3 very bold predictions for Raptors-76ers first-round playoff series
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have been doubted all season long, meaning that getting tagged as the underdog against the Philadelphia 76ers is not going to be too shocking for them. After all, the Raptors were in the lottery just a year ago and they have one player older than 30 on the roster.
Despite all of the factors inside and outside of their control working against them, the Raptors find themselves matched up with a division foe that they have already beaten three times in a four-game span. Toronto pulling off the upset is not as crazy as talking heads like Shaquille O’Neal think it may be.
While the Raptors have enough star power to counteract Philadelphia in the regular season, it might take something extra to beat Joel Embiid and James Harden four times in a seven-game stretch. All manner of unusual feats could become reality as Philly’s scoring skill clashes with Toronto’s hard-nosed defense.
These 3 bold predictions could come true in this Raptors series. If the last two seasons of Raptors basketball have thought us anything (especially when it comes to their performance against other elite teams) fans should expect the unexpected in this series.
3. Gary Trent Jr. outscores James Harden
Trent might be the player who benefits the most from Matisse Thybulle being unable to play in any Toronto games due to his vaccination status. After Thybulle had some fairly solid results against Trent in Philadelphia, Trent exploded for 30 points on 12-21 shooting and 5-8 from 3-point range with Thybulle absent.
Trent struggled mightily to start the second half, but he looked like his old self heading into the postseason. After missing some time due to injury, Trent averaged 20.5 points per game on 47/46/100 percentages during his final eight games. With so much defensive attention on VanVleet and Siakam, Trent could get tons of wide-open looks.
Gary Trent Jr. might have a big series for the Toronto Raptors.
Harden has not scored 30 points in a game against a Nick Nurse defense since 2019. Nurse’s skill at defending Harden coupled with his own efficiency troubles since joining Philadelphia might make it tough for Harden to be the all-time great scorer he was in Houston or the triple-double machine from Brooklyn.
Harden is still a superior player to Trent, let’s not get it twisted. However, Toronto might not be a very good matchup for Harden statistically. If he looks like he did in the regular season, Harden could find himself on the wrong end of some blowouts spearheaded by Trent’s 3-point shooting.