Oh oh oh. The Philadelphia Sixers are starting to sweat well. They were leading 3-0 against the Toronto Raptors. Here they are now at 3-2 before a Game 6 which promises to be absolutely hot in Ontario. The threat of an absolutely historic comeback weighs little by little more and more heavily on the shoulders of Doc Rivers and his flock. They are normally still in a very good position to qualify but Joel Embiid and its partners have a reputation for cracking in the hottest moments.
Sixers in panic after leading 3-0, will Doc Rivers be the ultimate black cat?
Adversity does not always do them good. And neither does James Harden. MVP, superstar, the bearded man lowers his level of play each year in the playoffs. This is again the case. He is currently the third best scorer on his team with “only” 18.4 points per game, 37% shooting success and more than 3 TOs. It is even becoming more and more discreet. Enough to push Embiid to gently put a little pressure on him.
“I haven’t stopped saying it since he arrived here: he has to be aggressive and play his game. But it’s not my job to tell him. It’s probably up to the coach to tell him to take more shots. Especially if they [les Raptors] keep defending like that on me”, entrusts the Cameroonian pivot.
Joel Embiid is not yet throwing his comrade under the wheels of the bus but he is checking the schedules of the next passages. Basically, he is not wrong: James Harden must be more aggressive to free his All-Star pivot from the defensive pressure imposed by Toronto. Will he be mentally capable? That’s the challenge for Philadelphia.
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