Adamo Marinelli
April 16, 2022
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors have only met twice in the playoffs before, both series have been iconic and have come down to the wire.
In game seven of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Vince Carter missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer and the 76ers held on to advance to the conference finals.
18 years later, Kawhi Leonard hit arguably the most iconic shot in Raptors’ history - the shot heard around the world - to send the Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors would go on to win their first NBA Championship.
This year, the fourth seed 76ers will clash with the fifth seed Raptors in the first round of the playoffs in what is set to be another memorable series between the two teams.
This series will pit Joel Embiid, James Harden, Doc Rivers, and company against Pascal Siakam, Fred Van Vleet, Nick Nurse, and company.
The Toronto Raptors convincingly won the season series 3-1 against the 76ers and were the better team in all four games.
The Raptors won the first matchup of the season 115-109. Joel Embiid didn’t play for the 76ers, but they were able to stay competitive from big performances by Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry. Fred Van Vleet, Gary Trent Jr., and OG Anunoby all balled out for the Raptors with 32, 20, and 20 points respectively. Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa were huge on the glass. The Raptors played physical defense and forced several turnovers which led to transition points down the stretch.
In the second matchup, the Raptors were recovering from a COVID-19 outbreak and were without Anunoby, Van Vleet, Barnes, and Scottie Barnes. The Raptors kept it competitive with big outings from Chris Boucher, Siakam, and Trent Jr. but with Joel Embiid’s 36-point double-double and Tobias Harris’ triple-double, the 76ers held on to win 114-109.
In the third game, the Raptors’ defense was excellent. They shut down a fully healthy 76ers’ offense without Van Vleet and Anunoby. Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, and Scottie Barnes all had tremendous games on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. Siakam and Achiuwa both had double-doubles, with many crucial points down the stretch in a low-scoring, gritty defensive game which had playoff vibes.
The final game of the season series was the most entertaining game of the season, in which the Raptors won 119-114. The Raptors managed to outlast the 76ers again without a full roster – Van Vleet and Anunoby were inactive. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Danny Green had great games for the 76ers and the 76ers showed what they can accomplish when they get production from more than Harden and Embiid. However, once again the Raptors used their tenacious defense to keep the game close and Pascal Siakam’s great second half propelled the Raptors to a victory. Siakam had a monster triple-double, recording 37 points (including the game-winning bucket), 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, Gary Trent and Precious Achiuwa shot the ball well and Scottie Barnes was excellent on the glass and lock down defensively.
In three of the four games of the season series, the Raptors were without several key starters. In two of those three games, the Raptors still managed to win.
The Raptors will have a fully healthy roster in their series against the 76ers. If they can limit Joel Embiid and still put up points while missing key starters, they should definitely be able to do so with a fully healthy roster.
Both teams needed the five-day rest before their series began. The Raptors starters played a lot of minutes all season and with Van Vleet and Anunoby dealing with injuries during the second half of the season, Siakam played a ton. Siakam and Van Vleet played the third and fourth most minutes per game in the NBA this year and Barnes, Anunoby, and Trent Jr. were all in the top 25 in minutes per game.
For the 76ers, James Harden played the sixth-most minutes per game in the NBA (37.2) and there were periods where he visibly looked exhausted. Embiid doesn’t play the most minutes per game (33.8 is still a lot though) and he had some minor injuries and aches down the stretch which is tough for a big man. Both teams will be rested, but which team will use that to their advantage more?
Embiid is the best player in the series, no doubt, and we have all heard the adage that the team with the best player wins the series. However, in the 2019 series and in all three games of the season series that Embiid played, the Raptors defended him well. Embiid will score his points and will get his boards but the Raptors can defend Embiid as well as anyone, even without a true center.
When Embiid has the ball, the Raptors are quick to collapse their defense, close off the lane to the rim, get off screens and send extra help to Embiid to force him to pass the ball away. When he has the ball in his hands in the paint, he is almost unstoppable. He is the first center to win the scoring title since Shaquill O’Neil. Because the Raptors force him to pass the ball away and contribute to the offense without the ball in his hands, which is harder for him as a big man.
Embiid averaged 2.5 turnovers against the Raptors this year, and 4.3 last year; in the 2019 playoffs, he had 28 total in the seven games.
In addition, the Philadelphia 76ers are a completely different team without Embiid on the floor. Philly scores 11.5 fewer points per 100 possessions whenever Embiid is on the bench. Not only
do the Raptors have to limit Embiid when he’s on the floor, but they have to really take advantage of a weakened 76ers team when Embiid is on the bench.
