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PHILADELPHIA – Her Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-1 lead over a Toronto Raptors team led by Kawhi Leonard and her 37.7 points per game in the Eastern Conference semifinal, Brett Brown was asking a simple question.
When Joel Embiid is healthy, does Brown think he has the best player in the series on his side?
Brown, taking a sip of water as the question was asked, put the bottle to answer. "Yes," Brown replied, letting a smile escape from the corners of his mouth.
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Embiid certainly played Thursday night with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists for Philadelphia's 116-95 win.
After being limited in the first two games, Embiid was released from the shackles imposed by the former defensive player of the year, Marc Gasol.
He scored 24 points in a 6-on-12 shootout when Gasol kept it on Thursday, including 3 against 3 on 3 points and 9 for 9 on the foul line, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That happened after he scored only six combined points against Gasol in shooting 2 for 11 (0 for 2 to 3 and 1 for 2 free throws) in Games 1 and 2.
"I'm not really focused on him," said Embiid to Gasol, who finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 interceptions and 2 blocks in match 3. "Great player, you have a lot of respect for him, but it's a team game.
"If I'm open, my teammates will find me and if they're open, I'll find them, so I'm not worried about them, I'm more worried about my team, how do we coexist in the field, how do we let's play together. "
The Sixers played basketball seamlessly Thursday, with 26 points in advance and never lagging behind. Outside of Leonard's 33 points on 13 out of 22 shots, Philadelphia limited the rest of the Raptors' lineup to just 62 points with 36.1% of the vote.
After Toronto had just 89 points in Game 2 on Thursday, the Raptors were no longer able to reach 100 points in consecutive games since December 28 and 30.
It should not be surprising that Brown was most impressed by the defense of his great man.
"I mean, for me, it's going straight to the blocks," Brown said to the question of what had marked Embiid's night. "You know, we can talk about a windmill dunk.You can talk about some finesse gestures afterwards, but I move on to the defense.It is what interests me most about this day with this series, he is our defensive crown jewel, and I suppose offensive too, but certainly defensive, and his protection from the rim and his blocking ability tonight marked me as much as for an incredible performance. "
It is not that the windmill, preceded by a take on the 3-point line and a hard drive in the alley, has plunged the Philadelphia crowd into enthusiasm by putting the Sixers on the rise at 110-84 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Do not deserve to be mentioned.
Embiid celebrated the play by running on the ground and opening its wingspan of 7 feet 6 inches in a plane motion. Earlier in the game, he rocked the baby after shooting a short corner shot at Serge Ibaka and shook his shoulders after hitting a 3-pointer over Gasol.
"I think for everyone who knows me, I need it," said Embiid about the antics. "When I'm having fun, my game simply changes, I'm always told that if I do not smile during the game, I play badly or I'm not, so I know that to get my I have to m & # ## To have fun on the court while I play plays, but that part of theatricality has to happen to me.
"And the game is more fun that way, we all have fun as a team, you see, it raises my teammates and we all do a good job."
Raptors goaltender Kyle Lowry said he was not surprised by what he had seen in Embiid.
"It's a big dominant," Lowry told ESPN. "He played his ass, he plays better at home."
The Sixers will have another home game on Sunday. A win will put them to a franchise victory that makes its first appearance in the conference final in 18 years. This was for a team that was only 10 to 72 years old during the 2015-2016 season due to the controversial rebuilding known as the "Process" introduced by former GM Sam Hinkie.
"This is not the right time to talk about" The Process "," said Embiid, ironically, despite the fact that he was wearing a sweatshirt wearing the inscription "The Process". "Focus on the series and we had a great opportunity [3-1] on Sunday. We have to do business. This is good. This is good. … Given what we have gone through all these years, we are here. But we have a lot more to give. We have a chance to accomplish something special, and that's what I focus on. "
And his teammates are focused on the special teammate they have among them.
Butler responded without losing a beat.
"When you play with the best team and you have the best player in the world," he said, "you can wear what you want."
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