Joel Embiid knows the approach of Nick Nurse and his Toronto Raptors and is ready for every challenge they throw at him.
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Philadelphia 76ers await Saturday, 16th April, to start their 2022 Playoffs campaign. It’ll be the first time they face the Toronto Raptors in the postseason since they faced each other in the 2019 Conference Semi-finals that ended in a heartbreaking way for Joel Embiid’s team.
That will always be fresh in the Cameroonian’s mind, however long he plays. Such was the ending of that series with Kawhi Leonard’s shot that nobody in the NBA community could forget, and Embiid was the closest to witness it.
And although he must be waiting for vengeance for a considerable time now, the Philly big man will not lose his calm when he finally gets his chance in their first round battle.
“I’m not going into the series hoping to average 40. They’re going to get the ball out of my hands, so it’s all about me really not getting frustrated, keep trusting my teammates over and over, making the right plays. Doesn’t matter if it’s 10, 20 points or whatever, as long as we score that’s my mentality,” Embiid said. “All the attention they’re going to throw on me, I just got to make my teammates better.”
Raptors take out a better Playmaker out of Joel Embiid
Raptors and Sixers have faced each other 3 times this season, with the former holding an advantage of 2-1. It all came down to how scoring champ of 2022 performed in those games, with the first game being pretty efficient and the last two, not so much. Their last game was just a week ago, with Joel turning the rock 5-times over.
“The way they defend me has never changed,” Embiid said. “They just play recklessly, sending three guys on me as soon as the ball is in the air. Which, that made me better, honestly, over the years. Just playing against them and watching them, they definitely made me a better playmaker. I enjoy playing them. But there’s still a lot of ways I can attack them, it doesn’t have to be iso. I can just get deep position on them, use my size and my weight to try to take advantage of them. I think I know what I have to do, I just got to execute.”
The Raptors squad has a new look, they have had different combinations of players in the past couple of years since Leonard left to join the Clippers, but one thing that never changes is Nick Nurse’s approach to the game. And against Sixers, it’s generally to contain Embiid.
“It forces me to be a playmaker, and I think this year I did a really good job just beating guys and finding my teammates, making the right plays,” Embiid said at practice Thursday. “Going into the series, I’ve played against them enough that I kind of know how they play. If that’s what they want to do, I already know the adjustment, and I’m just going to trust my teammates.”
With Joel planning more on dishing out more than getting it all himself, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris will all be ready to have the games of their lives. Any two of them helping the 5x All-Star would suffice their cause. Let’s see who grabs the opportunity to take Sixers through.
