Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Raptors Game 6
Instant takeaways after Game 6.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
In their third attempt to close out the first round of the postseason, the Sixers traveled to Toronto to see the Raptors for the sixth time this series. Here’s what jumped out to me tonight:
Pro: James Harden brings the aggression
I was extremely harsh on Harden after Game 5, following an extremely disappointing performance in which he lacked any sort of assertiveness.
Tonight, Harden was able to set the tone early on and send a message that he was not going to be merely a bystander, scoring 10 first quarter points, by far his biggest short-term outburst in this series.
Most importantly, it felt like Harden was finally able to strike the right balance between creating for himself and creating for others. Nothing ever felt forced, everything came within the natural flow of the offense.
During his Sixers tenure, we’ve often seen Harden become too passive in an attempt to facilitate as a playmaker for his teammates. And while Harden’s passing can be brilliant, his scoring ability is what has made him a superstar-caliber player over the years.
As we’ve discussed ad nauseum, the Sixers have needed more from Harden than what they have gotten. Tonight, he looked a lot more like the player they need if they want to be serious championship contenders.
Pro: Tyrese Maxey is him
What is there to say about Tyrese Maxey anymore?
In the second year of Maxey’s NBA career, his age 21 season, we have watched Maxey blossom into one of the league’s brightest young stars.
We’ve seen him learn to play point guard -- and do so at a very high level -- on the fly because of the Ben Simmons saga. We’ve seen him discard doubters of his jumpshot as he tirelessly worked his way into becoming one of the most accurate shooters in the entire association.
We also saw Maxey, in the first playoff start of his career, torch an excellent defense to the tune of 38 points. And tonight, we saw him explode in the third quarter, hitting the Raptors with the proverbial kill shots that fueled a massive Sixers run. He scored 15 in the period, compared to just 17 for the entire Raptors team.
Make no mistake, Maxey is going to continue to find ways to get better. But he is already a special, special player.
Pro: Sixers exorcize demons, defeat Toronto Raptors, move onto second round of Eastern Conference Playoffs
It didn’t happen as quickly as many wanted, and it certainly didn’t come without stress. But after six games, the Sixers have eliminated the Toronto Raptors from the postseason, and will now face old friend Jimmy Butler and the top-seeded Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.
When Joel Embiid’s signature game-winner gave the Sixers a 3-0 series lead, this felt like an inevitability. But after two Raptors wins in which the Sixers looked like the far inferior team, that confidence evaporated -- and rightfully so, I would argue.
But tonight, Embiid, Harden, Maxey and co. executed their second half gameplan flawlessly, turning in excellent performances that coalesced into a total demolition.
Those three are far from the only ones who deserve credit for this series win -- Danny Green was a huge help, especially tonight with his four first-half threes that kept the Sixers in front despite not playing their best half of basketball. Tobias Harris played the best defense he ever has as a Sixer, and continued to evolve into the offensive player the Sixers have needed him to be.
With all of the momentum on the Raptors’ side and Game 6 being played in Toronto, we all had plenty of reasons to expect the Sixers to collapse under the monumental pressure. Instead, they faced that pressure head on and conquered it.
Congratulations to the Sixers, and congratulations to all of you. On to Miami!