Another huge storyline is Matisse Thybulle not being able to play in Canada as a result of not being fully vaccinated. He will be able to play all of the 76ers home games though. Thybulle isn’t the best offensive player but is a force defensively and contributes in many ways on the defensive side of the ball. He is physical, rebounds well, gets steals, and is a great passer.
Also, which James Harden will we get? A few years ago, he was considered one of the best offensive players in the NBA in the regular season and could drop a 40-point triple-double in the blink of an eye.
As of late, he has regressed offensively, and even with the Rockets, in his scoring prime has never had a lot of success, if any, in the postseason with several failures in close-out games where he shot less than 30 percent.
With Anunoby healthy, the Raptors have many options to guard Harden. They could also put Siakam, Van Vleet, or Barnes on him too, depending on who the 76ers have on the floor.
Unlike the 76ers who generate the majority of their offense through Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey, the Raptors can generate offense from anyone. Because they play small ball, their lineup is very versatile and they switch up the main ball carrier frequently. Even forwards like Siakam and Barnes carry the ball up the floor occasionally, which helps guys like Van Vleet and Trent to find open areas for a shot.
Anunoby, Trent Jr., Van Vleet, Siakam, Barnes, and Thaddeus Young can all move the ball well and can all shoot from anywhere which keeps opposing defenses guessing.
The Raptors’ bench has not been great this year, but guys like Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, and Precious Achiuwa are all solid backups and will be good in this series, especially for their rebounding and ability to guard Embiid. In addition, Malachi Flynn, Svi Myhiluk, and Yuta Watanabe can all be relied on every once in a while.
The 76ers bench is solid on paper but can get hot very fast, especially from three. Georges Niang, Shake Milton, Danny Green, and Furkan Korkmaz can all hit a huge three to spark their offense in stagnant runs. The Raptors have been known to let opposing benches get hot, especially from three, so they have to rotate quickly on defense.
One category the Raptors have an advantage in is team chemistry. Siakam, Anunoby, and VanVleet have played together for years and have lots of playoff experience, Boucher’s been around for their championship run, and Barnes and Birch have been with the team for over a year. Embiid and Harden may be the two of the best players in the series but have only played 21 games together.
Another distinct advantage the Raptors have is coaching. Nick Nurse is a far superior coach to Doc Rivers. Nurse has more experience in the playoffs and is more familiar with his current roster and all his players’ strengths and weaknesses. Nurse builds his team’s identity with physical, gritty defense. Their small ball lineup gives them flexibility on defense and allows them to double cover, send help, closeout lanes and get off screens quicker. It also allows for better ball movement and more open shots in a half-court offense. They limit opponents’ offensive chances and force them to take low percentage shots. The Raptors force turnovers and score frequently in transition.
In addition to Embiid and Harden’s performances, that will directly impact how the 76ers do in the series, how Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris play will have a huge impact. Maxey is a quick, agile guard that can get to the rim, get off screens and shoot floaters from mid-range, and can also shoot the three-pointer. The Raptors have a tough time defending mid-range floaters, especially when the shooter comes off a screen. Maxey is a good catch and release shooter, he is the x-factor for the 76ers in this series. Harris is another x-factor because of his defense, rebounding, ability to drive the rim, rebound, and shoot the three.
For the Raptors, Trent Jr. and Barnes are both the x-factor. They are both young and talented and their performance can add a lot to the Raptors’ game. Barnes is playing in his first playoff game. They are both talented, can shoot very well and their physical defense keeps games close. They need to be solid defensively, force turnovers, get the ball up the court in transition, move the ball around, and hit their shots. Trent Jr. is a great three-point shooter and Barnes is fantastic driving the rim. Barnes and Trent Jr. need to be effective without the ball in their hands and find open spots on the floor to get open shots. Precious Achiuwa is also an x-factor because you never know what he’ll do each night, but neither will the 76ers. On one night, he could lock down James Harden and force three steals and on other nights he can hit 5 threes and score 20.
This will be a fantastic series regardless of who wins, but I think the Raptors will win because of their superior coaching. Nick Nurse and company will find a way to shut down Embiid, will use a variety of schemes to play physical defense, create turnovers and get points in transition. Siakam, Van Vleet, and Barnes will be the best offensive players for the Raptors but Anunoby and Trent Jr. will also produce.
The 76ers after multiple playoff failures know it's time to win now. If they don’t win now, especially after trading for Harden there will be many changes coming to their roster in the offseason.
For the Raptors, after going 27-45 last season and missing the playoffs, it’s nice to be back. There are really no expectations to win, but they have the potential to win on both sides of the ball.
My prediction: Raptors in 6.
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