Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Philly-Toronto Series Preview Panel

Every. Single. Writer. predicts a Raps win.

Introductions are for cowards. Buuuut, if you haven’t had a chance to prep for the series with some words / audio from RR yet, here’s a list of resources:

Enough of that. Onto the great team at RR predicting the series!

1. Toronto’s defence was beyond brilliant against Orlando. Is there any reason why that will change against Philadelphia?

 

Samson Folk

 

I fully expect the Raptors defense to be functioning at a high-level for the duration of the 76ers series. However, the 76ers have a deal more offensive talent than the Magic, and even though Gasol and Leonard matchup ideally with the 76ers two biggest difference makers, the 76ers will be working very hard to create advantageous positions. If that means Butler operates as point in the half-court and Simmons operates as a cutter/screener/lob threat, then the Raptors will have to respond to some new stimuli. Defensively, it won’t be as easy as the Magic, but the Raptors should be up to the task.

 

Cooper Smither

 

Toronto laid out the blueprint of beating Philly in the first round – and if anything it should be schematically more logical due to the 76ers personnel.

 

They are going to be VERY aggressive in any screening action (pick and roll, dribble handoff, pindown, etc…) by sending the ball handler AND screener’s defender to the ball. This is to force their good shooters (Redick, Harris, Butler to an extent) to pass the ball and not shoot. With the remaining 3 defenders, Toronto will be able to guard Philadelphia’s 4 offensive players by zoning up and sagging off of their non shooters (Simmons, Embiid, Boban, Butler to an extent).

 

As far as Embiid’s post ups are concerned, Gasol has proven to be one of the best post defenders in the league without needing help. Again if necessary, Toronto can put multiple defenders on the ball and help off of their non shooters.

 

Zarar Siddiqi

 

Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid can finish off possessions better than anyone on the Magic. The Raptors can’t send help as aggressively because, under pressure, the Sixers will find the weak spot better than the Magic. Of course, if the Raptors are able to keep up their rotations against better ball movement then we shouldn’t see a major dip. I would also imagine Kawhi will have to work slightly harder against Butler or Harris (assuming that’s a matchup) than he did against Gordon, but overall, defensively we’ll be OK.

 

Josh Howe

 

The Sixers really only have a couple hopes against the Raptors offensively: a) that Embiid is able to get Gasol (who smothered him in their meetings this season) into foul trouble and b) that whoever Lowry is guarding is able to take advantage.

 

Concerning the latter point, it would seem probable that the Raptors will have Lowry defend Redick, at least initially, due to the length and size of the alternatives. If, however, having Lowry chase Redick around screens constantly becomes too taxing, they may try him on Butler or Harris, and hope that his strength and the Philly wings’ lack of off-ball movement make for a viable option.

 

Besides that issue, there really is little to be concerned about in terms of the defence this series, at least on paper.

 

Katie Heindl

 

They’ll have more work to do against the Sixers being that they are the better team compared to Orlando, but all season Toronto has been pretty adept at knocking them down. There are more people who are annoying to defend on the Sixers—Butler, Simmons, Embiid if he’s well, Redick if he gets hot—so consistency is going to be crucial, along with not getting stagnant.

 

Matt Shantz

 

The simple answer is that Philadelphia is simply a better offensive team than the Magic.  They have elite weapons like Joel Embiid that can be an offensive system on their own, with powerful drivers like Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler, and good to great shooters like JJ Redick and Tobias Harris.  The good news is that the sum isn’t greater than the parts which should help the Raptors carry forward their elite system. A lack of pick-and-roll from the 76ers is also a benefit.

 

Anthony Doyle

 

Yes, in that Philadelphia is a much more talented team. Joel Embiid is an entirely different type of challenge for a defense than anyone on Orlando’s roster, and he’ll require a lot of attention to keep him from taking over games. However, both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka have some history of doing a reasonable job on him defensively, and the Raptors did a good job during the season bringing timely help to slow him down further. The Sixers don’t have the best shooting team in the league, which allows for that help to be brought to slow guys down. The key to this series for the Raptors defensively is probably keeping the Sixers out of transition as much as possible, and then doing as much as you can do to make life difficult for Embiid and Jimmy Butler in the half-court.The Raptors probably have as good personnel to accomplish that as anyone in the league, though.

