Subscribe
Follow Us
Heading into the postseason, the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers matchup was expected to be a competitive series. Toronto was a popular upset pick over the 4th-seeded Sixers. This has not proved to be the case with Philly jumping out to a 3-0 series lead early on. The Raptors have shown some fight and managed to secure a Game 4 win on their home court. While the Raptors are not in a great situation, some unique circumstances give them a chance to make a comeback and be the first team in history to come back from 3-0.
Raptors 3 Reasons why they can make history:
Joel Embiid's Thumb
The Sixers are clearly the more talented team in the series. Unfortunately for them, this took a major hit with the news of an injury to Joel Embiid. The Sixers' superstar has a torn ligament in his thumb that will require surgery to fix the issue. Embiid has made it clear he plans to play through the injury, but the level of play he is able to play at is the larger question.
Joel Embiid will require surgery to address the ligament tear in his right thumb, but that procedure will wait until after the Sixers' season, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2022
There is still a large amount of talent on the Sixers roster, but the team needs Embiid's dominance for success against the Raptors. Embiid had just 21 points and eight rebounds in Game 4. He was seen noticeably grabbing his thumb throughout the game and lacked his usual control of the game. The Kansas product also turned the ball over five times and admitted postgame that the injury impacted his dribbling and passing. Embiid has played at a heroic level all season and carried this Sixers team to success during stretches they did not deserve to produce wins. If Embiid is not able to play at his usual level, it could play a major role in the Sixers' ability to close the series out.
Nick Nurse has made adjustments
One of the biggest surprises in the series has been the difference in coaching through the first few games. In Games one through three, Doc Rivers has outcoached Nick Nurse by a pretty wide margin. Rivers has been crisp in his substitutions, called effective timeouts, switched to zone effectively, and been one step ahead of Nurse's tactics. This finally changed in Game 4 with Nurse making some necessary adjustments for the Raptors to find success.
Article Continues Below
The most notable change was the defense on Joel Embiid. Thumb injury or not, Embiid remains the main focus of the Sixers' offense. Toronto doubled down on Embiid without the ball each time he attempted to post up. Rather than swarming him upon the entry pass, the Raptors prevented Embiid from touching the ball in these positions.
The Raptors used this momentum to get back to their brand of basketball. Toronto out-hustled the Sixers on both sides of the ball which was shown by them winning the rebounding and turnover battle. The Raptors looked the most prepared they have all series in Game 4 and need this effort to continue if they hope to have a chance.
The return of Scottie Barnes
It was disappointing to see Scottie Barnes suffer an ankle injury in the opening game of the series. The 2022 Rookie of the Year made his return in Game 4 and made a very positive impact. Barnes is especially effective defensively and is the glue that holds the Raptors' defense together. The team's success in transition and on defense is certainly correlated to his return. Expect Barnes to continue to play through the ankle issue and continue his production moving forward.
Barnes made an especially positive impact in his pick-and-roll coverage with James Harden and Joel Embiid. The Florida State product typically starts the halfcourt set on James Harden who he is able to swallow up with his length. The Sixers often run a pick and roll with Embiid as the screener and force Barnes to switch on to him. His 6'7 size gives him a better chance than most defenders have when switched on Embiid. Scottie Barnes has been very effective in disrupting what is one of the more heavily utilized sets in the Sixers offense.
The Raptors certainly should not feel good about how the series has started, but do not count them out just yet. NBA teams are 143-0 on the series after going up 3-0 in a series, so the Raptors are attempting to be the first team to break this streak. Toronto capitalized on the Sixers' struggles and made some key adjustments in Game 3. Look for this type of effort to continue as they hope to battle back in the remainder of the series.
