The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the playoffs are now playing, and the closest team to promotion may be the 76ers. The reason is very simple, with the 76ers taking a 3-0 lead over the Raptors after the 104-101 victory over the Raptors. Today, the 76ers are just one win away from qualifying. In the face of such a score, most fans will say that the 76ers swept the Raptors is not bad.
I believe that seeing here will surely have many fans ask, why has the 76ers become so strong this season? Where are they stronger? In fact, the reason the 76ers are so strong this season is very simple, that is, Embiid has played the strongest season of his career this season. Let me illustrate this from Embiid's last two playoff games.
On April 19, Embiid played 37 minutes and shot 9-of-16 from the field, shooting 56.2 percent from the field. Including 1 of 2 three-pointers and 12-of-14 free throws, he scored 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team to a 112-97 victory over the Raptors.
On April 21, Embiid played 44 minutes, shooting 12-of-20 from the field, shooting 60 percent from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line, scoring 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists to lead the game to a 104-101 victory over the Raptors.
That means Embiid scored 64 points in just 36 shots in two games and grabbed 24 rebounds. I believe that fans who have watched the game will know how inexplicable Embiid is playing, take the game on April 21, embiid is an insoluble existence on the offensive end. When the Raptors are singles on the inside, no one can withstand it, Embiid can shoot and break through in the middle distance, and Embiid has a stable shooting feel in the outside three-point line. Overall, Embiid doesn't have any scoring blind spots on the court, as long as he wants to score, the Raptors have no way but fouls.
Of course, it is acceptable to say that Embiid is just offensively unsolvable, after all, the super scoring handle in the NBA league is not terrible. However, Embiid is not only unsolved on the offensive end, but also very good on the defensive end. Embiid is not afraid of any interior player's challenge when defending on the inside, and he stands on the inside to effectively protect the rebounds. When assisting in defense, Embiid was able to make up for it in time and become the team's last defensive barrier. To borrow a phrase we often say, Embiid has a very large defensive area and he is able to defend 5 positions on the field. For Embiid's performance this season, we can fully describe it as "extreme", because Embiid has done everything he can, and his presence has raised the 76ers to more than a notch.
But as the saying goes, "if there is a good one, there is a bad one." Obviously, the best player for the 76ers is undoubtedly Embiid, and the worst player may be Harden, and we also take Harden's last two games as an example. On April 19, Harden played 41 minutes, shooting 33.3% of 9 from the field, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, 14 points, 6 assists and 5 turnovers. On April 21, Harden played 38 minutes, shooting 7-of-13, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, and had 19 points, 10 assists and 6 fouls. In two games, Harden scored 33 points on 22 shots and eight turnovers.
I don't know what everyone thinks of Harden? Anyway, I have only one assessment of Harden, and that is "Harden is still the same." Fans who have often watched Harden's games before will know that Harden will play very smoothly during the regular season, and the efficiency and data will be very shiny. But as soon as Harden enters the playoffs, his stats will slip very noticeably. Especially once the game reaches a stalemate, once the two teams are hard to meet, Harden will immediately drop the chain and have no sense of existence on the court. Take today's game, but Van Harden can be a little tougher, but Van Harden's shooting can be decisive 76 people will not play so hard.
Speaking of which, I can't help but think of harden's previous interview: "I will find a way to be the best version of myself and bring a championship to Philadelphia." I have to say that Harden's words are indeed bold. However, what I want to say is that if Harden wants to help the 76ers win the championship, then Harden must change himself, at least Harden can no longer drop the chain at the critical moment, let alone blindly just the same old way. Because Harden himself has to understand that it is difficult for Embiid's own 76ers to win the championship.