 

In the first round, Philly lead the league in points scored off post-ups, going to them on 9.4 possessions per game and scoring 1.09 points per possession there. The Raptors’ post-up defense against Orlando was fantastic, holding them to just 0.64 points per possession. That’ll be a critical thing to watch in this series at that end of the floor, because Philly isn’t the best team in terms of spacing, and has to rely on individual creation a lot. The Raptors also have to try to keep Gasol out of foul trouble, because they don’t have that much depth at center, and they’ll need him on the floor as much as possible. Kawhi comfortably won the matchup with Ben Simmons during the regular season, and if he can continue that in the playoffs that would be a big help to the Raptors defense.

 

Tim Chisholm

 

Well, Philadelphia is much better, so that’s one reason. They have a dominant centre that forces all five defenders to account for him at all times, they have a dead-eye three-point shooter that has to be chased all over the floor, and they have a 6-foot-10 point guard. However, none of that should preclude Toronto from playing with the same focus and intensity on the defensive end, and given how emotionally combustible Philly is, Toronto may be able to use frustration as their sixth defender just by playing up to their principles.

 

Shyam Baskaran

 

Nope. The Raptors’ defense has clearly turned a switch and made us all ask – how did we not see this coming? We’ve got two former defensive players of the year, Danny Green, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam anchoring the starting lineup. And in 4 games against the Sixers this year, the Raptors forced nearly 19 turnovers a game – thanks to Kawhi’s dominance of Ben Simmons a the point of attack. The key of course though will be Embiid’s health, and if Gasol is able to offer any sort of resistance inside.

 

Oren Weisfeld

 

Not really. Obviously Philadelphia has more talent than Orlando and as the series went on Toronto’s defence against Orlando got more and more confident. That level of confidence might not be there every night against Philadelphia because they will punish you for small mistakes in a way Orlando rarely could. They also have a home crowd that will try to get the Raptors out of their comfort zone. With that being said, Philadelphia has subpar shooting and Embiid, who would usually be their biggest threat to make a defence crumble, isn’t 100% healthy and will be guarded by Gasol. I think Toronto’s defence will be very good against Philadelphia and continue to get better as the series goes on.

 

Colin Connors

 

I don’t see any reason the defense shouldn’t keep cooking, considering Toronto arguably has the best defensive matchups in the league for both Embiid and Simmons, in Gasol and Leonard, respectively (in addition to Siakam and plenty of other plus-defenders to bother their other threats). Philly obviously has other sources of offense, but there’s no denying their young stars are their engine. Stifling them will throw Philly’s whole flow in disarray.

 

Alex Gres

 

There will be more star power the defence will have to deal with, but Toronto’s level of intensity and commitment is unlikely to disappear with the stakes heightened. My only concern would be possible foul trouble (on Gasol especially) as the referees may look to protect the Sixers players from looking foolish on the big stage.

 

Nick Tutssel

 

The Sixers are in a completely different stratosphere than the Magic talent-wise. I think it would be unrealistic to expect the same level of defense against them. However, Leonard has shown he can dominate Simmons defensively, while Gasol and Siakam match up well against Embiid and Harris.

It’s not going to be easy, but Toronto has the chops to hang with Philly on the defensive end of the floor. If they lose this series, I don’t think we’ll be blaming their defense.

Louis Zatzman

 

It’s conceivable that the defense is a little worse to start game one, just because the coaching staff will probably start with a vanilla game plan and build from there. Like the Danny Green→DJ Augustin adjustment, Toronto will probably keep their best tools in the back pocket. But apart from a little potential slippage early, Toronto has the tools to disassemble Philadelphia in a series. Philadelphia has offensive weaknesses, and their strengths are exactly what Toronto is good at stopping (read: paint scoring). Expect another ferocious defensive effort over the course of the series.

