can't play effectively if the floor isn't being spaced around him and he's getting swarmed. On the flip side, they we're hoping swarming Embiid and making the other guys beat them was going to work, but Maxey and Harris have done a formidable job so far.

The Sixers are a better team at the end of the day, but the Raps are playing a home playoff game for the first time in 3 years. Its possible they ride that energy to a win and if they get a little momentum and Gary can get healthy its plausible this goes back to Philly tied up. I'm not banking on it, but crazier things have happened.