The Sixers are ‘coming for the sweep’ after enduring adversity and capturing a 3-0 lead over the Raptors
Joel Embiid and the Sixers enter Game 4 with hopes of ending their first-round series against the Raptors. Along the way, they've faced ups and downs and emerged stronger.
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TORONTO — The 76ers headed back to their team hotel late Wednesday night holding a 3-0 lead in this first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. They left Scotiabank Arena with the potential to return for Game 4 and pull off something that seemed almost unfathomable early in the second quarter of Game 3: A playoff sweep.
The group that will take floor 2 p.m. Saturday for what could be the final game of this Sixers-Raptors best-of-seven series hasn’t only been good. It has been resilient.
The Sixers trailed by 17 points early in the second quarter in a hostile environment. James Harden fouled out with 27.5 seconds left in regulation. And the Sixers didn’t take their first lead in Game 3 until the 11-second mark in overtime.
Yet, they accomplished a thrilling 104-101 victory on Joel Embiid’s turnaround three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid puts Raptors demons to rest, draining buzzer-beater and placing 2019 loss behind him
A Game 4 victory will give the Sixers their first postseason sweep since they beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 3-0, in a best-of-five, first-round series in 1991.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Sixers would fold under pressure when faced with the level of adversity they experienced Wednesday night.
Guys would rush shots, stop communicating on defense and, at times, flat out give up.
“You know [coach] Doc [Rivers] does a great job of just leveling us during the timeouts, during the game,” Tobias Harris said, “allowing us to move on to the next play.” A prime example came when Harris gave up a three-pointer late in regulation to put his team in a three-point deficit. Rivers lit into Harris for having a pity party for his defensive lapse.
“He was screaming at me so much, I was like, ‘All right, I’m done,’ ” Harris said. “He does a great job of really just enabling the team to understand that you got to move on to the next play, and we have to stay solid with each other and it’s just communication.”
» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid puts Raptors demons to rest, draining buzzer-beater and placing 2019 loss behind him
But it isn’t just communicating. It’s how the Sixers communicate. Players have learned to communicate in a civil way.
That’s what Harden, Embiid, and other teammates did after Danny Green picked up a technical for arguing a foul call with 13 seconds before intermission. Things could have gone south for the Sixers had they not impeded his pursuit of an official. Harden even pulled Green aside to talk before the small forward went to the bench to cool down.
“We have a complete team,” Harden said. “We got guys that help each other.”
In addition to embracing each other, the Sixers have presented a balanced attack in this postseason.
Embiid is the head of the snake. Harden is the facilitator. But timely baskets and clutch hustle plays by Harris and Tyrese Maxey are part of the reason why they’re up, 3-0.
That said, the Sixers are far from satisfied.
They’re intent on ending this series on Saturday. Embiid relayed that to Raptors fan and musician Drake after winning the game with his three-pointer.
“That’s what you call a superstar,” Embiid said while walking off the court.
He repeated that to Drake, and added “I’m coming for the sweep, too.”
Drake had been talking trash to Embiid since the Sixers faced Toronto in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. Back then, Kawhi Leonard’s 15-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer lifted the Raptors to a 92-90 victory in Game 7.
“In the first half, Drake was over there saying, ‘He can’t play here,’ ” Harris said of Drake, who noted that Embiid had five points on 2-for-5 shooting and four turnovers in the first half. “I said, ‘He can play here for sure. He said, ‘Nah, he can’t play here.’ ”
» READ MORE: Best and worst from Sixers-Raptors: Joel Embiid’s first game-winner, horrendous turnovers and more
Embiid has had his share of struggles against the Raptors in Scotiabank Arena. But not only did he hit the game-winner, Embiid scored 28 points after intermission.
“Obviously, he’s always talking. So of course, I had to let him know,” he said, referring to Drake. “You know, we are trying to get Game 4 and go for the sweep.”
The Sixers know there’s something to be said for how they fought through adversity to win in Game 3.
“These types of games matter a lot,” Embiid said. “You don’t have anything going on for you, but you still find ways to win the basketball game, [this] is good for us.”