 

Tamberlyn Richardson

 

Four areas the 76ers are excelling through the first round are pace (2nd), offensive rebounding (1st), PITP (1st) and second chance scoring (1st). Toronto will need to be especially attentive to cleaning the glass. Philly rank 16th in turnovers this postseason so this remains an area of contention, especially with the Raps, exposing the Magic (14th) who were the fifth best at protecting the rock in season. Granted, this 76ers group is a quantum leap upward offensively but Toronto boast the superior defensive talent (tied 1st in playoffs). The Orlando series was the perfect precursor in preparation for the 76ers and ironically Simmons, Butler, and Harris may serve as the ideal tune-up for the Bucks.

 

2. Through the first round of the playoffs, Lowry has the highest raw +/- of any player in the NBA. Yet we talk about his scoring. How would you evaluate his performance against Orlando, and are you worried in any way about Lowry going into the first round of Philly series?

 

Samson Folk

 

At some point in the future it will come to light that scoring isn’t everything and that a game is controlled through a myriad of avenues. Lowry generally dominates those avenues and as far as the Magic series, he was terrific. It was terribly disappointing for him to go scoreless in game 1, but that had more to do with expectations of him to lift the club up when they needed it, as opposed to the idea that he lost the Raptors the game. I think there will be plenty of opportunities (transition, DHO’s, PNR) for Lowry to set the table against the 76ers and I fully expect his cerebral play to be on display throughout.

 

Cooper Smither

 

Lowry was sensational. Defensively, he was brilliantly sagging away from non-shooters and off-ball players that couldn’t be seen on the weak side in order to contest the passing lanes. He took about 1 million charges by rotating well. And to top it off, when Orlando tried to go at him 1 on 1 in the post, he stonewalled them as only Lowry could. Unsurprisingly, he shot and passed well, and even drove at a surprising rate.

 

Not worried about Lowry against Philly, because if they decide to use Simmons or Butler on him, they’re putting an obvious mismatch on Leonard or Siakam. Defensively, if Toronto wants to put him on Butler, those ISO’s night get a bit tougher to stomach, but they have options.

 

Zarar Siddiqi

 

Not worried about Lowry because he doesn’t have to carry as much of the scoring burden as years past. He can afford to do the non-scoring things and still have a very good game. You could argue that Philly’s guards could post-up Lowry but he’s shown that he’s got the center of gravity to hold his own in those situations.  What was a little disappointing was how the FVV/Lowry lineup didn’t have the impact I thought they might – this is mostly due to Fred having a sub-par series. Looking forward for that combo to rebound as a unit.

 

Josh Howe

 

If you can’t understand what Lowry means to this team by now (seriously, it’s 2019, people), you either aren’t watching the Raptors closely enough or are ascribing too much value to raw box score numbers.

 

He was brilliant against Orlando, generating offence either directly or indirectly, making his typical intangible plays, being a pest on defence (how about those charges?!), and simply winning all of the minutes he was on the floor. That first round performance, if anything, silenced whatever minor concerns I had about him going forward.

 

Also worth noting: Lowry loves playing against his hometown club and has a vendetta against Simmons. Remember last year when they both got ejected on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and then Lowry told Simmons to meet him in the hallway?

 

We get a full series of that.

 

Katie Heindl

 

First I want an apology from everyone who was clamouring for Lowry to be traded after an unfortunate Game 1. Then I will say, once again, like always, forever and ad infinitum, I am not and never worried about Kyle Lowry. He knows what’s at stake not just with this game, but with playing his hometown franchise, playing that whole city in a way, on the side of his new/adopted city. I am worried for anyone getting in Lowry’s way.

 

Matt Shantz

 

Most people made far too much of Lowry’s 0 points on opening night of the playoffs, and overlooked the many ways in which he contributed.  If the Raptors escaped game 1 with a narrow victory and Lowry doing the same everyone would have moved past it. From there forward he scored well, continued running an elite offensive unit, and dominated defensively in part through seemingly countless charges.  Remove game 1 (where he was very good outside of scoring) and Lowry averaged 14.25 points, 8.75 assists, 4.25 rebounds, 2 steals (plus insane deflection numbers), and shooting splits of 52/42/77.7. The Raptors will be mighty tough to beat if he keeps up those numbers.

