Up 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Toronto Raptors, the Philadelphia 76ers’ work is only halfway done. At the same time it feels like they’ve accomplished something more. It feels like they have turned a corner, that they are gathering speed, leaving the Raptors gagging on exhaust.
It feels like Toronto mainstays Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol have suddenly grown very old, and its bench has become very ordinary. And what it really feels like is that Kawhi Leonard has been transformed into a character from Greek mythology, slashing away at a multi-headed Hydra. For two games now, that has proven to be a task too daunting even for a transcendent talent like him (much less his trusty sidekick, Pascal Siakam), for these Sixers are capable of stinging opponents from all angles.
Leonard crammed 31 of his 33 points into the first three quarters of Game Three, then repaired to the bench for a rest at the beginning of the final period. Bingo — the Sixers went on a 21-2 spree that saw Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler provide all but two of the points. Game over.
The final was 116-95. Embiid, limited to 28 points in the first two games by some sticky defense, his sore left knee and what he described as the runs (or something like that), provided 33, along with 10 rebounds and five blocks. Butler generated 22 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals. The other three starters also scored in double figures, as did James Ennis III, a very useful reserve.
And with Game Three looming Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, Toronto coach Nick Nurse must figure out what became of the team that blew out the Sixers in the series opener, behind Leonard’s 45-point explosion.
“I think we got outplayed in just about every area we could get outplayed in,” he said of Game Three, adding that the focus now is more on effort than execution.
“We’re going to have to play a hell of a lot harder,” he said, “and we’re going to have to play a hell of a lot more physical.”
Serge Ibaka and Siakam did draw flagrant fouls on Thursday — Ibaka for elbowing JJ Redick in the chops in the first quarter, Siakam for tripping Embiid, his fellow Cameroonian, in the fourth. (It was also a tough night for international relations, as the Sixers’ Ben Simmons, an Australian, elbowed the 33-year-old Lowry, a Philadelphian. And he did so — you should pardon the expression — Down Under.).
But Siakam (20 points) and Danny Green (13) were the only ones to join Leonard in double figures, and for the second straight game the Sixers’ reserves outplayed their supposedly superior Toronto counterparts; the scoring margin, 26-5 in Game Two, was 23-15 Thursday.
So it is that the Raptors have trailed Philadelphia since the middle of the first quarter of Game Two — a total of 90:27 in all. That’s a little stunning, given Toronto’s pedigree, but a sign that these Sixers have “evolved,” coach Brett Brown said — that they have figured out how to play off one another after making in-season trades for Butler and Tobias Harris. And after some spotty defensive work during the regular season, they are finally digging in at that end of the court, too.
“That, I think, connects the dots,” Brown said.
He called Embiid the team’s “crown jewel” on D because of his rim protection, and acknowledged that he could probably be labeled as such at the offensive end as well — and never mind the fact that he had missed 18 of 25 shots in the first two games while defended by the 34-year-old Gasol, as well as Ibaka.
On Thursday the Sixers got Embiid the ball in space early, which was by design, and he went to work. He also nailed three of his four 3-point attempts, and just generally seemed to be having a grand old time. After throwing down a windmill dunk to cap the night’s decisive run, he sprinted back on defense, his arms spread wide, then stopped and cupped his ear to the crowd, which had been delirious all night. The gesture was reminiscent of Allen Iverson, who was again seated courtside.
“When I have fun,” Embiid said, “the game just changes.”
Butler appeared to enjoy himself as well, and after the game took a seat alongside Embiid on the podium. At one point the still-young center — he’s 25 — was asked about Butler’s playoff demeanor, eliciting a smirk from the latter man.
“Go ahead, Jo,” he said. “Give me a compliment.”
So he did.
“Playoff Jimmy is a different player,” Embiid said.
There are still miles to go, still two games to be won. No one is counting his chickens, and perhaps someone remembers the words of the late Tex Winter, an assistant coach on Michael Jordan’s great Bulls teams: “Everything turns on a trifle.”
“We’ve got a great opportunity, up 2-1,” Embiid said. “On Sunday we’ve got to take care of business. We have a chance to accomplish something special. That’s what I’m focused on.”
