Joel Embiid, Sixers' Big 4 Putting Raptors, Eastern Conference Is In Focus | Bleacher's report

As soon as the departure of LeBron James to Los Angeles was official, the Eastern Conference resembled that of the Red Sea and opened for the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

On Thursday, in a 116-95 victory over the second-ranked Raptors, Philly seemed ready to head to the other side. Under the leadership of Joel Embiid, their Cameroonian comrade of 7 feet, the Sixers were dominant for stretching. And they may not even have the best individual player in the series, although 76ers coach Brett Brown does not agree.

Kawhi Leonard has been absurd in the playoffs. After falling from 33 in Game 3, his playoff average is at 31.5. But Philadelphia has a legitimate Big Four and has overwhelmed the rest of the Raptors.

Thursday was all about Embiid and Jimmy Butler. The tall man was dominant on both sides of the ground, scoring 33 points on 9 shots out of 18 and blocking five shots. Butler completed the box score with 22 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three interceptions.

And nights when one or both players do not have it, Philly has Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. Talk about luxury.

If you sort all NBA player this season with more than 250 minutes behind the average of his ranks on 10 split metrics (real plus-minus, plus-minus player impact, plus-minus box, winnings per minute and play score per minute, as well as cumulative variants of each), Embiid was No. 12, Butler No. 25, Simmons was No. 30 and Harris No. 58. Four players among the top 60. Add JJ Redick (# 94) and Philly's top five spots are in the top 100.

Yes, there are valid questions about the depth of the 76ers. Before waste time, James Ennis III was the only reserve to have logged more than 15 minutes. But it's the playoffs. Brett Brown can get away with a tight rotation of seven to eight men. And every night, four or five of these eight people could offer the star performance in Philadelphia.

According to Basketball Reference, the game's score is "an approximate measure of a player's productivity for a single match". Before the third game, Philadelphia had eight playoff singles with a game score of over 20. Two from Embiid, two from Butler, two from Simmons and two from Harris.

Thursday, Embiid (29.2) and Butler (25.4) beat that total 10 in Philadelphia's Raptors victory.

"He is our crown jewel defensively", Brown told reporters after the game. "I guess offensively too."

When the Raptors reduced their lead by 18 points in the second half to a single figure, the crown jewel of Philly helped lift the bar with emphatic blocking on Leonard and Pascal Siakam.

Two dunks and a penny at Butler's Embiid were also huge.

"Jimmy's attention, leadership, attention to detail are increased," said Brown. "We need everything."

Once again, these two people started playing on Thursday. And they probably have the highest individual ceilings of all members on the list. But Philadelphia is not a show for two. And that should worry Toronto.

Until this series, Leonard has been phenomenal. In three games, he has accumulated 113 points (37.7 per game). And even Butler's or Simmons' stellar defense on the ground seems hopeless in front of him. He draws 60.9% of the field. Siakam was also strong with an average of 23.3 points and 50.9% of his attempts.

But unlike Philly, Toronto looks like a show for two. After this duet, things get ugly quickly. The remainder of the formation draws 30.5% of the field.

Playmakers Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet were particularly bad in the third match:

The Raptors need more of the other guys. Leonard and Siakam scored 62.7% of their team's points on the second day. Lowry, in particular, may have to shake the playoff story that has plagued him for years if Toronto wants to turn the tide.

It can. On paper, the talent of the Raptors is at the height of all those of the East. They showed it in their double-digit victory of the first game. Since then, Philadelphia has claimed that she had the highest ceiling. And not only in this series.

Embiid, Butler and Simmons are all real stars. Harris is near.

Milwaukee has Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe are probably underestimated. Boston has Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. Gordon Hayward still seems to be making his way to the form before the injury, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown may not be ready yet.

Strange as it may seem, the Golden State Warriors could be the only team in the league to match the power of the top-76 stars.

And if Philadelphia continues to play as he has done during most of the playoffs, she could perhaps take control of the post-LeBron East and confront the current dynasty of the game.