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The second round of the playoffs officially kicked off in Toronto, while the Nuggets and Spurs closed the first round with the only game played so far. Here are the winners and losers of Saturday night NBA.
Game 1: Raptors 108, Sixers 95
Winner: Kawhi Playoff
One of the best nicknames that a player can get is simply to add "playoff" to his name. Kyrie in the playoffs. Horford playoffs. Rondo of the series. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to remember that Kawhi Leonard (aka "The Klaw", alias MVP of the 2014 final, aka "the Hand") is on this list: in Match 1 in Toronto, the victory over Philadelphia opens the second-round series, Leonard had 45 points – a career-high in the playoffs – on 16 shots in 23, 11 rebounds, two assists, two interceptions and a 38-minute block. After missing the series for the first time last year, the Kawhi series are back. And he could take the series [Player Name] price.
I am so happy for Pascal Siakam. These playoffs will be the moment we think about his official arrival as a household name. Siakam scored 29 points alongside (and in part, thanks to) Leonard in the first game. As a team team, both scored 74 points on 38 attempts, but Leonard's solo play is more remarkable. Defenders turn to hitchhikers against him in face-to-face situations – he takes you wherever he wants. He will beat you in the half-court and he will beat you during the transition. He will beat you in a pick-and-roll with the help of his friends, and he will beat you alone. Enjoy the ride. We often talk about the improvement of Giannis Antetokounmpo every season. We should say the same thing about Leonard at every playoff.
Loser: The tradition of opening the raptor series
I did not even check the silver line for Raptors-Sixers before the start of the first match. Yes, it was in Toronto and yes, Kawhi Leonard was 13-0 against Philadelphia in career, and yes Yes, the Raptors defeated the Sixers 3-1 in the regular season, with wins in both home games. But these numbers mean nothing when curses are at stake. And there are few active spells like Raptors in game 1. Here's a record that matters: Toronto came in Saturday after beating 2-14 in the playoff game. More recently, they lost the opening game of their first round series against the Orlando Magic, a team that finished two games over .500 and who qualified for the playoffs in the last few games. days of the regular season.
Kyle Lowry's individual performances in the first match were just as bad. Since the start of Saturday's second round, he has only fired 31.7% of players in match 1 since entering the Raptors in 2012. In Toronto's first game against Orlando in round 1, Lowry fired 0 at 7 of the area, 0- for-6 of 3, and 0-for-2 of the charity strip[[[[mandatory comment on how free throws are NOT free]. Lowry also scored all of his 3-point attempts on Saturday, but he was 4-in-6 from inside and finished with a near-double double (nine points, eight assists).
So, like many Americans and probably even Canadians, I allocated my funds where the history and divination of basketball had guided me: with Philly. And I, like many Americans and probably all Canadians, was happy to lose him. The Raptors are not cursed; it's the best basketball team.
Loser: Elton Brand
It's not Brand's fault if Jimmy Butler was cold on the 3-point line (0-of-3). Brand, the Sixers general manager in first year, was not the puppeteer pulling the strings on JJ Redick's scoreless first half. He was not responsible either for Mike Scott's presence on the sideline. But Brand is the man who built this team: the one who, after a single game against the Raptors, proved he would need each of his five starters to be able to play his heels in order to beat Toronto.
Redick and Tobias Harris are perhaps two of the best shooters in the NBA at their positions, but beyond that, it becomes rather dark. The Sixers rely on 3 for 30% of their points, but they start a playmaker who refuses to entertain the very idea of shooting and a great man who still wants to shoot. Joel Embiid finished 1-by-3 from the depth in game 1 after firing 23.1 percent from behind the bow against the Nets in the first round.
And although Redick and Harris are needed on the offensive, they are detrimental to Toronto. It's a long time Redick's story, which only helps Philly if his shot is falling; if he does not want to say anything, he is also on the ground. Harris is not as negative, but against Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, he does not have much help. (Harris contributed in a variety of ways: 15 rebounds, six assists and one more flight than his 14 points in 38 minutes.) Redick led all Sixers with 17 points in the first game; all but one of his shots came from the perimeter. I'll leave you with this: their best 3 point shooters made seven 3, and Philly lost again by 13.
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