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There is no answer for Joel Embiid

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The Raptors saw this coming, and there was still nothing they could do to stop it.

It was almost as if the Raptors could see the future.

Within hours of Philadelphia completing a trade deadline deal for Tobias Harris — an acquisition that gave the Sixers the second-best starting lineup in the NBA — Toronto made its own, equally impressive move: trading for Grizzlies’ big man Marc Gasol.

The headlines had written themselves. Milwaukee had also reactively traded for stretch four Nikola Mirotic. By trading for Harris, the Sixers had started an Eastern Conference arms race. Whoever loaded up on the heaviest artillery would shoot their way to the NBA Finals.

But the Gasol trade was specifically tailored to the 76ers, more specifically to Joel Embiid. Gasol is a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He stands 7’1” and (on paper) weighs 255 pounds. If there was an ideal body-type matchup for Embiid, this is it. Gasol is a bruiser. He’s skilled. He, too, can stretch the floor to the three-point line. In essence, he should have been the anti-Embiid; the player Toronto could have relied on to neutralize Philly’s dominant force.

But Gasol is not that. In fact, there may be no such weapon in the NBA. If we’ve learned anything after Game 3 of 76ers vs. Raptors, it’s that if Embiid wants to dominate, he’s going to dominate. The Raptors saw this very future, and took the proper precautions. There’s little any player or coach can do to stop him.

Embiid had a historic performance in Game 3

In just 28 minutes, Joel Embiid recorded 33 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. No player had ever had a 30-10-5 playoff game in fewer than 30 minutes, ever, according to Elias Sports Bureau. This is why you blow your team up to go for gold. Embiid is a once-in-a-generation talent, the type of player you push all your chips in for.

If there was one play that showed just how dominant Embiid was against the Raptors on Thursday, it was his windmill in a half-court set. This was a dunk that extended Philadelphia’s lead to 26 with just 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The game was already over. The windmill, and subsequent celebration, left several exclamation marks at the end of the sentence.

But how did Embiid come to get such an open lane against a team so versatile, so skilled on defense? It’s because he had thoroughly dominated Toronto from everywhere on the court first.

At this point, Embiid, a streaky (read: shaky) shooter, was 3-of-4 from three-point range. In this series, Embiid is shooting 60 percent from three through Game 3 when Gasol is defending him.

So this time, when Embiid found himself with a wide open three from the top of the key, Gasol darted out to contest. What he should have known by now is Embiid is a master pump-faker. The shot never left his hands, but Gasol left his feet.

Embiid, the most nimble player for his size you’ll ever see, blew by Gasol as if he were never there. The sea parted for him. He dribbled down the middle of the lane and threw down a windmill that sent the city of Philadelphia into an extra happy hour.

But it also sent another message to the Raptors, a team that prepared for this very moment. It was a message Mike Scott summed in a few words: “I just be like, ‘Gah damn, this dude nice, bruh,” Scott said postgame. “He’s special, man. He’s one of one.”

After all, it wasn’t just the windmill. And it wasn’t just knocking down three threes (though hitting his outside shots opens up his game tremendously). In fact, it wasn’t even only his damage on the offensive end.

All five of Embiid’s blocks came against Toronto’s two best players.

On two separate occasions, Embiid rejected Kawhi Leonard at the rim. On one of those blocks, he stared Leonard down on the ground like he does every other shot-block victim. The other three blocks were against Pascal Siakam.

Toronto prepared in advance for this very series, and preparation, along with practice, generally makes perfect. But you can’t prepare for Joel Embiid, and you can’t practice for Joel Embiid. He is the most dominant player in the NBA.

Simply put: “Gah damn. This dude nice, bruh. He’s special, man. He’s one of one.”




from SBNation.com - All Posts http://bit.ly/2V1YCNH
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