Philadelphia 76ers: Things are shaping up for a big Game 5
The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t swept a playoff series in Tyrese Maxey‘s, Joel Embiid‘s, Tobias Harris‘, or even James Harden‘s lifetime.
No, as fantastical as it may seem, one has to go all the way back to the 1985-86 season to find four-straight wins over a single series, where Billy Cunningham’s squad swept the Milwaukee Bucks on their way to an Eastern Conference faceoff against the Boston Celtics. Since that fateful series, every single series the Sixers have won has come via at least a five-game series, and if the Sixers ultimately pull this one out versus the Raptors, it too will come in five or more games, as they couldn’t get things done in Game 4 at the Scotiabank Arena.
Blame it on the refs, blame it on Pascal Siakam being shamed by the entire nation of Canada, blame it on Matisse Thybulle‘s inability to take the court in Toronto; however you slice it, Doc Rivers’ squad wasn’t able to get things done before turning to the bench for the final minutes of regulation and now must return to South Philly for a Monday night fight for a spot in the Eastern Conference Semis.
Unfortunate? You bet; earning a few more days off before the second round certainly would have been appreciated by Joel Embiid and his right thumb, but hey, the Philadelphia 76ers are up 3-1 for a reason and have a serious chance to close things out on their home court.
Don’t count the Philadelphia 76ers out just yet, folks.
There’s a lot going for the Philadelphia 76ers going into Game 5. They will be the beneficiaries of some home cooking, sleeping in their own beds, a familiar locker room, and the benefit of being able to use good old-fashioned American money instead of mentally going through the conversion rate of multi-colored Canadian currency.
They will also have the benefit of Matisse Thybulle, who helped to shut down Gary Trent Jr. over the first two games of the series and will be able to provide perimeter parity to the plethora of potential points getters the Raptors have to offer.
But wait, there’s more. After watching Fred VanVleet leave the game just before halftime with a jersey-ripping hip injury, the Raptors’ injury report will surely be littered with players who are either unable to go or played limited like Scottie Barnes in Game 4. VanVleet is an All-Star-level talent who very well may end up on an All-NBA Defensive team when the season is all said and done; losing his services entirely or even partially should make the lives of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey a whole lot easier.
Remember, the Raptors really don’t have an answer for Maxey’s speed in transition or as a slasher setup by Harden; losing VanVleet should clear the way for “The Franchise” to become an even bigger part of the offensive equation.
Factor in Tobias Harris’ exceptional strides as a decisive scorer, on-ball defender, and high-volume rebounder, and there’s a lot to like about the Sixers heading into Monday night.
Will the Philadelphia 76ers pull out the W on their home court and avoid another trip to Ontario? Yes, I genuinely believe they will. They’ll get back one of their six best players, have a few days to reconfigure their game plan, and receive the benefit of having their home crowd behind their back cheering them on to victory. Gone will be the chants of F…orget Embiid, and in their place will come MVP chants loud enough to shake the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center, in addition to everyone’s favorite Reed Streets song “Here Come the Sixers” if the team is ultimately able to come out on top.