 

Anthony Doyle

 

I really just don’t worry about Kyle Lowry at all. He was phenomenal against Orlando, and frequently controlled the game at both ends of the floor with his play, despite not putting up the most impressive stat lines. That’s really what this Raptors team needed from him, to be the dominant personality on the floor, and that’s what he always brings. It would definitely be better to have him putting up big scoring and assist numbers, if given the choice, but that’s not what will determine whether he helps the Raptors win the series against Philadelphia, and it wasn’t against the Magic. What Lowry has to be doing is making sure that every other guy is in the best position to succeed, and he was a master of that in the first round. I’m far more concerned about the Raptors surviving the minutes Lowry isn’t on the floor than any part of what happens when he is out there.

 

That being said, it would be great for him to just have a huge scoring series and change the narratives around him in the playoffs going forward, just for his own legacy, even if it’s not really necessary.

 

Tim Chisholm

 

His performance was essential to everything that the Raptors did, and I would confidently say that he did not have a single bad game in the Orlando series. Rating Lowry purely on ppg or fg% means that you don’t have any clue what his value is to these Raptors. I don’t know what there would be to worry about him going into the Philly series, especially considering the motivation of playing well against his home crowd.

 

Shyam Baskaran

 

Not even in the slightest. We know what Kyle Lowry is about – his shooting, especially in playoffs, has high variance but his on-court IQ and hustle can never be questioned. Eventually, that stuff yields its fruit, and Lowry will always find a way to impact a playoff series. In my mind, Lowry’s shooting variance matters even less this year than in the past, since the Raptors are more reliant on Pascal, Danny and others for offense on most nights – so if Lowry can get more than 10 points a night, that’s all gravy.

 

Oren Weisfeld

 

Outside of game one, Lowry’s performance against Orlando was probably the strongest we’ve seen him play all season. I’m not worried about Lowry but we need to realize this is who he is. Not that he is necessarily inconsistent, but sometimes he struggles to shoot the ball and attack the rim. He is going to have more nights like game one against Orlando where he just doesn’t show up on the offensive side of the floor. Regardless, he is a smart, winning player who does tons of little things to help the Raptors win on both sides of the floor. He is also still developing chemistry with guys like Kawhi and Gasol, so the connectivity they show should continue to get better the further the Raps go.

 

Colin Connors

 

To use the stat that everyone will use, Toronto was +106 in the minutes Lowry played in the Magic series and -34 in non-Lowry minutes despite the series being as one-sided as any in Raptors history. So, I think it’s safe to say he had a good series. As far as the Philly series goes, I’m not worried in the slightest. His speed and (lack of) size will give him an advantage beating Philly’s perimeter D and more importantly, Lowry is undoubtedly excited to matchup against his hometown team.

 

Alex Gres

 

There are few basketball things I enjoy more than watching Lowry take up the mantle of positive, energetic, committed and passionate leader. His shooting is a (welcome) bonus at this point in his career to his most critical function – making those around him better. His lack of raw number production may mean he’ll remain underrated south of the border, but in the hearts of Raptor fans he’ll forever be remembered for his monumental role in this franchise’s history. The finger dislocation is a small concern, hopefully it won’t amount to anything.

 

Nick Tutssel

 

Who’s “we”? The people using Lowry’s lack of scoring as ammunition to shoot down his ability to contribute to winning basketball, are the same people who think D’angelo Russell is the MIP. Anyone who has watched this Raptors team consistently enough knows that this group is at its best when Kyle Lowry is focused on being a playmaker before anything else.

Lowry averaged 20 points and 7.7 assists against the Sixers this season. After he got the monkey off his back in Game 1, I thought he was brilliant against the Magic. I do not expect him to take a step back in this series.

Louis Zatzman

 

I mean, I did just write a love letter to Kyle Lowry that was bumped by Lowry’s mother. So I think we all know how I feel about Lowry as Toronto’s point gawd.

 

Tamberlyn Richardson

Normally the extra days of rest aren’t a good thing for Lowry but as a card carrying member of the ‘Lowry over everything’ club, I feel confident the extra juice of playing his hometown Philly will offset any slow start. Besides, who cares how much he scores? Why don’t we focus on his hustle stats instead? He’s first in charges taken (1.4 pg), second in deflections (3.4 pg), third in loose balls recovered (2.4 pg) and tied for seventh in steals (2.0 pg).

