Game One of the semifinal-round affair between the Raptors and the Sixers proved quite a shocker to not a few pundits. It wasn’t simply that the hosts finally stopped a disturbing streak of losses in series openers. It was how they did so, banking on seminal performances from prospective franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard and breakout performer Pascal Siakam to hold supposedly solid rivals in abeyance. Essentially, they got the shots they wanted at the times they desired; they just couldn’t be stopped.
Heading into yesterday’s set-to, Sixers head coach Brett Brown promised a more concerted effort on the defensive end. His charges, he said, were capable of much better basketball, and Game Two would show it. And, as things turned out, he was right. Leonard remained largely unstoppable throughout the contest, coming up with 35 markers on 24 shots. Outside of the three-time All-Star, however, the Raptors wound up misfiring; all the others hit a mere 20 of 67 attempts combined.
Significantly, the Sixers likewise displayed a transformed offense. In the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, the knock on them was that they went only so far as Embiid could take them. Yesterday, through, they underscored their vaunted depth. With their superstar slotman slowed by intestinal problems and, at the same time, forced by Siakam to exert extra effort on coverage, they needed to get their points elsewhere. And while they didn’t lack for candidates to pick up the slack, it surprised no one that in-season acquisition did, and in a manner consistent with his alpha-dog predilections.
If the 30, 11, and five Butler put up yesterday to help the Sixers steal homecourt advantage in the series is an audition for a max contract, it couldn’t have been appreciated more. He had hitherto been content to acknowledge the prevailing pecking order and provide support for Embiid, but, true to himself, he pounced on the first opportunity to strut his stuff. And how he assesses his importance to the cause moving forward may well determine the postseason fate of the red, white, and blue.
All other things being equal, the Raptors’ capacity to be greater than the sum of their parts should propel them to the East finals. On the flipside, the Sixers have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to keep competitive by making adjustments on the fly; the resolve was evident in a Game Two triumph. Who will ultimately prevail? For now, the answer looks to be one only a Game Seven can provide.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
