Adamo Marinelli
May 3rd, 2022
Even though the Toronto Raptors lost, it was still a tremendous series. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Raptors 132-97 in game 6 of their first-round series - mainly because of a flawless third quarter where the 76ers outscored the Raptors 37-17, a quarter in which they were flawless on both sides of the ball - to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.
Heading into the series, despite being the lower seed and the underdogs, the Toronto Raptors and their fans were filled with confidence after an incredible 48-win regular season, which exceeded all expectations, that includes winning the season series vs the 76ers 3-1.
The Raptors got dominated on both sides of the ball in games one and two in Philadelphia and lost by a combined 35 points.
Game three was much closer. The Raptors started well, took a lead but lost it in the second half. The game went to overtime, and then Joel Embiid hit the best shot of his career.
Down 3 games to none, the Raptors looked like they would get swept, but instead of giving up, they fought back despite injuries to Scottie Barnes and Fred Van Vleet and won the next two games in dominant fashion.
This had Raptors fans dreaming of achieving the impossible; winning a series in which you trail 3-0. All 144 teams in NBA history who have had a 3-0 series lead have won the series. In only three of those series, the opponents forced a game seven.
The Raptors were so close but yet so far from that elusive game seven and perhaps, history. But, a dominant second half by the 76ers in game six was enough to move on to round two.
Let’s take a look at general trends from each game, the series in general, and dive deeper into each game to see how the series all went down.
Overall, throughout the entire series, the Raptors struggled to shoot three-pointers effectively. They never shot above 40% from beyond the arc and had two games where they shot below 25% from three. Both teams were pretty even from the field, although the Raptors took significantly more shots than the 76ers in the series.
In addition, the 76ers had a clear advantage in terms of free throws attempted. The Raptors had a total of 126 free throws attempted and the 76ers had 152. In the first two games specifically, the 76ers outshot the Raptors 64-35. In games three to six, the whistle got more even for both teams, but still slightly favoured the 76ers Who knows how different the series might have been if the 76ers didn’t nearly get double the free throw attempts then Toronto. The only games where Toronto shot more free throws were games four and six.
However, the 76ers played fantastic defensively all series long, especially in games one and two. The Raptors’ identity is strong, physical defense that forces turnovers and gets fastbreak points in transition before opposing defenses get set up, that is how they win games. The 76ers were aggressive and didn’t turn the ball over a lot in the first two games, especially in game one where they had only four turnovers (one through the first three quarters) and as a result, the Raptors could not get points in transition and could not play to their identity.
The Raptors would adapt their defense and force the 76ers to turn the ball over significantly more in game three and onward, but Philly's gritty defense and excellent ball security were huge obstacles for the Raptors.
Meanwhile, the 76ers scored with ease behind the arc and in the paint in the first two games. Tyrese Maxey scored a whopping 38 points in game one and Joel Embiid carried the load in game two with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
Another key storyline is rebounding. The team that won the rebounding battle won the game. The 76ers outrebounded the Raptors in games one, two, three, and six. The Raptors outrebounded the 76ers in games four and five. In the first three games, the 76ers dominated the offensive and the defensive glass, which was a factor in taking a 3-0 lead because it led to second-chance points and foul shots.
As the series went on, the Raptors got better on the glass and they turned the 76ers over more frequently which led to more points in transition and fast-break points. Scottie Barnes’ injury hurt the Raptors, especially in games two and three where his presence would have gone a long way but Nick Nurse learned to guard Embiid more effectively by applying pressure and doubling him the minute he touched the ball.
Of course, doubling Embiid meant someone else would have an open shot, but the Raptors’ athleticism, length, and speed on defense allowed for quick closeouts to prevent open shots. This frustrated Embiid and the Raptors also were able to slow down shooting from James Harden and Tyrese Maxey with on-ball pressure and quick movement on defense. The whistles also became more even for both teams to a degree which helped out too.
The Raptors kept game three close and even had a lead. They held a 10-point lead after the first quarter and at one point had a 17-point lead. However, in the third quarter, the Raptors’ lead would be erased with a strong showing from Embiid, Maxey, and Harden. The Raptors played significantly better on defense than in games one and two, shot better, and rebounded better all while being able to force the 76ers to turn the ball over more frequently. The 76ers after hardly turning the ball over in games one and two turned it over 22 times in game three which helped the Raptors keep the game close.
However, a strong second half from the 76ers, who were able to erase the Raptors’ lead by shooting more effectively from behind the arc and in the paint all while preventing the Raptors from taking high percentage shots. The game would end up going to overtime after Precious Achiuwa missed two free crucial throws late in the fourth quarter (otherwise, he had a great game), and then Embiid capped off his 33-point night with a prayer of a three-pointer with a second left in overtime for the win.
Down 3-0, both the 76ers and Raptors knew the implications. Teams with a 3-0 series lead were 144-0 in those series. It looked like a sure win for the 76ers and many pundits and fans believed it would be a sweep and Shaquille O’Neal’s outlandish prediction would come true but the Raptors would not back down, not under head coach Nick Nurse. He said coming back from a 3-0 deficit has never been done before, so why can’t it be us who do it first.