Lowry is the engine of these Raptors and as such has a knack for knowing exactly when to quicken the pace or hit a clutch three to end a run and change momentum. Or, hey need to send someone in amongst the trees to grab a game saving, clutch time rebound I’ll give you one guess who I pick every time. Not enough? In seven seasons with the Raptors Lowry is 22-5 versus the 76ers having never lost to them on his home court!

3. Good heavens, the team flipped a playoff gear. We haven’t had a chance yet, so through some hyperbole out there. Have you ever seen a Raps performance like that Orlando series?

 

Samson Folk

 

(Insert joke about Raptors opponents of the past???) A true comparison doesn’t come to mind, but I’ll tell you one thing: It is so nice to have players who’s games improve in the playoffs. In years past, watching missed corner threes felt like taking a bullet, and this year it’s followed by the expectation that statistically that means the next one should fall. The elevation of Siakam-Leonard-Lowry-Gasol in particular has been the most fun to watch.

 

Cooper Smither

 

No – and for 2 reasons. 1st, this is clearly the best team Toronto has ever had and they are un-schemable. Nothing the Magic could have done differently to make their offense anything less than elite, and no adjustment could have been made to curtail their aggressive defense.

 

The 2nd is that Toronto has actually gotten quite unlucky in terms of first round opponents, in that they played a Wizards team that was inconsistent and lackadaisical in the regular season, but had talent and potential of a top-4 team in the conference. Prior to that, playing the Bucks with Giannis and the Pacers with Paul George made consecutive first round matchups in which the opponent had the best player in the series.

 

Zarar Siddiqi

 

The closest that comes to mind was Game 5 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in 2001. That was a gritty road win which sort of set the tone for that era.  However, as a sustained effort in a series we dominated, that has never happened before.

 

Josh Howe

 

Nope. I mean, literally no one has. That was the first time in franchise history the Raptors went up 3–1, and the first time they won four in a row in the postseason. If nothing else, the performance indicates something that we’ve known all season long (but that some are understandably nervous to admit): This is a different Raptors team with a gear that the franchise has never seen before, and that has a legitimate shot at making The Finals.

 

They’re good, folks.

 

Katie Heindl

 

No, we’ve never seen this Raps team in this mode before. There were flashes of it throughout the regular season, but Kawhi Leonard has certainly flipped a switch for himself and so has Lowry, elevated by Leonard in a way he just couldn’t be with DeRozan. Siakam continues on his explosively steady betterment trajectory, Green has been cool-handed in the playoffs per usual and has been a knowing anchor for the team, Gasol and Ibaka,huge and imposing both, are finally both playing like they are huge and imposing. And I have every reason to believe VanVleet will work out whatever went wrong for him in the Magic series because that’s just his playing style. What we saw makes me excited for what we’re going to see next.

 

Matt Shantz

 

Not only have I not seen that type of performance from the Raptors, it’s been rare that I’ve imagined a performance of that nature.  The Raptors were clinical on both sides of the ball and had a response to every mini 8-0 run the Magic could muster. That was beautiful and was worth the wait.

 

Anthony Doyle

 

Simple answer: No. There is no history of anything like this for the Raptors, and it’s been quite the experience. We’re just not used to being comfortable in winning in the postseason. There seems to be genuine trepidation on the part of Sixers fans heading into a second round series against the Raptors, and that’s something entirely new too for the organization. It’s all new and fantastic and fun, and hopefully it can keep going past this year if Kawhi sticks around and Pascal can continue his upward trajectory. What Masai and Bobby have built for the Raptors is truly incredible, and I appreciate the both of them for giving us this experience.

 

Tim Chisholm

 

No, because there hasn’t been one. Even in the few series this team has won historically, it always felt like the team was playing against an opposing team as well as their own demons. This team was so dominant for so much of the Orlando series that it was hard to zero in on any one reason why they were so good. They did what they should have done many times before and embarrassed an inferior first-round foe.

 

Shyam Baskaran

 

This is easily the best team we’ve ever put together. With the perfect combination of talent and experience, with just the right amount of youth and zest, the Raptors seem to have a little bit of everything. The final 4 games of that Magic series showed that when they really lock in, those characteristics are extremely hard to compete against. It’s crazy thinking back to 2008 when Bryan Colangelo thought at that time (after acquiring Jermaine O’Neal) that he had put together the most talented roster on paper in franchise history. Oh, how far we’ve come.

