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

[youngcrev]

This series is probably a wrap. We suck. We might win game 4 with Scottie. It is what it is.

Masai has thinking to do in the offseason.

I don't think it's really that far off. FVV is clearly extremely hobbled so I wouldn't be too hard on him for a poor series. I think the main thing is moving Siakam. His inability to dribble the ball is just too much for someone who's going to be a top 2-3 option on offense. Move Siakam, continue to make winning moves on the margin (where Masai excels) and wait for the next superstar to demand out elsewhere.

I don't think Masai trades Siakam, I would be very surprised.

Barnes / Siakam / Anunoby is just an awkward front 3 though, with a lot of redundancies. Siakam and Scottie just overlap so much. I just don't see it fitting long term.

We got away with it during the regular season because it seems like someone (between Anunoby and Siakam) was always injured, so we just plugged Scottie in wherever we needed him. Barnes and Siakam do play well together in a 2-Man game.

I really do like all three of those guys, but Scottie and OG are the future. OG is very quietly averaging 24 PPG this series. He isn't necessarily a primary scorer, but he can be super effective in a support role.

Hmm, I kinda feel like the Raptors have something with that trio in the front court. Obviously, the lack of size at the 5 sticks out, particularly in a series against a dominant center, but that level of length/athleticism/switchability is such an advantage defensively, particularly with their frenetic style.

In the end, you win with stars in the NBA, and a lot of what that team can become relies more on Barnes' development and/or whether they can acquire someone. IMO that should be the focus with trades rather than trying to make some type of fit improvement. Having a bunch of long, switchable guys that can shoot isn't redundant in the NBA, it's ideal.

[JShuttlesworth]

I don't think it's really that far off. FVV is clearly extremely hobbled so I wouldn't be too hard on him for a poor series. I think the main thing is moving Siakam. His inability to dribble the ball is just too much for someone who's going to be a top 2-3 option on offense. Move Siakam, continue to make winning moves on the margin (where Masai excels) and wait for the next superstar to demand out elsewhere.

I don't think Masai trades Siakam, I would be very surprised.

Barnes / Siakam / Anunoby is just an awkward front 3 though, with a lot of redundancies. Siakam and Scottie just overlap so much. I just don't see it fitting long term.

We got away with it during the regular season because it seems like someone (between Anunoby and Siakam) was always injured, so we just plugged Scottie in wherever we needed him. Barnes and Siakam do play well together in a 2-Man game.

I really do like all three of those guys, but Scottie and OG are the future. OG is very quietly averaging 24 PPG this series. He isn't necessarily a primary scorer, but he can be super effective in a support role.

Hmm, I kinda feel like the Raptors have something with that trio in the front court. Obviously, the lack of size at the 5 sticks out, particularly in a series against a dominant center, but that level of length/athleticism/switchability is such an advantage defensively, particularly with their frenetic style.

In the end, you win with stars in the NBA, and a lot of what that team can become relies more on Barnes' development and/or whether they can acquire someone. IMO that should be the focus with trades rather than trying to make some type of fit improvement. Having a bunch of long, switchable guys that can shoot isn't redundant in the NBA, it's ideal.

The problem in my eyes is that like you said, you lose our length advantage by running such a small 5 out there. Everyone needs to shift down a spot, and we need to put a real center into the rotation.

Siakam and Barnes are both 4's (I still view Barnes as a Point-Forward), but the nice thing is they can guard multiple positions.

Playing Barnes at the 1 is really where we get our size advantage, but I still think he needs to tighten up his handles for us to be able to do that, and we'd need a really good off ball shooter at the 2 spot. Someone like a Mikal Bridges would be perfect (although unrealistic).

[bebopdeluxe]

We're good fam. We're good.

This cope LMFAO

It's 2022 dude.

Yup. And it still feels good. Having reached that mountaintop renders you a moment of pure ecstasy and joy that you can invoke at any time. Works as intended.

Eagles fans don't sit at home and stroke off to the Philly Special. All I care about is what they do NOW.

To each their own.

[jbent87]

Anyone gonna update the series results in the title?

[bebopdeluxe]

I don't think Masai trades Siakam, I would be very surprised.

Barnes / Siakam / Anunoby is just an awkward front 3 though, with a lot of redundancies. Siakam and Scottie just overlap so much. I just don't see it fitting long term.

