Game 1 of the series between the Raptors and 76ers is shown on Saturday at 6 p.m. in RDS and Sportish.
Three years after the Raptors beat Philadelphia in the second round with a famous shot by Cowie Leonard, Nick Ners awaits another tough series.
His message to his club: if you fall, get up quickly.
“There will be ups and downs, strongly either way. “We have to be ready to accept that and roll up our sleeves,” the Toronto coach said after a training session on Wednesday.
Fifth in the East, the Raptors will face the No. 4 76ers from Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Arena.
Game 2 will air Monday night, also in Pennsylvania.
Matches 3 and 4 will follow at the Scotiabank Arena on April 20 and 23.
The home team has not hosted a playoff match since the 5th match of the 2019 Finals, against Golden State. The Raptors claimed the championship the next game, on the road.
Toronto and Philadelphia have met twice in the playoffs. In 2001, Vince Carter missed just one last-minute shot and the Sixers won seven games. Eighteen years later, the result was in favor of the Raptors, thanks to the famous shot of Leonard.
Four players from the current version then participated in training: Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Montrealer Chris Boucher.
Nurse said the current team studied footage from the run to the title to stress that playoff basketball is unpredictable.
“It was crazy (this against the Sixers),” Ners said. Both clubs were considered losers many times. There were so many closed matches, but also many others that were not closed at all. It kind of showed me what I meant: be prepared. »
The Raptors have won three of their four times against the Sixers this season, including a 119-114 victory over Toronto last Thursday.
The qualifying tournament giving a good break, Pascal Siakam said he was looking forward to Saturday.
“It’s like starting another season,” said the Cameroonian, who averaged 27.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 10 games.
“Obviously, in the playoffs, it will be a little more intense, with a little more attention to detail. What you did in the regular season no longer matters. You have to see it as a new beginning. »
The Raptors have a score of 14-4 in their last 18 games, the best record in the NBA so far.
That did not stop Shaquille O’Neal Hall of Fame from predicting that they would be scanned. On TNT, he said, “Keep that in mind.”
In the opposite race is especially another Cameroonian, the one who is one of the seven legs of Joel Embiid, the champion scorer of the championship this season.
Nurse pointed out that after many trials and errors during the 2019 series, a new lineup had the greatest success against Embiid.
The Raptors do not have a player who fits his 280 pounds, but they have speed and long arms, said Precious Achiuwa.
“The key is to get where he wants to go before him, to be on his feet when he wants to turn,” Achiuwa said. He has to cover a lot of people and work tirelessly. »
Backup Thaddeus Young has 51 playoff games with the Sixers, Nets and Pacers.
“It’s completely different,” Young said. My advice to our young players is to keep your composure and composure regardless of the game’s twists and turns. »
“You should not be too frustrated or too excited. You should try to create a bubble. »
