The Philadelphia 76ers had absolutely no answer for Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in Game 1, as Leonard torched the Sixers for 45 points and 11 rebounds en route to a 108-95 Raptors win.
But while Leonard was superb again in Game 2, it was the Sixers who stole the home court advantage with a 94-89 victory, as Jimmy Butler scored 30 points and added 11 rebounds in a bounce back performance.
Howver, given that Philly managed to steal a game in which Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons combined to score just 27 points, Sixers head coach Brett Brown does not want his team to feel comfortable after evening the series.
In a story by ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin, Brown discussed the need for his team to stay and their heels and have more of a killer instinct:
“I think anytime anybody feels comfortable, you're in trouble,” Brown said. “There can be zero comfort level in anything and it's the dynamics of human beings, let alone athletes. It's just how at times people are wired. It's my job and it's truly the way I think, so it's not force fed. There is no level of comfort. … Whether it's Game 3, 5, 2, whatever. The comfort level after a win cannot exist.”
One crucial component of Philly's Game 2 was their insistence on eliminating the perimeter, as the Raptors shot just 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Sixers' bench unit also outscored Toronto 26-5, and the Sixers out rebounded the Raptors 44-36.
Considering that they won a game where they lost the turnover battle and continued to see a poor version of Embiid, the Sixers might have every reason to feel overconfident.
But Brown will certainly be looking to keep his squad in line as the series shifts to Philadelphia.
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