We got away with it during the regular season because it seems like someone (between Anunoby and Siakam) was always injured, so we just plugged Scottie in wherever we needed him. Barnes and Siakam do play well together in a 2-Man game.

I really do like all three of those guys, but Scottie and OG are the future. OG is very quietly averaging 24 PPG this series. He isn't necessarily a primary scorer, but he can be super effective in a support role.

Hmm, I kinda feel like the Raptors have something with that trio in the front court. Obviously, the lack of size at the 5 sticks out, particularly in a series against a dominant center, but that level of length/athleticism/switchability is such an advantage defensively, particularly with their frenetic style.

In the end, you win with stars in the NBA, and a lot of what that team can become relies more on Barnes' development and/or whether they can acquire someone. IMO that should be the focus with trades rather than trying to make some type of fit improvement. Having a bunch of long, switchable guys that can shoot isn't redundant in the NBA, it's ideal.

The problem in my eyes is that like you said, you lose our length advantage by running such a small 5 out there. Everyone needs to shift down a spot, and we need to put a real center into the rotation.

Siakam and Barnes are both 4's (I still view Barnes as a Point-Forward), but the nice thing is they can guard multiple positions.

Playing Barnes at the 1 is really where we get our size advantage, but I still think he needs to tighten up his handles for us to be able to do that, and we'd need a really good off ball shooter at the 2 spot. Someone like a Mikal Bridges would be perfect (although unrealistic).

If Siakam is a 4, to play FORTY EIGHT minutes and have ZERO free throws should pretty much shoot down any woofing about the refs not making enough calls for the Raptors.

Pressure the rim, son.

[bebopdeluxe]

BK you talk about the refs more than anyone else

I don't think there's a Raptor fan in this thread who wouldn't say Philly is the better team

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

[Sisqo]

BK you talk about the refs more than anyone else

I don't think there's a Raptor fan in this thread who wouldn't say Philly is the better team

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

All in fun but I swear a few pages back you said you weren’t going to keep talking about the refs lol.

Look how people have said we are losing to the better team exactly like you’re asking for. Can’t have it both ways

[youngcrev]

I don't think Masai trades Siakam, I would be very surprised.

Barnes / Siakam / Anunoby is just an awkward front 3 though, with a lot of redundancies. Siakam and Scottie just overlap so much. I just don't see it fitting long term.

We got away with it during the regular season because it seems like someone (between Anunoby and Siakam) was always injured, so we just plugged Scottie in wherever we needed him. Barnes and Siakam do play well together in a 2-Man game.

I really do like all three of those guys, but Scottie and OG are the future. OG is very quietly averaging 24 PPG this series. He isn't necessarily a primary scorer, but he can be super effective in a support role.

Hmm, I kinda feel like the Raptors have something with that trio in the front court. Obviously, the lack of size at the 5 sticks out, particularly in a series against a dominant center, but that level of length/athleticism/switchability is such an advantage defensively, particularly with their frenetic style.

In the end, you win with stars in the NBA, and a lot of what that team can become relies more on Barnes' development and/or whether they can acquire someone. IMO that should be the focus with trades rather than trying to make some type of fit improvement. Having a bunch of long, switchable guys that can shoot isn't redundant in the NBA, it's ideal.

The problem in my eyes is that like you said, you lose our length advantage by running such a small 5 out there. Everyone needs to shift down a spot, and we need to put a real center into the rotation.

Siakam and Barnes are both 4's (I still view Barnes as a Point-Forward), but the nice thing is they can guard multiple positions.

Playing Barnes at the 1 is really where we get our size advantage, but I still think he needs to tighten up his handles for us to be able to do that, and we'd need a really good off ball shooter at the 2 spot. Someone like a Mikal Bridges would be perfect (although unrealistic).

Eh, that's looking at it in the aggregate of lineups. I think it's advantageous to have a bunch of guys in the frontcourt that can basically cover 1-5. Going up against Embiid feels more like an exception for playoff matchups, where as a lot of teams tend to go smaller, spread things out, and switch.

I'd be open to the idea of moving OG or Pascal if the right move came along, but I don't think it's a necessity.

That's not what's holding them back. Not having a guy that can take over a game is.

