The Raptors are posing as a formation capable of playing spoilsports in the playoffs. They’re not talked about as serious title contenders, but everyone agrees that they’re a big challenge for anyone who takes on them.

So what are their chances against the 76ers? Will the Raptors really win? Which players will have the power to make a change in the series? Radio-Canada looks at these questions to paint a picture of the shock to come.

Between these two groups, close to kif-kif

The Toronto Raptors (48-34) finished the regular season fifth overall in the East. They recorded just three fewer wins than their rivals in City of Brotherly Love (51-31).

The two teams have met four times during the season and Toronto leads in three of those games. The Raptors and 76ers don’t always have the full roster, but each of their games still ended up with six points or less. The margin is therefore slim between teams.

This is also the opinion of Charles Dubé-Brais, a former member of the Raptors organization and the head coach of the Ottawa BlackJacks at Canadian Elite Basketball League CEBLand Peter Yannopoulos, an NBA analyst for several networks.

If I had to bet – but I didn’t want to bet on that series – maybe I would give the Sixers an advantage because the best player in the series is on their team. That, I think is indisputable. we can [aussi] say the second best player is on their team […] Then they’ll have a home-court advantage in a possible Game 7 so I can give another small advantage there, but it doesn’t surprise me if the Raptors win that series. It’s almost kif-kifbelieves Dubé-Brais.

” This is a series that will be very difficult for both teams. The Raptors and Sixers have everything it takes to annoy each other. “

For his part, Yannopoulos explains that the Raptors are pretty fast. They have better mobility and I think they are a very versatile team that will provide many, many problems. to the star players of the 76ers.

Dealing with a dominant player like Joel Embiid

Surprisingly, in a sense, Toronto and Philadelphia are viewed as almost equal because the two teams are built on different principles.

What the Raptors lack is internal domination, a large, physical centeremphasizing Dubé-Brais. It was a bad start against Joel Embiid.

The latter is, it should be noted, the most physically impressive center in the entire NBA and, plus [Nikola] Jokić, the most dominant of all short. He became the first center this year to be crowned NBA leading scorer since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000 thanks to his average of 30.6 points per game. He could also be called the MVP of the season.

He faces the Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Semi-Final Series, but at that time, he played more with his back to the basket, like a traditional centersaid Raptors player Fred VanVleet on Thursday. Now he has become a mix of Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq all together.

So, we’re not going to stop Joel Embiid on the Raptors ’side, but clearly we need to slow him down., believes Peter Yannopoulos. This analyst also believes Toronto has the elements to succeed.

The facts speak for themselves: the Raptors are one of the teams in the NBA where Embiid has had little success in his career. On one occasion, Toronto bet on Marc Gasol, another huge one, for him to blow the horn, but since he left in 2020, the Raptors have been the second team to concede the fewest points to the Cameroonian. He averaged just 19.3 per game in nine encounters.

Dubé-Brais returned the credit to Nick Nurse, one of the best coaches in the NBAand to the team’s new identity because most of the players are 6 ft 9 (2.05 m) tall.

The Raptors have, in fact, a lot of length, a lot of athleticism, he says. It’s a style of play that’s different, but also annoying for other teams because you can’t choose matchups. Attacking OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam or Scottie Barnes, I’m not saying they’re equal, but they’re pretty much the same. Then you still have Chris Boucher’s long arm or [Precious] Achiuwa on the road. Then Khem Birch is also active. Gary Trent Jr. is also very good on defense this year. So annoying to play on a team like that.

And then the only one not in this mold is VanVleet, but he is level to be [de l’équipe défensive par excellence de la NBA]. He is one of the defensive elites in his position.

Too much pressure on James Harden

The 76ers have Embiid in the lineup, but they also bet James Harden is around. beardas he knows, is one of the best offensive players in NBA history, but the Raptors always have numbers.

Since 2020, Harden has averaged just 19.6 points per game against them, his second lowest average against an NBA team. This season, he scored 17 and 13 points in the Raptors-76ers duels he played.

For this reason, among others, Charles Dubé-Brais also thinks that no player in the NBA would be more subject to playoff pressure than James Harden.

He is also at the heart of a serial novel that lasted several months this season. A member of the Brooklyn Nets, he wanted to be traded and he finally granted his request in March.

He got what he wanted by going to Philadelphia. With him Joel Embiid, he plays where he wants and with Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations for the Sixers. The stars are aligned with him so if he doesn’t do the job, it’s on his shoulders.

Peter Yannopoulos also believes James Harden must prove that he can win the postseason in the NBA. beard always puts a lot of points on the scoreboard, even in the playoffs, but he never won a championship. His only appearance in the NBA Finals began in the 2011-2012 season when he paired Kevin Durant with the Oklahoma City Thunder jersey.

So if the Philadelphia 76ers have the best midfield offense in the series because of Joel Embiid and James Harden, the pressure is on their side, working to the Raptors ’advantage.

The non-negligible impact of the vaccination mandate

Of all the series that will take place in the first round, only those involving the Toronto Raptors, the only NBA team living in Canada, will be affected by the need to be fully vaccinated to cross the Canada-US border.

Raptors players and members have all been vaccinated – those who must also enter the United States. The same cannot be said for the 76ers camp. Matisse Thybulle has only received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and will therefore not be able to play games 3 and 4 of the series because they will take place in Toronto. It will hurt the Philadelphia team, Peter Yannopoulos said.

I think Thybulle is one of the best perimeter defensive players in the entire NBA. He has a lot of respect from the opposing coacheshe says. Obviously when he’s on the field in the first two games, we’ll see him against Fred VanVleet, against Gary Trent Jr. Although he won’t be able to go there in Toronto, it will be a big plus for the Raptors.

Charles Dubé-Brais agrees.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this series goes one way or the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes away after seven games, especially with Matisse Thybulle not being able to play in Toronto in his vaccination situation. It won’t help his team’s goal because, in Ben Simmons ’trade [pour James Harden]we lost an elite defender to the Sixers so we have two left, including Embiid, but only one on the perimeter, and if that defender doesn’t play half the games, it could give Toronto another game .

The Raptors ’success against the 76ers also depends on many other factors. The effectiveness of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. from the three-point line will be important. Young team players like Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa also need to be cool -headed. And, that’s not to say that if Pascal Siakam repeats his exploits in the regular season, Toronto can hope to win and make some surprises.

Overall, however, it’s clear that the Raptors ’handling of the defense against Joel Embiid and James Harden will further influence the course of the series. The first game will give a clearer idea of ​​what will happen next. It will begin at 6 pm EST in Philadelphia.