X factor for 76ers versus Raptors
Zillgitt: Talented Philly must stay healthy
High-end talent is not the issue for the 76ers.
One doesn’t need to be an NBA advanced scout to see that.
They start five All-Star-caliber players: Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were All-Stars this season; cases were made for Tobias Harris’ and J.J. Redick’s inclusion, and Jimmy Butler has been one before.
No, elite talent isn’t a problem at all. It’s the other things. Embiid’s health, lack of cohesion, big personalities, depth concerns, emotional outbursts.
Collectively, those things were fine enough in Philadelphia’s 4-1 series victory over Brooklyn in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
And the Sixers were ready to end this series from the start of their 122-100 triumph against the Nets in Game 5 Tuesday. The Sixers led 30-6 in the first quarter of the blowout.
The Raptors are up next for the 76ers in the conference semifinals, and even though Toronto is the higher seed, Philadelphia won’t be content with a competitive series loss.
The Sixers built this team to go beyond the second round. That’s why they acquired Butler and Harris in blockbuster deals. It’s why it feels like there’s so much pressure on the Sixers. There is a lot at stake.
Butler and Harris are free agents after the season, and it sometimes feels like Brett Brown is coaching for his job. Those situations will resolve themselves after the season, but the results of the playoffs will help determine what happens.
For the Sixers, the outcome hinges on Embiid, who was fantastic against Brooklyn but missed one game with knee soreness. His health will be a constant storyline.
When he plays, he can dominate and presents considerable problems for any opponent. Embiid averaged 24.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in 24.3 minutes.
The Sixers are judicious with Embiid’s minutes, and he didn’t need to play big minutes in blowouts. But they might have to increase his minutes against the Raptors as long as his knee can withstand it. Keep in mind Embiid has two flagrant foul points in the playoffs, and if he reaches four points, it results in a one-game suspension.
The starting five of Simmons, Redick, Butler, Harris and Embiid were fantastic together against the Nets, scoring 131.5 points and allowing 81.7 points per 100 possessions. That’s a great sign considering they played 10 games together during the regular season.
Simmons might not have a jump shot, but his ability to push the ball and drive to the basket opens opportunities for himself and his teammates. Butler’s ability to find his spots is underrated, and Harris is an efficient scorer.
Philadelphia’s high-powered offense will have a much more difficult time scoring against Toronto’s stingy defense, and it needs to hit 3-pointers at a better percentage than it did against Brooklyn.
Defensively, Butler, who can’t get ejected like he did in Game 4, will take the job of guarding Kawhi Leonard a majority of the time, and that is a matchup worth watching.
Toronto’s bench also has the edge on Philadelphia.
Will the Raptors just wear down the Sixers? That’ll be part of the game plan.
Philadelphia has the talent in its starting lineup, will need big minutes from those starters and can’t get sidetracked by the other things if it wants to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2001.