In games four and five, Pascal Siakam would erase the memory of his lackluster performance in the bubble from the minds of all Raptors fans with two MVP-worthy performances. He recorded 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in game four and 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in game 5. Scottie Barnes - who had just won rookie of the year before tip-off in game four - would continue his impressive playoff campaign with two very strong showings.
The Raptors started very strong in game four just like they did in game three and they were able to hold on to their lead for the entire game. For the first time in the series, the Raptors won the rebounding battle. They outrebounded the 76ers 46-41 overall and on the offensive glass 13-6. The Raptors only shot 8/34 (23.5%) from three but they made up for it with fastbreak points in transition and by scoring efficiently in the paint. The 76ers turned the ball over 15 times in game four which led to 22 points for the Raptors. The Raptors did turn the ball over 11 times as well, but the 76ers only scored three points off those turnovers. The Raptors also scored 21 fastbreak points and the Raptors capitalized on their offensive rebounding scoring 12 second-chance points. The Raptors played excellent defense limiting the 76ers to under 45% from the field and from three and held Embiid and Harden to 43 points
Being down 3-1, Nick Nurse said even though coming back from a 3-0 deficit has not been done before, coming back from a 3-1 deficit has been done before and if any team can do it again, it would be this resilient Raptors’ squad.
Game five saw the Raptors play tremendous defense for the entire 48 minutes again. They held the 76ers to 38% from the field and only 25% from three-point range and limited Harden and Embiid to only 35 combined points, Maxey only had 12. In addition, the Raptors also outrebounded the 76ers for the second straight game. They outrebounded the 76ers 37-29 on the defensive glass but were outrebounded 8-3 on the offensive glass. The Raptors once again were able to play their game and scored 20 points off 16 forced turnovers. The 76ers only scored 9 points off 9 turnovers and the Raptors’ transition defense was stellar. The Raptors didn’t have a good day from beyond the arc, only shooting 26% but they made several clutch threes to maintain their lead; at one point their largest lead was 19 points. In addition to playing stellar defense, rebounding well to end 76ers’ possessions, forcing turnovers, and scoring in transition, the Raptors dominated the paint. The Raptors outscored the 76ers 56-36 in the paint, thanks in part to their zone defense and by sending an extra man to the paint to close out the lanes. They also were extremely efficient from the field, shooting 51.2% from the field.
After beating the Raptors decisively on the road, the Raptors had all the momentum going into game six in Toronto and had cut the 76ers series lead to 3-2. Doc Rivers, the head coach of
the 76ers had his fair share of experience blowing leads in the playoffs. He did win a championship with the 2008 Boston Celtics, but he also blew a 3-0 lead in 2003 with the Orlando Magic and two times with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015 and 2020 and has blown multiple 3-2 leads in the playoffs. Being up 3-2, going back to Toronto, the 76ers knew if they lost in game six, they would have to go back to a 76ers fanbase that booed their team when they were trailing early in game five.
The Raptors kept game six very close and trailed 62-61 at halftime. Chris Boucher was outstanding off the bench for the Raptors in the first half, scoring in the paint and from three, rebounding, and playing solid defense on Joel Embiid. However, the 76ers shot much better than the Raptors from the field and from three. The 76ers shot 58% from the field and 40% from three, the Raptors shot 39% from the field and 20% from three. The Raptors outrebounded the 76ers 15-10 on the offensive glass but the 76ers outrebounded the Raptors overall 47-37. The 76ers moved the ball much better than the Raptors and recorded an assist on 32 of their 47 field goals, which is why they got so many open looks, especially from three. Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and Chris Boucher all were big on offense and defense for the Raptors and helped keep the game close in the first half but a 37-17 run in the third quarter for the 76ers (which included a 17-0 run) essentially won the game for the 76ers. Embiid had 33 points, Maxey had 25, Harden had 22 and Tobias Harris had 19 points. The 76ers were able to advance to the second round with ease after a 132-97 win on the road in game six.
Even though the Raptors didn’t make history, they exceeded all expectations they had entering the season. This was supposed to be a team that didn’t make the playoffs, yet they got the 5th seed in the East and won 48 games in the regular season. They made the series close even without their all-star Fred Van Vleet in games four, five, and six and Scottie Barnes in games two and three. This series was a great learning experience for the young core and they have a bright future to look forwards too. With a lot of young players, a great coach, and a great ownership, they will contend in the future.
The 76ers with their win move on to face the Heat in round two. They are in win-now mode with Harden and Embiid although their odds to beat the number one seed in the East got a lot smaller after losing Joel Embiid for an indefinite amount of time after he sustained a right orbital fracture in the 76ers’ game six win. If they win against the Heat, it shows how dominant the 76ers really are, if they lose, it will be another playoff failure, however, with the core of talent they have around Embiid and Harden, like Maxey, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Shake Milton, this team will contend for titles for many years too.
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