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

[tsherkin]

Harden isn't even playoff choke artists harden he looks like a 40 yr old version of himself. Embiid thumb injury is worse than we thought. This game clearly showed sixers have a weaker supporting cast than jokic.

Yeah I don't like how the narrative after this series will be that Harden is always a choker, when it couldn't be further from the truth (Check his 39ppg average in games 3 and 4 when down 0-2 to the Warriors in the 19 WCSF) and I'm not a Harden fan in the slightest. He just clearly looks cooked from the hamstring. Philly have to be praying that he bounces back after a 2020 CP3 like offseason, because if this is him now, he is clearly not worth a supermax.

With respect to Harden, he was fine in Houston (at least on average) and has been crap since. He's a high-variance player because he shoots so many threes at "eh" to decent percentages and doesn't have much in between the 3pt line and the rim. You get amazing or you get crap and little else most of the time.

[LBJKB24MJ23]

Raptors winning the series at +610

[jokeboy86]

There's no way in hell Doc Rivers can lose this series, can he? I mean if by some chance Rivers loses that's probably it for him period. There's no way any of his friends in the media could defend him anymore at all. Also it's official, Tobias Harris is the new Rudy Gay and take that how you want it.

[mtcan]

One game at a time. Don't get too high. Don't get too low.

[Raps in 4]

Raps easily win the next two if we don't bring out FVV.

[Jcity08]

Raps easily win the next two if we don't bring out FVV.

I dont know about easily, but we got a fighter chance since Fred has been playing with nagging injures he's been a negative and Sixers are a bad matchup already for him.

[QUIZ]

We’ve come a long way from the Sixers are cheating thread. The game 6 atmosphere will be absolutely insane.

[Appostis]

Let's all be realistic, Raps still need to win at home and then win AGAIN in Philly. 4 straight.

I don't care how much a team is reeling, it's just so unlikely.

Just happy this is a series now.

Really is long shot but we're in

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Territory.. :lol

[QUIZ]

Harden isn't even playoff choke artists harden he looks like a 40 yr old version of himself. Embiid thumb injury is worse than we thought. This game clearly showed sixers have a weaker supporting cast than jokic.

Yeah I don't like how the narrative after this series will be that Harden is always a choker, when it couldn't be further from the truth (Check his 39ppg average in games 3 and 4 when down 0-2 to the Warriors in the 19 WCSF) and I'm not a Harden fan in the slightest. He just clearly looks cooked from the hamstring. Philly have to be praying that he bounces back after a 2020 CP3 like offseason, because if this is him now, he is clearly not worth a supermax.

Zach Lowe after watching every 4th quarter minute James Harden has played in the playoffs:

“I did the deep dive. Harden’s 4th quarter numbers, in big games, in elimination games, in 2-2 series games, are bad. His crunchtime numbers are bad. Most of his best playoff games are when his team is up 3-0, down 3-0, up 3-1, down 3-1. I watched all of his field goal attempts in the 4th quarters of his postseason career, a lot of his crunchtime baskets are like “Oh GS is up 8, we’ll concede a layup so you don’t get a 3,” and Harden inflates his crunchtime field goal % from zero to something better than zero with essentially a conceded layup.” - Zach Lowe, The Lowe Post Podcast.

[The Warrior]

Game 5 has been over for a whole minute now ...




Is it too early to point out that the Raptors have never lost a playoff game ...


... when Scottie was on the team and available to play crunch time.


Still, when he's been playing healthy ... he often doesn't play crunch time anyway .... blowouts do that to "pressure stats".

Scottie does play in crunch time.


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[Courtside]

I didn't watch the game, only box score.

So I'd like someone to please explain to me, how the **** do you play a team that has literally NO point guard on the roster and fail to take advantage of it. How?

You've had a few answers already, but many around the league still haven't caught on... THIS is exactly what the Raptors are doing, going Positionless, where every guy can play every position at least a little, but several positions very credibly, at both ends of the floor. It's not an easy thing to pull off as that is a very hard roster to get in place, but it can wreak as much havoc on offense as it can on defense, if you have a guy like Nurse experimenting all season long with full support of the front office and eventual roster buy in and talent. Still a couple of years from reaching full form, but this season is basically a proof-of-concept exercise.

