Joel Embiid exorcises some demons in Toronto with a strong second half and game-winning 3-pointer
Published: April 20, 2022 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article author: Rich Hoffman
Article translated by de Gaulle
Whether it is against Embiid individually or against the 76ers team, the third game of the series with the Raptors on April 20, local time, they have not played well enough. So, being able to read the seconds in extra time and still hold the ball when the two sides are 101 draws is a good scene for them.
For the way this round is played, the 76ers coaching team still decided to stick to the tactical idea of the last round of the fourth quarter, that is, to consume the game time as much as possible, and not to easily shoot and leave the opponent with the opportunity to counterattack. Because for the 76ers, even if they can't score this round, they will at least not lose the game.
Following the tactics Rivers drew, the 76ers created an offensive singles opportunity for Embiid from outside the left-wing three-point line. As soon as Embiid looked up at the timer above the rebound, Achuva, who was defending him, saw the opportunity and stabbed embiid hard to knock the ball out of Embiid's hand. The 76ers center ran two steps to regain control of the ball, but he was already forced to the corner of the midline and the sideline, and the 24-second offensive timer was approaching. Forced to turn twice, Embiid desperately threw the ball toward the basket with one hand.
But at this moment, the referee suddenly blew a whistle. It turned out that before Embiid's shot, 76ers coach Rivers had already called out a timeout in advance. With 2.6 seconds left in the game and 0.9 seconds left in attack, the 76ers and Embiid got a chance to reorganize their offense. And it was this opportunity to start all over again that gave the 76ers a new lease of life. Embiid received an out-of-bounds free throw and turned around with a three-point shot that sent the ball straight into the basket and allowed the 76ers to walk out of the arena with a 104-101 victory and a 3-0 playoff margin.
"The first half of this game was probably the worst half I've played so far," Embiid said in a post-match interview, "and there were several reckless passes that didn't protect the ball well, didn't really get into the attack, and weren't tough enough." And they let me know that. ”
Embiid's "they" naturally refers to the nearly 20,000 Raptors fans on the road. Because for these home fans, more than once in recent years they have seen Embiid play out of order after coming to Toronto, seeing their home team finally have the last laugh. For example, the most famous Raptors fan, singer Drake, shouted at Embiid after the first half: "He just can't play here." Embiid's teammate Tobias Harris also argued with Drake, but Drake kept repeating: "He can't play here." ”
Nor is it to blame Drake for taunting Embiid, whose performance in the first half of Game 3 of the Raptors series was indeed the worst two recent games. Against a defensive defense full of physical confrontation, Embiid scored just five points in the entire first half, which he got with five shots and two free throws. At the same time, Embiid also made 4 mistakes, with a plus-minus of -8. Originally, in the first two games of the series, Embiid seemed to have found a defense against the Raptors' defense, but in the first half of the third game, he was stuck in the mud.
Today's 76ers, the overall performance and play of the team, have been deeply bound to Embiid. With Embiid's poor personal performance, it's no surprise that the 76ers are behind at halftime. They made a cumulative total of 14 turnovers in the first half, shooting 11 times fewer shots than the Raptors. Fortunately, Harden's efficiency is not bad, coupled with the team's 8-of-16 three-point shooting, the 76ers have not been thrown away, and the point difference at the end of the half is 10 points.
"I think everybody's asking him a question, and that's what are you waiting for?" Because he only scored five points in the first half," 76ers Maxi said of Embiid, "everyone told him: Joel, we need you." And he replied, 'No problem, I see what you mean.' Then he started his own performance. ”
In addition to individual adjustments on the psychological level, the 76ers began to adjust their strategies in order to allow Embiid to have better offensive opportunities after the start of the second half, creating more opportunities for the interior big man to single in the elbow position. At the same time, Embiid also began to actively cooperate with Harden in blocking and dismantling, which gave him a lot of opportunities to score easily. In this way, after only five points in the half, Embiid scored 18 points in the third quarter.
In this way, the 76ers began to gradually approach the point difference. More importantly, through their performance in the second half of this game, they found a way to stop the team's decline and recover in the case of Embiid's poor performance. In such a tit-for-tat stage as the playoffs, such adjustment ability and successful experience are undoubtedly very valuable.
"Looking back at this game, we had 22 turnovers and were robbed of 9 rebounds by our opponents," Embiid concluded after the game, "and Also, James (Harden) was sent off, and we dug a big hole for ourselves at the beginning of the game, and all of these elements came together to make this game meaningful to us." Not everything will go your way, but you can still find a way to win the game of basketball. For us, it was very good. ”
The best ending the 76ers and Embiid won was to take away the victory with a whistle-pressing three-pointer. Although Embiid's winning goal was a bit difficult in terms of time and shot action, he himself said: "That shot point is one of my favorite points." Teammate Harris agreed: "Balls like these may not be a good choice in the traditional sense, but they just can score." It was really a very sure shot for him, especially when he was on the flanks. Our plan is to put the ball in the hands of our best player, who has the ability to do that kind of attack and that kind of goal. ”
Harris's compliment is well founded. Embiid's winning three-point shot was 27 feet (about 8.23 meters) from the basket, and according to the official website, Embiid this season, with only 4 seconds or less left in offensive time, made 52 shots and hit 22 of them at a position 25 feet (about 7.62 meters) above the basket. For many players, this time and shot at this position is a desperate desperate bet, but for Embiid, it is a conventional offensive style with a shooting rate of 42.3%.
Of course, there is another detail that cannot be left out of Embiid's attack, that is, the timeout that Rivers shouted. Because if Rivers hadn't shouted this timeout, Embiid would have had to throw the ball with one hand near the midline, and the result was self-evident. And, during this timeout, Rivers also made a key arrangement, and the camera captures Rivers drawing tactics while saying to Harris: "Tobias, you come and give him [Embiid] a cover and then bounce up to the top." ”
Embiid also mentioned Rivers's arrangement in the interview, an adjustment made by the team to a losing tactic (above) in the previous game against the Timberwolves. In the previous failed round, the 76ers' tactical intent was for Embiid to cover Maxi and try to block him from an empty pick-up. But the Timberwolves' defenders bypassed from behind the cover and were not thrown away. So Embiid could only be ordered to take over the pass. However, under the bag of two defenders, Embiid's shot was blocked, and the 76ers were fruitless.
So when it came time to fight the Raptors, Rivers simply drew the tactics directly to Embiid, allowing Harris to create an opportunity for Embiid to catch and shoot in an open position through a no-ball cover. In the end, this detail adjustment resulted in the fatal blow of the 76ers, as well as the victory of the entire game.
"That cover of his created a big empty space for me," Embiid said, praising Harris.
For Embiid personally, such a winning three-pointer would be a classic moment in his personal career. At the same time, this key goal can also dispel his demons to a certain extent. It's no exaggeration to say that the Raptors may be one of the opponents who cause him the most trouble, and every time he comes to Toronto to play, Embiid always feels that something is wrong. Here, he's watching Leonard's shootout fly over his fingertips; here he's crying a tear man for losing the series; here, where he, the leading scorer, has a goal-scoring slude; and here he's nearly locked up by his opponent in the first half of his latest game.
"To be honest, I really didn't think too closely about the scene that happened here three years ago," Embiid said, "and indeed, this goal made me feel very good." But this series has been played until now, and I really don't have the thoughts and thoughts of coming here for revenge. I think my whole focus now is on how to win this whole round. ”