[jbent87]

BK you talk about the refs more than anyone else

I don't think there's a Raptor fan in this thread who wouldn't say Philly is the better team

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

this series, specifically last night, should've been a come to God moment for the team getting absolutely humbled right now. There have been many moments in my life of being a sports fan where my team has lost - I'm a Philadelphia fan, hello? we know a thing or two about that - and I've had to take a step back and say wow, so "we" didn't actually deserve to win that game/series... that other guy/QB/team is just better. It is what it is. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth and Joel Embiid has punched you in the mouth many different ways through these first 3 games. The fourth game is coming up. Get ready.

Re: the last part of this post, this Raptors team is a good young fun team. Barnes/OG are studs. We all know how good Siakam/FVV are. Then they have nice pieces as well with Gary Trent Jr, etc. But that doesn't beat James Harden, MVP Joel Embiid and future/current breakout/next big thing Tyrese Maxey. Especially not when Barnes misses most of the series with an injury.

The Raptors will be back, and for their sake in series such as this, hopefully the next time it's with an actual Center to really make things hard on Embiid. But even that discredits the genius and superstar power that Embiid has. Theres a reason why he is the MVP this season, according to every player in the league and its bc of games like last night. If national media/journalists don't agree then it is what it is.

But don't try and deny what you saw last night.

[timO]

so finally raps go home in 4

[bebopdeluxe]

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

All in fun but I swear a few pages back you said you weren’t going to keep talking about the refs lol.

Look how people have said we are losing to the better team exactly like you’re asking for. Can’t have it both ways

i gave you the love, my guy. And - as we were discussing last night - my point was not a "Raptors fans should stop whining about the refs" comment...it was a legitimate (I think) point that could possibly explain the disparity in FT attempts. There is a difference, IMO.

And I also agree that the narrative now is "hey - we are losing to the better team, but the future is still bright", which is absolutely true...but it was clearly NOT the narrative this board had before the series - as the "Raptors in 6" poll selection being the most selected option before the series started. You can't start off saying you are going to win the series, and after being down 3-0, say, well, the Sixers are the better team. Right?

If the Sixers are the better team, why was "Raptors in 6" the leading poll option going into the series?

You can't have it both ways.

[Eyeamok]

I'm disappointed. I came in here today expecting to see pictures of Embiid crying.

[JShuttlesworth]

BK you talk about the refs more than anyone else

I don't think there's a Raptor fan in this thread who wouldn't say Philly is the better team

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

What in the world are you going on about?

[Jadoogar]

Forces 22turnovers, including 9 steals. Even in fouls and free throws. get good nights from OG, Precious and GTJ. Get Harden fouled out. Hold Maxey under 20 points. All that and still lose? that's rough.

Kudos to Embiid and Tobias. Harris has an extremely underrated game. Absolutely destroyed Siakam in the second half.

[srhcan]

Problem is Nurse. He is not making the hard decisions needed to win this series.

[ATLTimekeeper]

The Raptors definitely were punched, repeatedly. I liked that Anunoby stepped up and wasn't intimidated by Embiid's physicality and just kept going at him. It was a stark contrast to Siakam, whose passivity just killed the flow on offense. Siakam's D was mostly fine. He did a good job bottling Maxey, who had been a problem in the other two games.

The playoffs are a star audit, and jump shooting is usually the primary weapon. Siakam's jumper is newish, and those types of players can lose their feel under playoff pressure. We used to see it with Lowry in his first few runs, and then he eventually just played through it and now he's golden. And to me, that's what this game came down to: Embiid's jumper was working. He hit some difficult ones and he hit the big one. Both teams tried to establish their guy at the nail, and Embiid hit, drew fouls, drew bodies. Siakam bricked, and that allowed Philadelphia to stick around.

Going forward I think the Raptors can build with some confidence that their small ball works, but they need to compliment their athleticism with some shooters. One more Gary Trent type gritty shooter off the bench and they don't have to rely as much on Fred VanVleet lofting bombs when available. They're missing a Jae Crowder-level dedicated defender.

[Sisqo]

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

All in fun but I swear a few pages back you said you weren’t going to keep talking about the refs lol.

