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Joel Embiid left the court crying in 2019 after Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beating triple eliminated his Sixers. While the sting from that 2019 loss to the Raptors is healed – ripped off like an old band-aid – the idea of returning to the scene of the crime is going to awaken bad memories.
Sure, Toronto is a completely different team in 2022. Leonard is gone. Ditto for Kyle Lowry. The franchise has rebuilt its roster, infused it with youth and tweeners that can play every position and cause matchup nightmares. Head coach Nick Nurse is a mad scientist who loves throwing “junk lineups” out there.
Embiid knows this year’s playoff matchup against Toronto will present new challenges and wrinkles. However, the All-Star center expects to see similarities in the way the Raptors defend him. He’s anticipating double and triple teams on every possession.
“I mean, the way that they defend me hasn’t changed,” Embiid told reporters on Thursday. “They just play recklessly, sending three guys at me as soon as the ball is in the air which that made me better honestly — over the years just playing against them, and watching them. That definitely made me a better playmaker so I enjoyed playing with them but there are still a lot of ways I can attack them.”
Embiid averaged 29 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in three contests versus Toronto this season. The Sixers went 1-2 in those contests, plus another loss that Embiid missed due to COVID-19. Throw those stats out. He’s watched enough tape to know how to attack them.
“It doesn’t have to be iso,” Embiid said. “I can just get deep position on them and use my size and my weight to try and take advantage of them. So I think I know what I have to do I just gotta execute.”
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Trusting Teammates, Not Getting Frustrated
Embiid scored 30 points and grabbed 10 boards in a 119-114 loss to Toronto on April 7. His performance wasn’t the problem in that one. The Sixers had no answers for Raptors star Pascal Siakam who heard MVP chants on his home floor.
“He made some crazy shots,” Doc Rivers said after the game. “When he gets in the paint, he’s so clever.”
Stopping Siakam in their first-round playoff series will be a top priority. For Embiid, on the offensive end, it’s all about trusting his teammates and making the right passes.
“I’m not going into a series hoping that I reach 40 [points],” Embiid said. “They’re gonna get the ball out of my hands, so it’s really about me not getting frustrated and keep trusting my teammates over and over, just making the right plays.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s 10, 20 points, or whatever, you know, as long as we score that’s my mentality. And it starts with me, all the attention they’re going to throw on me, I just gotta make my teammates better.”
Sixers Encouraging Fans to Arrive Early
The Sixers sent out a media advisory asking fans to arrive at Wells Fargo Center early on Saturday night. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. but Monster Jam — the action-packed motorsports show — is happening at Lincoln Financial Field at 7 p.m. The parking lots should be crowded and frenzied, so pay for parking in advance if you can (click here).
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