Title: Tethering Marc Gasol to Joel Embiid could help Raptors regain control against 76ers
Date: May 2, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic, I wrote about how a rotation tweak could help fix a lot of the smaller matchup problems the Raptors have been running into against the 76ers.
The Raptors dispensed with the film breakdowns Wednesday. Two days removed from a Game 2 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, it was a day for putting ideas into practice, getting back on the court and trying to reestablish an offensive rhythm. While two days off between games can feel like an eternity given the anxiety that comes along with the stakes, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is appreciative of the cadence the schedule is providing the next few games.
“I enjoy the time in between, I really do,” Nurse said. “I think it’s needed and it seems to be more reasonable to me. You get a day to recover from whatever happened and then you get a day to prepare or travel. It just seems a little bit more reasonable than getting home at 1 a.m. and then having to get all your prep done in one day or get on a plane or whatever you have to do. So it seems very reasonable to me.”
There can be risks inherent with that, especially right now, as Thursday’s Game 3 stands as the lone game over a five-day stretch. This probably benefits the 76ers a little more with a few shorter-term injuries and Joel Embiid’s knee to manage, but the Raptors are hoping they’ve used the time wisely. There was no shortage of adjustments to make coming out of Game 2, and if there’s a concern with so long to ruminate on things, there’s the potential for information overload.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 