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PHILADELPHIA – From the moment Kawhi Leonard touched the ball Thursday night in the 112-101 Toronto Raptors defeat by the Philadelphia 76ers, he encountered several bodies.
This appears to be an obvious answer to an offensive wing that has assembled one of the most prolific individual races in NBA's post-season history, but for the past two weeks in a series tied at 3-3, the Sixers have been selective in sending. traps and quick help at Leonard. Philadelphia's decision not to throw the kitchen sink to Leonard was a surprise to the players and staff of the Raptors, who had cheerfully defeated Leonard in this series.
The Raptors were also well aware that, in the face of elimination, the Sixers would almost certainly intensify their focus on Leonard in the half-field of Game 6. This could disrupt the Raptors' offensive tempo, but there would be an open regime open eyes for everyone. other. The Raptors' willingness to take the shots and drain them would largely determine whether the Raptors would travel to Milwaukee on Sunday for the Eastern Conference finals or downtown Toronto for a seventh decider game against Philadelphia.
While the Sixers were preparing their double teams in the post, these shots were readily available to the Raptors – and they missed them at an amazing pace on Thursday. In total, Toronto missed 13 of its 20 uncontested placement attempts in the first three quarters of Game 6, including seven of its nine unopposed three-point shots. In contrast, the Raptors placed seventh in the league this season on a score of 3 points unchallenged at 41.4% per second.
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"We had a lot of open eyes early and we missed them," said Raptors goaltender Kyle Lowry. "We did not play well tonight."
The actions sparked results and, just as the focus on Leonard was creating shooting opportunities for Toronto, the corresponding Raptors misfires sparked the Sixers' transitional attack, which was their most important offensive imperative. .
"It was just making a point of doing it and not [just] talk about it, "said Sixers point guard Ben Simmons. Obviously, I'm fast enough, so I'm able to push the ball. I think it was just to be aggressive downhill and play my game. "
Despite all the criticism, Jared Dudley mentioned his assessment of Simmons as a deadly threat during the transition but as an "average" player on a half-court, the diagnosis is pretty accurate – and nobody knows it better than the Simmons and the Sixers. Without an outside shot, Simmons blossomed better in a fast tempo, and the barrage of the Raptors clankers was the accelerator he desperately needed after struggling in the series. He scored 21 points on 9 out of 13 shots, eight rebounds and six assists, with no rotation.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have relied on a solid transition defense throughout the season and playoffs, but have lost ground in too many early offensives for the Sixers. Even when the Raptors caught up with the action, they were exposed on the glass, where they were again bothered by the size of the Sixers. Toronto allowed Philadelphia to recover 39% of its missed shots to acquire new possessions, and the Raptors continue to have the worst bounce rate of the remaining teams with a considerable margin.
"We need to better bounce basketball and just limit the transition," said the Raptors striker. Pascal Siakam said. "We have to limit them to one shot and play them in the half-court."
Siakam's comment highlighted a reality revealed in the sixth game that will light up Sunday's match 7: Structure favors Toronto in this game. This does not mean that the Raptors necessarily want a half-court game; they are incredibly effective at the break, leading the league in points by possession of the transition in the regular season.
But the Raptors are a team that relies on collective intelligence to perform intoxicating actions. Even when Leonard is working one-on-one or in isolation, he is a surveyor who searches for holes and monitors defenders for help, while his teammates move with the goal of being in the best position to maximize the chances of success.
Whether the seventh match is an open field event, an organized shooting show with the double team and a raging defense or a sequence of bouts, this is one of the most important games we have. seen in recent years.
At the final table of the NBA, which has only seven participants, Toronto and Philadelphia are the two swashbucklers, the teams that have assumed the biggest bets to build their stack of chips. Last year they both did their blockbuster, hoping to play after the semifinals of the conference. Sunday, they will face Toronto, both all-in.
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