Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Raptors Game 3

Instant takeaways after Game 3.

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

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After two dominant wins in Philadelphia, the Sixers traveled to Toronto to take on the Raptors in hopes of capturing a 3-0 series lead. Here’s what stood out to me tonight:

Pro: Sixers complete comeback win thanks to their defense

I really did not think I would be writing this blurb tonight! The Sixers, who trailed by as much as 17 in the first half, rode their stars to a dramatic comeback in the second half.

Embiid had a dominant third quarter on offense, and the entire team combined to get the job done scoring-wise in the fourth quarter. But I don’t want to talk about the offense right now.

The reason the Sixers came back despite sloppy play is that they were absolutely locked in on defense. Whether it was Embiid at the rim and on switches, Tobias Harris defending Pascal Siakam excellently, or the team’s defensive rebounding in the fourth quarter, this was why the Sixers won the game. 

It’s hard to quantify a defensive performance like this in a box score – though Siakam’s 6-16 and Fred VanVleet’s 3-13 shooting lines do give you a glimpse. But it was obvious when it comes to our collective eye test: the Sixers’ defense won them this game.

Con: Turnovers plague Sixers

After the Sixers’ victory in the first game of this series, I wrote about their superb ball security and execution, leading to only a few turnovers in the entire game.

Here’s what I wrote:

“The Sixers had what was almost certainly their best game of the year as far as offensive execution goes. Not only did they shoot the lights out, but they nearly went the entire game without committing a turnover.

Say what you want about Doc Rivers and his coaching staff -- but tonight, the Sixers looked exactly the way they should. They were a well-oiled machine, clearly in an entirely different weight class than the Raptors.

The reason I felt reasonably confident the Sixers would win this series is the sheer talent discrepancy between themselves and the Raptors. Tonight, the Sixers magnified that to the fullest possible extent.”

Tonight, this was absolutely not the case. Despite obviously being the more talented team, the Sixers played down to their competition. No disrespect to a very solid Raptors team, but as we’ve seen, when the Sixers are at their best they can blow Toronto out.

The Sixers had 15 turnovers in the first half alone. The sloppiness started with Joel Embiid’s first half struggles against Toronto’s swarming defenders. But it wasn’t just on Embiid — nearly everyone on the team was careless with the ball in an uncharacteristic fashion.

Pro: Joel Embiid says good night

I mean… come on. I get paid to form coherent sentences, and right now I can’t even do that. Embiid just put up an all-time shot, a truly iconic moment, and the first true game-winner of his career. 

What else can you say about this man? He is well on his way to being an all-time great, and I have a feeling he just created a signature play.