Daily News | Joel Embiid needs to validate his MVP case and channel his inner Nikola Jokic against the Raptors | David Murphy
Three assists per half. If I’m Doc Rivers, that’s my message to Joel Embiid. Write it on the white board. Send it via text. Imprint it on one of those plastic bracelets that Lance Armstrong used to make. You want to beat the Raptors? Start with that goal.
It sounds simple, and maybe it is. The Raptors have never been shy about who they are, not the least when the opponent is Embiid. It has been three years since Nick Nurse’s arsenal of exotic coverages frustrated the big man and provided Kawhi Leonard with all the runway he needed to carry the Raptors to a seventh-game victory over the Sixers in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. Since then, the only thing that has changed are the border crossing regulations.
Embiid said on Thursday that he does not feel like he has anything to prove against the Raptors, but I beg to differ. A world in which he is the Most Valuable Player in the NBA is not consistent with a world in which the Sixers lose in the first round of the playoffs. That sort of thing has only happened twice in the last 20 years. In 2017, eventual MVP Russell Westbrook lost to James Harden’s Rockets in the first round.
The Sixers need Embiid to look at this series as a personal challenge. The MVP voting does not take playoff performance into consideration, but what better way for the big man to validate his case over Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo than by showing that he can impact a game with his decision-making and passing if that’s what the game calls for him to do?
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Don’t believe the upset hype: Sixers’ talent should prevail against the Raptors | David MurphyDaily News | Don’t believe the upset hype: Sixers’ talent should prevail against the Raptors | David Murphy
Read more »
Montas, Murphy help A’s restore order in win over Tampa BayA’s starter Frankie Montas delivers strong effort, Sean Murphy provides power against Rays.
Read more »
We Now Know Full Schedule for Sixers Vs. Raptors Playoff Series🏀 Ready for the NBAPlayoffs? Here is when the Sixers are scheduled to square off with the Toronto Raptors in Round 1.
Read more »
Opinion | The battle against ISIS, yesterday’s war, still smolders — and could eruptIf you wanted to design a breeding ground for future Islamist militants, it would be this refugee camp in Syria.
Read more »
See Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer on N.J. set of Christopher Nolan film with all-star castSee Cillian Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer on N.J. set of Christopher Nolan film with all-star cast
Read more »
Legal Weed Sales in New Jersey to Begin April 21BREAKING: Legal sales of marijuana in New Jersey will begin April 21, Gov. Phil Murphy just tweeted:
Read more »