Against most teams you can get away with Fred at point when he's healthy, as he is a tough defender even against size, but if he's not playing at >90% then he blows up what the rest of the team wants to do, and he's better off sitting. If the miracle continues ans we pull this off, then he'll need to be fresh for the matchup against Lowry and the Heat. So it helps for this series, and potentially helps for later, based on a roster built to compensate for the loss of any player from the line up.

[TORW]

Momentum has swung in our favour, a team has to come back from 0-3 sometime lets go.

[BrianInPhilly]

Raptors winning the series at +610

As someone rooting for the Sixers, this is insane to me. I'd say objectively at worst (for Toronto) it's 50-50 each game, meaning it should be +300 for Toronto or less. I already put a bet in, though a small one cause I still want Sixers to win so I'm conflicted. My brain/gut says Toronto's got this. I could always bet on the Sixers to win Game 7 & make money either way.

But it doesn't make sense. Toronto has figured Philly out & it's obvious Harden doesn't have an extra gear. Toronto is gonna shadow/double Embiid the rest of the series - it's gonna come down to if they can swing the ball effectively and Maxey/Harris can score the ball. We'll see what happens.

[AussieCeltic]

This is the perfect scenario for a team to come back from a 3-0 deficit.

First off.. we have Doc who can't close out series. He's lost the most games to close out a series in NBA history and has lost the most 3-1 leads ever.

Second off... we have Nurse and the Raptors who have overcome 2-0 deficits before and clearly get better as series' goes on.

If there was ever a chance for it to happen, now is the time. Let's go Raptors (I never thought I'd say that).

[Bruin]

There's no way in hell Doc Rivers can lose this series, can he? I mean if by some chance Rivers loses that's probably it for him period. There's no way any of his friends in the media could defend him anymore at all. Also it's official, Tobias Harris is the new Rudy Gay and take that how you want it.

Tobias has actually played very well in this series

[NyKnicks1714]

Philly is done. I think they'll win this series but it really feels like Miami is going to make quick work of them.

[LoveMyRaps]

Scottie literally playing on one ankle finishes the game with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1TO while playing elite defense.

This dude is the TRUTH.

[Hoop Heavy]

I didn't watch the game, only box score.

So I'd like someone to please explain to me, how the **** do you play a team that has literally NO point guard on the roster and fail to take advantage of it. How?

Actually there were 2 PGs out there it's just that they're both 6'8" / 235

It's a new trick - getting a bunch of small ball centers who all want to be point guards

[Wolfgang630]

Read on Twitter

Maybe he meant game 6?

He’s talking about the reverse gear.

[TheAlchemist]

Harden isn't even playoff choke artists harden he looks like a 40 yr old version of himself. Embiid thumb injury is worse than we thought. This game clearly showed sixers have a weaker supporting cast than jokic.

Yeah I don't like how the narrative after this series will be that Harden is always a choker, when it couldn't be further from the truth (Check his 39ppg average in games 3 and 4 when down 0-2 to the Warriors in the 19 WCSF) and I'm not a Harden fan in the slightest. He just clearly looks cooked from the hamstring. Philly have to be praying that he bounces back after a 2020 CP3 like offseason, because if this is him now, he is clearly not worth a supermax.

Zach Lowe after watching every 4th quarter minute James Harden has played in the playoffs:

“I did the deep dive. Harden’s 4th quarter numbers, in big games, in elimination games, in 2-2 series games, are bad. His crunchtime numbers are bad. Most of his best playoff games are when his team is up 3-0, down 3-0, up 3-1, down 3-1. I watched all of his field goal attempts in the 4th quarters of his postseason career, a lot of his crunchtime baskets are like “Oh GS is up 8, we’ll concede a layup so you don’t get a 3,” and Harden inflates his crunchtime field goal % from zero to something better than zero with essentially a conceded layup.” - Zach Lowe, The Lowe Post Podcast.

Wow I remember when he wrote this.

So enlightening.