143 times tried, all have failed.
The road back from a 0-3 series hole to victory is unchartered territory in NBA history. The Raptors began the quest three times previously and were swept away unceremoniously each attempt (2015/2017/2018). Eventually a team has to reach the summit, right?
The 76ers have not swept a best of seven series since 1985.
“Somebody’s gotta do it. Win 1 and then it’s 3-1. And 3-1 has been done before.”
Nick Nurse after being told no one has come back from 3-0 series deficit pic.twitter.com/sIc9VClRnK
— Amit Mann (@Amit_Mann) April 22, 2022
Three teams have managed to erase a 3-0 deficit, only to lose the series in seven games. Rasheed Wallace’s “both teams played hard” Blazers were the last to do it in a 2003 first round matchup vs Dallas. That Portland team actually led with less than five minutes away from history. The 1994 Nuggets are most remembered by Dikembe Mutombo’s iconic celebration, becoming the first eight seed to win a first round matchup, shocking the Seattle Supersonics. They then proved to be the ultimate resilent team in round two, taking the John Stockton/Karl Malone Utah Jazz to seven after dropping the first three games.
New York also forced a seventh game in the 1951 Finals vs Rochester, but that’s way before my time so my context is really bad.
Three Keys
1. Raptors All-Stars stepping up
Pascal Siakam’s second half play (0 points) in Game three was a major talking point. He’s averaging 18.7 ppg/6.0 rpg/5.3 apg this series on 40 percent shooting from the field. Nearly all of those numbers are down from the regular season. He torched Tobias Harris in particular, but that’s not happening right now. Siakam took some time to process and bounce back from his 2020 playoff run so I would hate to see another potential All-NBA season end on a sour note, followed by scrutiny all offseason. He needs to be more assertive.
Fred VanVleet has been banged up for a couple of months granted, but your two best players can’t shoot 9-29 in a must win game. Here’s to both of them kicking elimination in the teeth and extending this series.
2. Precious Achiuwa
Judging on how confident Achiuwa has been all season, it’s a pretty safe bet that he will shrug off those two missed free throws that could have ended things in regulation. This isn’t a Nick Anderson 1995 Finals situation. Precious was great in Game three otherwise and will build on that.
3. Joel Embiid’s thumb
There is fear that Philadelphia 76ers All-NBA star Joel Embiid has a torn ligament in his right thumb, but Embiid has vowed to continue playing through the injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Embiid will rely on his pain tolerance and 76ers‘ medical staff.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 22, 2022
Kyle Lowry can relate. He had ligament damage in his thumb during the championship run, which ironically came from the Philly series and required a procedure after the playoffs. Embiid is more prone to defenders hacking away at it though by being in the paint or seeing double/triple teams. He also falls with stunning regularity too. We’ll see if there are any adjustments to Embiid’s game.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 2pm EDT | TV: Sportsnet, TNT | Radio: TSN Radio 1050
Philadelphia 76ers Results, Lineups & Injuries
Previous Results
Probable Lineup
Toronto Raptors Results, Lineups & Injuries
Previous Results
Probable Lineup
Injuries
Betting Lines
| phi | tor | |
|---|---|---|
| -3 | Spread | +3 |
| -150 | Money Line | +130 |
Over/Under 213.5 | ||
