It’s almost always a long way to four wins in the NBA playoffs, but if there’s one factor that suggests a distinct Toronto advantage as a deadlocked series moves to Philadelphia, it stands seven feet tall and appears to require the height of NBA maintenance.
Even as the Sixers evened the best-of-seven at a game apiece with a 94-89 win in Game 2, Philadelphia’s all-star centre Joel Embiid continued to be a relative nonfactor. That’s a sizable problem for the Sixers. At his best, Embiid is a shot-blocking menace with a soft-touched scoring knack — a two-time all-star and a member of last season’s NBA all-defensive second team.