The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors face off on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST from Scotiabank Arena for the first game of the teams' highly-anticipated matchup in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Both teams had a relatively easy time of it in the first round after getting shockingly beaten in their respective Game 1s before reeling off four straight victories to put away the Nets and Magic, respectively. Now, their attentions turn towards each other, and 76ers head coach Brett Brown spoke about the message he would tell his team regarding Kawhi Leonard’s incredible defense.
Per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
#Sixers coach Brett Brown on his message to adjusting to Kawhi Leonard’s defensive presence in the postseason. pic.twitter.com/hOiRH4XGIK
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) April 27, 2019
As you can hear, Brett Brown doesn’t single out just Leonard, but instead brings up the terrific defensive personnel that Toronto can trot out on any occasion with lineups consisting of Leonard, Marc Gasol, Danny Green, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam – all of which are more than capable of defending their position at an above-average or sometimes elite level, or even switching across multiple positions if necessary.
Brown highlighted getting back in transition defense on Philadelphia’s side of the spectrum, but he finished his statement by saying: “Toronto’s really, really capable defensively.” Indeed, the Raptors are currently tied with the Boston Celtics for the league's best defensive rating in the playoffs at 95.8. They've been especially good in the regular season once they acquired Gasol, too, finishing third in defensive rating after the trade deadline.
The 76ers and Brown will find out first-hand just how good Toronto can be defensively during Saturday night's Game 1.