Look how people have said we are losing to the better team exactly like you’re asking for. Can’t have it both ways

i gave you the love, my guy. And - as we were discussing last night - my point was not a "Raptors fans should stop whining about the refs" comment...it was a legitimate (I think) point that could possibly explain the disparity in FT attempts. There is a difference, IMO.

And I also agree that the narrative now is "hey - we are losing to the better team, but the future is still bright", which is absolutely true...but it was clearly NOT the narrative this board had before the series - as the "Raptors in 6" poll selection being the most selected option before the series started. You can't start off saying you are going to win the series, and after being down 3-0, say, well, the Sixers are the better team. Right?

If the Sixers are the better team, why was "Raptors in 6" the leading poll option going into the series?

You can't have it both ways.

Haha fair enough, but ask the people who voted that. Chances are it’s not about the raptors and more their opinion of the sixers (wrongfully).
Plus it’s a random poll, most raptors fans are going to blindly vote for their team out of love for them. Any self respecting sports fan would lol. This is just a product of there being so many more raptors fans on this board not much else. Does change reality that the sixers are and should be a better team at this point. We had our moment and are rebuilding

[Haldi]

BK you talk about the refs more than anyone else

I don't think there's a Raptor fan in this thread who wouldn't say Philly is the better team

I mean, there was literally a 20+ page thread plus hundreds of posts across other threads specifically on the Raptors getting screwed by the reffing. Many many Raptors fans were taking pretty crazy stances to scapegoat the officiating. It was brutal to read and try to engage with, and it was still going very strong until like 12 hours ago.

There’s gotta be some kind of self-awareness or accountability among raps fans for that. There was easily 10 times as many posts about that as about anything else in the series, tough to just say ‘no ones saying that now, so it didn’t happen.’

This ALL DAY LONG.

And when you point out that their starting 4, Pascal Siakam, played 48 minutes last night and shot ZERO free throws - because he put ZERO pressure on the rim - and point out that maybe the reason for the foul call disparity in the series is because one team is pressuring the rim and the other team is settling for jumpers, all you hear are crickets. To be fair, when I brought this up last night, one Raptors fan (Sisqo) agreed with this, but the rest of the Raptors fans who have spent the entire series whining about the refs didn't seem to acknowledge this as a possible explanation for the disparity.

I think the Raptors have great young talent, and were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs (13-2 in their last 15 games). There was a legitimate reason why they were a trendy 1st round upset pick. I think it is ridiculous to talk serious smack before the series started, and then turn around and try to cop a "we're just happy to be here" narrative. That is weak f'k'n sauce. Just own the fact that you losing to a better team.

But they know that.

So well said. But the problem is, they don’t think they’re losing to a better team. They honestly think like most of this board that philly is a loser team who picked up loser Harden and that Embiid will be a career loser. Mark my words this will par for the course for every single series they play in. The same poll you saw before the Raptors series, you will see against miami and if they win that against whoever they go against in the ECF. They will also be getting trashed before a single game of those series are played just like it was here and if they win those series too, the goalposts will move to refs refs refs. Better get used to it…

[LloydFree]

This cope LMFAO

It's 2022 dude.

Yup. And it still feels good. Having reached that mountaintop renders you a moment of pure ecstasy and joy that you can invoke at any time. Works as intended.

Eagles fans don't sit at home and stroke off to the Philly Special. All I care about is what they do NOW.

To each their own.

I was thinking the same thing. The Eagles won the SB in 2017 and fans wanted to fire the GM by 2018. People were totally over the SB, by the end of the next season. The Raptors are still celebrating 3 years later. LOL.

[Sisqo]

Yup. And it still feels good. Having reached that mountaintop renders you a moment of pure ecstasy and joy that you can invoke at any time. Works as intended.

Eagles fans don't sit at home and stroke off to the Philly Special. All I care about is what they do NOW.

To each their own.

I was thinking the same thing. The Eagles won the SB in 2017 and fans wanted to fire the GM by 2018. People were totally over the SB, by the end of the next season. The Raptors are still celebrating 3 years later. LOL.

Are they though? Or is it just a group of random fans on a forum? I guarantee if I look I can find another teams fan celebrating their last championship. Hell look at the Yankees fans, Celtics fans, any other team who has ever won a championship. this isn’t unique, but it’s down right stupid to claim it’s a whole fan base in any of those situations.