 

Oren Weisfeld

 

It’s probably the first time Toronto’s played that well. But it’s also Orlando, a team that was good down the stretch but has very limited talent. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We live in Toronto, where sports teams seem to be made to bring fans up and then tear them down miserably (thanks, Leafs). With that being said, the Raptors look scary good.

 

Colin Connors

 

There were glimpses of this type of dominance in the Wizards series last season, but that’s all they were, glimpses. I’ve never been even close to as impressed with a Raptors team as I currently am.

 

Alex Gres

 

NEVER. Seriously though, the calmness and poise exhibited was nothing like Raptor fans have been accustomed to in the postseason. Looking ahead to the next series in the middle of game 4 (!) due to the inevitability of the win was… refreshing. And as inexperienced as Orlando is, they’re no sieves. This was impressive.

 

Nick Tutssel

 

My instant reaction is there must have been. But looking back on the past decade of playoff series for Toronto, the answer is a definitive never. Every single one of the Raps first round series since the franchise’s inception, has either been a painful loss, or a win where they made you sweat it out until the bitter end.

On first thought it’s, “So what? we beat the Magic.”. But upon reflection it’s actually, “Holy crap, we won a series easily that we were supposed to win easily!”.

Louis Zatzman

 

Hyperbole? Dominant! Fantastic! Brilliant! Really though, the most important word is expected. Toronto has never won a series in five games, though they have been favourites in the past. Against Orlando, they truly played like favourites and crushed an inferior team.

 

Tamberlyn Richardson

 

No – this iteration of the Raptors is the new standard in franchise excellence. There were past elations over Alvin Williams shot to beat New York in five (best of five back then). The Vince Carter – Allen Iverson series was fun, but really just a painful tease.

 

4. Philadelphia is a monster, and they slaughtered Brooklyn mercilessly. Do you they frighten you? How does Toronto match up against the big four of Simmons-Butler-Harris-Embiid?

 

Samson Folk

 

Jimmy Butler scares me. I think that Embiid is always present if he’s on the floor (and almost always a positive for the 76ers) and the Raptors will have to deal with him regardless of how the series is going. Butler is preying on my Raptors inferiority of years past, he has me thinking about 40-point second halves, and terrible losses to the Bulls. Simmons is a (coward) question mark for the 76ers, and he could really turn the series on it’s head if he can solve the Raptors defense on him, but that doesn’t seem likely. With Siakam’s ascension in these playoffs I actually rate Harris beneath him… and that’s not a slight towards Harris. The Raptors are uniquely equipped to hang with the big 76ers.

 

Cooper Smither

 

Not frightened at all. Thought Toronto would have decisively swept or beat them in 5 if not for the Harris trade. Their dependency on players that limit their spacing plays right into Toronto’s aggressive scheme of over-helping all the time. With Harris’ spacing, I give them a bit more credit, but Toronto just has better talent that fits in a way to optimize one another. Philly isn’t reaching the ceiling that their collective talent would dictate because of poor fit.

 

Zarar Siddiqi

 

I believe Marc Gasol can handle Joel Embiid (and Brook Lopez if we ever get there). Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are able to cope with Butler and Harris, and though Simmons is bigger and leaner, Lowry and FVV have enough strength to deal with him. We just can’t let Simmons run wild on the break and if we control the pace there, we should be OK.

 

Josh Howe

 

Toronto matches up fantastically against Philly’s core four. Think about it: Kawhi dominates Simmons like no one else, Gasol stymies Embiid (and we just saw him shut down Vucevic), Siakam will be a nightmare for Harris, and Green has guarded Butler well in the time he’s spent on him this season.

 

Aside from the one-on-one matchups, both teams will probably be switching freely, too, and the Raptors have improved their communication on that end significantly from where they were even a month ago.

 

When it comes to the offence, Gasol shooting open jumpers and drawing Embiid out of the paint (much like he did with Vooch last series) will be key, Siakam running roughshod on Harris if that’s who the Sixers choose to place on him is a near-certainty, and there is, of course, no fully containing Kawhi.

