The Philadelphia 76ers have their best chance of winning a title since the early 2000s. How poetic it was, then, to see franchise legend Allen Iverson sitting courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, rooting his former team on like a fan.
Allen Iverson celebrating in Philly with the 76ers up 14 pic.twitter.com/w9jyKEGCa5
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 3, 2019
Iverson, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, in the yellow sweatshirt above, and Sixers fans had a lot to cheer about in Game 3, too. Behind stifling team-wide defense and a dominant two-way performance from Joel Embiid, Philadelphia beat the Toronto Raptors 116-95 on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Embiid, who scored 28 points on 25 shots in the first two games against Toronto, had 33 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and five blocks in Game 3. He shot 9-of-18 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-13 from the free throw line, leading a Sixers offense that was firing on all cylinders. Philadelphia shot 51.2 percent overall and connected on 10-of-23 from deep en route to a 124.4 offensive rating and 61.2 true shooting percentage. Brett Brown's team doled out 29 assists, too, the second-most its had in the playoffs so far.
Toronto, meanwhile, struggled offensively save for the unstoppable force that is Kawhi Leonard. He had 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting, making hay from mid-range and bringing the Raptors back from a double-digit halftime deficit with 14 points in the third quarter. Leonard just didn't have enough support to finish off the comeback, though, especially from Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol, who combined for just 14 points.
Needless to say, if Embiid is the best player on the floor and Toronto's supporting cast is so thoroughly outplayed by Philadelphia's, Iverson and other Sixers fans will have reason to cheer again come Game 4.
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