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

[Triple M]

The Raps are one of the hottest teams in the league, and their defence was great the last 15-20 games, so I understand the conference Raptor fans have, but I don't think I can pick them over a more experienced team with an MVP candidate. The hot team coming into a 4/5 matchup feels commonplace, so that it will be a tough series either way.

What makes Philly "more experienced" exactly? NONE of the Sixers outside of Danny Green have sniffed a deep playoff run. James Harden after all these years can't make it past the second round.

There are still 2 guys on the Raptors with legit championship experience that made big plays and were on the floor when games mattered. Only Danny Green can say that in Philly and he didn't play the role that Fred and Pascal had during that championship run.

Embiid has post-traumatic stress from getting blitzed by Raptors defensive schemes throughout that series and in subsequent regular season games ever since.

I'm not wiping away the championship experience that some have with the team.

I'm saying it because the Raps have multiple players with little or no playoff experience, Scottie, Trent, Precious, etc.

The Pascal/FVV led core has gone as far as the Embiid led core, but the Sixers are not dealing with multiple players with little experience

[everdiso]

So the one game that Philly beat Toronto this year, the Raps were missing VanVleet, Anunoby, Barnes, Achiuwa, and Birch (and didn't have Young yet). All of Boucher, Flynn, and Watanabe were in the starting lineup. The bench was Mykhailiuk, Wilson, Waters, Oturu. So the Raps had only 2 starters plus 1 other rotation player available that game.

Meanwhile, the 6ers were at full strength, (still with Curry instead of Harden tho), and all 5 of their starters played over 34 minutes.

The 6ers won that game by 5pts.

[GooniesNeverDie]

If these 7 days off gives us a healthier Harden.. the Raps will be in trouble esp if guys are hitting 3s.

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[_MidNight_]

Raptors are playing with house money just by making it to the playoffs period.

I think Sixers in 6 but I'm hoping for an upset in 6 or 7 games for my Raps

[mtcan]

The Raps are one of the hottest teams in the league, and their defence was great the last 15-20 games, so I understand the conference Raptor fans have, but I don't think I can pick them over a more experienced team with an MVP candidate. The hot team coming into a 4/5 matchup feels commonplace, so that it will be a tough series either way.

What makes Philly "more experienced" exactly? NONE of the Sixers outside of Danny Green have sniffed a deep playoff run. James Harden after all these years can't make it past the second round.

There are still 2 guys on the Raptors with legit championship experience that made big plays and were on the floor when games mattered. Only Danny Green can say that in Philly and he didn't play the role that Fred and Pascal had during that championship run.

Embiid has post-traumatic stress from getting blitzed by Raptors defensive schemes throughout that series and in subsequent regular season games ever since.

I'm not wiping away the championship experience that some have with the team.

I'm saying it because the Raps have multiple players with little or no playoff experience, Scottie, Trent, Precious, etc.

The Pascal/FVV led core has gone as far as the Embiid led core, but the Sixers are not dealing with multiple players with little experience

The experience here lies in the 2 or 3 top guys in Toronto and the coach.

Pascal and Fred (along with Chrish Boucher and OG even though he was injured for those playoffs) along with Nick Nurse are about as experienced as it gets. Those guys went farther than Harden, Embiid and Doc Rivers ever did.

Those 4 guys will all be on the floor for 30-40+ minutes a game.

Experience is on the Raptors side.

[T-d0t]

Objectively, I think Philly wins in 7. Really depends on which Harden shows up

[jordb2k7]

This is easy, Raps in 4.

[JShuttlesworth]

I don't know if there is a team in the East I'd like to beat more than the Sixers

We should fly Marc Gasol in and sit him court side to give Joel nightmares

[Bad-Thoma]

Canada has lost the plot. Mandates for vaccines that don’t work well and produce serious adverse events for an illness that is as severe as the common cold. Watch me get a warning for this view as “political” while all other pro vax comments attacking the player get a pass.

I've seen people dump on you on the Knicks board as someone who has "lost their mind". I've also been insulted there many times for my stance on this. I look at it as a badge of honor. Internet forums tend to lean left, and I think there are some correlations to be made there, but I'll refrain. Nice to know there's at least some like-minded people here.

[Gorilla Monsoon]

You should get a warning for spreading fake news. US has the exact same mandates in place. If Toronto had any unvaccinated players, they wouldn't be able to cross the border to the States either.

If Thybulle wants to not get vaccinated, that's his choice. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't have to face the music when it has been well-known for about a year now that being vaccinated would be mandatory to cross the Canada/US border either way.

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1) (and I don't want to speak for BB here), people who are against the vax mandates in Canada are likely vehemently against them in the US is well. Nobody is defending the fact that unvaccinated Canadians can't cross our border. It's all horrible.

2) At least the mandates have mostly been lifted here for Americans. Kyrie can play in Brooklyn now which is a major shift. But as far as I know, if Siakam wasn't vaccinated, he'd be barred from playing at home. It's not just a border thing. I think that's draconian, and I feel comfortable criticizing the Canadian government for that.

3) Doesn't the bolded part freak you out a little? Does that not sound like a conspiracy theory come true? Does that not sound like some Nazi Germany, "show me your papers" type of thing?

Do you also consider having to show a passport at the border Nazi-like oppression? It is literally a “show me your papers” after all. Smdh

Great analogy. I guess the only difference between a passport and a Covid vaccine is that one of them you have to inject inside of your blood stream despite it being completely experimental and rushed to the market by an industry that is notoriously corrupt and untrustworthy, and that also happens to be one of the biggest and most powerful lobbies of our government. The same industry that helped pass a law in 1986 to shield themselves from liability and use tax money to fund settlements paid to victims of vaccine injury.