 

Katie Heindl

 

No, and nor do I think they slaughtered the Nets. I mean fine, 3 out of 5 games they did run away with them, but the Nets also gave them some trouble before they were put out. That kind of thing is useful to remember and I’m sure Toronto’s front office has been studying tape to see where Brooklyn was able to at least wind Philly. But Toronto is not just a team that is going to give Philadelphia trouble, they are at worst an even match and at best the better team, technically speaking (Louis did the deep, slightly obsessive, little bit scary work on this here if you still aren’t convinced) so there is not much to be frightened of. The pieces are scary, I wrote about that here too. Simmons is going to get frustrated by Toronto’s defence and crumble under pressure, Butler will have his big moment but he can’t work all alone, Harris is a hard working player but can’t shoulder all of it and Embiid might be hurt, but even if he isn’t, Gasol can shut him down.

 

Matt Shantz

 

Yes and no. Philadelphia is a far superior offensive team to the Magic crew that Toronto just dispatched, but they were also a weaker defensive team on the season.  I have little concern about the Raptors ability to score against the 76ers, and they have the horses to make life difficult for them on offence. They are scarier due to their star power, but the Raptors’ roster is uniquely skilled to combat what Philadelphia does best.

 

Anthony Doyle

 

There will definitely be some tough moments in this series, Philadelphia is a defensive giant, and they are incredibly scary in transition. There will be periods where the Raptors offense falls into their bad habits and they struggle to generate much of anything at that end of the floor, and it’s going to be frustrating. However, the reverse is also true. This Raptors team is also a monster, and the question for me is who creates more problems for the other team, and I think that’s definitely the Raptors creating more issues for the Sixers, because with Gasol matching up against Embiid, Kawhi matching up against Simmons, Siakam against Harris, and either Lowry or Green against Butler, those are all matchups I’m more than comfortable with for Toronto. The Raptors showed their defensive chops in the first round as well, and Philly has weaknesses offensively, in that they don’t have the best perimeter shooting, and that allows an opponent to bring help from different places to take away the preferred methods of attack for the Sixers. As good as Philly is, the Raptors have all the tools to deal with them and create plenty of problems for Philadelphia in this series.

 

Tim Chisholm

 

I don’t find Philly frightening, but they are very good. They lack depth (they don’t even have fairly steady bench comps for Ibaka and VanVleet), they haven’t played a ton together, and they are incredibly emotionally volatile. However, their rebounding exposes a known flaw for Toronto, Embiid is no joke, and the Magic did not have a shooter as good as Redick to punish Toronto’s help.

 

Shyam Baskaran

 

Philly is very talented, but I am not worried. Despite their incredibly potent starting lineup, their roles often result in stepping on each others’ toes. Simmons’ paint-heavy game clashes with Embiid’s low-post game, and Jimmy Butler often is an isolation player that needs dedicated touches in the Philly offense, leaving Tobias Harris in a suboptimal position. Not to mention, their 3-point gunners like JJ Redick and Mike Scott are not necessarily great defenders. The Raptors have shown the ability to schematically attack a team like that in the regular season, but the matchup of a healthy Embiid on Gasol can still swing the series in my view.

 

Oren Weisfeld

 

I don’t think Embiid is 100% healthy, and with Gasol defending him I don’t think he will dominate in the way people are used to seeing him dominate. Without a dominant Embiid, Philadelphia doesn’t scare me. They are obviously big, and they will eat up rebounds, which is one serious area of concern for the Raptors, but I don’t think they have enough experience or chemistry to scare Toronto.

 

I am interested to see how the 76ers respond when things get tough, though. Will they look at each other and point fingers, or will they dig in and pick each other up? I really don’t know, and if I was a 76ers fan I think that might scare me more than Kawhi would.

 

Colin Connors

 

Honestly, they don’t really frighten me at all. Sure, the talent is there. But, from the start, any knowledgeable basketball fan (outside Elton Brand) could tell that the Embiid-Simmons-Butler fit is as awkward as it gets. It was the classic, right trade-wrong guy scenario. The Harris move raised their ceiling to be sure, but regardless, this is a very poorly assembled “Big 4”.