But other than that, you really made me look stupid. Maybe I should just shut up and take my shot so we can flatten the curve and get back to normal.

The irony of this is someone like you probably doesn't even believe in borders lol. Asking to see someone's passport before they enter our country is normally racist, but requiring them to be vaccinated...... totally fine. In fact, it's racist not to be vaccinated. Do I have that right?

[Duffman100]

1) (and I don't want to speak for BB here), people who are against the vax mandates in Canada are likely vehemently against them in the US is well. Nobody is defending the fact that unvaccinated Canadians can't cross our border. It's all horrible.

2) At least the mandates have mostly been lifted here for Americans. Kyrie can play in Brooklyn now which is a major shift. But as far as I know, if Siakam wasn't vaccinated, he'd be barred from playing at home. It's not just a border thing. I think that's draconian, and I feel comfortable criticizing the Canadian government for that.

3) Doesn't the bolded part freak you out a little? Does that not sound like a conspiracy theory come true? Does that not sound like some Nazi Germany, "show me your papers" type of thing?

Do you also consider having to show a passport at the border Nazi-like oppression? It is literally a “show me your papers” after all. Smdh

Great analogy. I guess the only difference between a passport and a Covid vaccine is that one of them you have to inject inside of your blood stream despite it being completely experimental and rushed to the market by an industry that is notoriously corrupt and untrustworthy, and that also happens to be one of the biggest and most powerful lobbies of our government. The same industry that helped pass a law in 1986 to shield themselves from liability and use tax money to fund settlements paid to victims of vaccine injury.

But other than that, you really made me look stupid. Maybe I should just shut up and take my shot so we can flatten the curve and get back to normal.

Isn't there a dedicated social media network / echo chamber for you to spout your garbage? Join the other Great Reset conspiracy folks and have fun waiting for 2030.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I don't know who actually wins this series but I'm rooting for the most hilarious outcome possible, which would be Toronto in 7 after going down 3-1.

Brain says Philly in 7 but I could see any outcome honestly. I feel like Embiid's gonna get his, but it's put up or shut up time for Harden. This is it.

I prefer the 2-2-1-1 going into game 7 with all the media talking about Thybulle costing them the series only to have Embiid and Harden suck at home in a close out.

[Jadoogar]

I hope the Raptors get swept here because I'm tired of Canada's draconian vax mandates threatening the quality of what should otherwise be a great playoff.

Lolololol USA has the same mandates

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[Jadoogar]

Canada has lost the plot. Mandates for vaccines that don’t work well and produce serious adverse events for an illness that is as severe as the common cold. Watch me get a warning for this view as “political” while all other pro vax comments attacking the player get a pass.

USA has the same mandates buddy

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[stormi]

i hope my team wins and the other team loses rly badly

[stormi]

I don't know if there is a team in the East I'd like to beat more than the Sixers

We should fly Marc Gasol in and sit him court side to give Joel nightmares

Read on Twitter

spoooky

[stormi]

Read on Twitter

boo !

[Duffman100]

Read on Twitter

boo !

Yeah one of those 'you can see it real time metrics'. Honestly a lot had to do with the fact that Greg Monroe was also terrible.

[DG88]

The Raps are one of the hottest teams in the league, and their defence was great the last 15-20 games, so I understand the conference Raptor fans have, but I don't think I can pick them over a more experienced team with an MVP candidate. The hot team coming into a 4/5 matchup feels commonplace, so that it will be a tough series either way.

What makes Philly "more experienced" exactly? NONE of the Sixers outside of Danny Green have sniffed a deep playoff run. James Harden after all these years can't make it past the second round.

There are still 2 guys on the Raptors with legit championship experience that made big plays and were on the floor when games mattered. Only Danny Green can say that in Philly and he didn't play the role that Fred and Pascal had during that championship run.

Embiid has post-traumatic stress from getting blitzed by Raptors defensive schemes throughout that series and in subsequent regular season games ever since.

He made it to the WCF 1 year but Chris Paul got injured and that was that. But yes he's choked in the playoffs. That's going to be the key is making Garden's life miserable. If Harden can't go off for an efficient 25+ points every game it only puts more pressure on Embiid to score. Maxey is one player who will be an x-factor this series. I think this series goes the distance it's a coin flip. Sixers have all the pressure and Raptors are playing with house money.

[Gorilla Monsoon]

Do you also consider having to show a passport at the border Nazi-like oppression? It is literally a “show me your papers” after all. Smdh

Great analogy. I guess the only difference between a passport and a Covid vaccine is that one of them you have to inject inside of your blood stream despite it being completely experimental and rushed to the market by an industry that is notoriously corrupt and untrustworthy, and that also happens to be one of the biggest and most powerful lobbies of our government. The same industry that helped pass a law in 1986 to shield themselves from liability and use tax money to fund settlements paid to victims of vaccine injury.

But other than that, you really made me look stupid. Maybe I should just shut up and take my shot so we can flatten the curve and get back to normal.

Isn't there a dedicated social media network / echo chamber for you to spout your garbage? Join the other Great Reset conspiracy folks and have fun waiting for 2030.

Why can't I have a discussion here and express my opinions like everyone else?

See, this is all you people do. Gaslight and censor people with differing ideas. There's no room for discourse anymore. It's the definition of an echo chamber lol. You completely ignored a great point I made about the 1986 NCVIA, and went straight to the same old snarky little quip about conspiracy theorists. You sir have been trained by the media to do this and you don't even realize it. Wowzers.