 

Alex Gres

 

Fear? Does Kawhi know fear? Does Kyle? Does Pascal? Serge? Then why should we? Philadelphia have talent, and they’re confident (arrogant?), but the Raptors have the personnel to match up with them and the killer instinct to put them away. I doubt Embiid/Simmons will be laughing much in post game interviews in this series.

 

Nick Tutssel

 

This Philly team is like four really great musicians who can just can’t seem to put together a good album. On paper, the names carry pedigree, but on the court (especially against Toronto) they haven’t been consistency intimidating all season.

I’m not scared of the Sixers. But you know what Ben Simmons is scared of? Kawhi Leonard. The dude was frightened to dribble the ball with Kawhi as his primary defender this season. Siakam matches up well Harris with on the defensive end, and if Marc Gasol can just keep doing what he was doing on defense to Vucevic during the Orlando series, he should mitigate Embiid’s potentially massive impact on this series.

Louis Zatzman

 

The more I prepped for this series, the more my fear of Philadelphia dwindled. Am I insane? Yes. Am I wrong? Probably, but we’ll see.

 

Tamberlyn Richardson

 

Ben Simmons must be suffering from night sweats reflecting on his 25 cumulative turnovers versus Toronto this season. Leonard owned him, and that was pre-playoff Kawhi. Joel Embiid is a force, but one who Gasol has experienced great success against and that was with Embiid at full health. I’m a fan of Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler (why do I always think of the Seinfeld episode when I read his name?), but I don’t love their fit on this squad.

Danny Green is the gift that keeps on giving and will handle whatever assignment he’s tasked with (and is due for one of those big nights behind the arc). Siakam is also much improved even since the clubs last met. As Pascal continues his offensive ascent what no one seems to be focusing on is just how special he is defensively. And 6’1 Lowry is ready to rumble with 6’10 Simmons if need be – scared – not even a little.

 

5. Call it.

 

Samson Folk

 

Raps in 6, my guy. They’ll bang the Liberty Bell in Philly, then the Raptors will close them out.

 

Cooper Smither

 

I’ll be confident and go Raptors in 5, but a 6 game series that Toronto decisively wins wouldn’t surprise me either.

 

Zarar Siddiqi

 

Raptors in 4.

 

Josh Howe

 

Raptors in six.

 

Katie Heindl

 

Raptors in 6.

 

Matt Shantz

 

Raps in 5.  I’m feeling frisky.

 

Anthony Doyle

 

Raptors in five. Toronto is simply too much for Philly, at both ends of the floor. It’s going to be easier for them to generate good offense than it will be for Philly, and the Raptors don’t really have any uncomfortable defensive matchups in this series. Philadelphia’s best path to winning the series is something going badly wrong for Toronto or amazingly right for them, and the Raptors just need everything to stay within the margins of expectation to get out of this series comfortably. If the Orlando series was the Raptors establishing a new brand of Toronto playoff basketball, this series will be where they definitively confirm their status as true contenders.

 

Tim Chisholm

 

Raptors in 7

 

Shyam Baskaran

 

Raps in 6.

 

Oren Weisfeld

 

Raps in 6

 

Colin Connors

 

Raptors in 5. It’s crazy to think that a decisive second round exit might be all that Philly’s overwhelming abundance of assets culminates to. Sam Hinkie didn’t die for this.

 

Alex Gres

 

4-1 Raptors.

 

Nick Tutssel

 

I think the Raptors are a terrible matchup for Philadelphia. I really do. There’s a massive drop-off in talent after their top 4, and without the availability of Mike Scott, I don’t trust any of their bench guys to hit the open shots that their stars will create for them.

I think Toronto has a decisive advantage in coaching, and I really want to say they could take care of this thing in 5. But I respect Philly’s raw talent too much to do that.

Raptors in 6.

Louis Zatzman

 

Sweeeeeep (if Embiid’s injury limits him).

 

Tamberlyn Richardson

In my heart, I want to say bring out the brooms but my gut says at least one game gets decided at the charity stripe. Logically, the 76ers accumulate so many points in the paint while Embiid, Simmons, and Butler each rank in the top 25 of FTA through the first round. Cue the gentleman’s sweep.