After losing Game 1 in Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers have stormed ahead to win two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and take a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Philadelphia returned home and blew out the Raptors by a 116-95 final score at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

The Sixers were fueled by a rowdy and raucous crowd that created a hostile environment for Toronto.

Center Joel Embiid had a monster performance for Philadelphia, scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on the night. The Raptors’ Marc Gasol just couldn’t contain him inside of the paint, and Sixers fans showered Embiid with “MVP!” chants all night long.

All of Philadelphia’s starting 5 finished with double-digit points on the night. As per usual, Jimmy Butler was the number two option behind Embiid, chipping in 22 points of his own along with 9 boards and 9 assists.

Kawhii Leonard had another excellent game for the Raptors, also scoring 33, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome an excellent team performance by the 76ers.

The series will continue with Game 4 on Saturday night in Philly.

The post 76ers Take 2-1 Series Lead with Blowout Win Over Toronto appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although Philadelphia 76ers were projected to go as far as NBA Finals, their playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they suffered a tough 1-4 loss against the Boston Celtics. According to 76ers head coach Brett Brown, in order for his team to avoid this fate in the next season and compete for the championship, they need to add a “high-level” free agent.

“At some point, when the time is right, I think we need help to win a championship,” – Brown said to the reporters during the 76ers exit interviews on Friday. “If that’s the goal — and for me and us it is — then that’s the answer I give.“

After finishing the 2016-17 regular seasons with only 28 wins, Philadelphia 76ers made a giant leap forward in this season and finished with 52-30 record which was enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They managed to advance past the Miami Heat, but more experienced Boston Celtics were too much for the young 76ers team.

Although there are some people who think Brett Brown deserves the blame for the 76ers’ bad showing against the Celtics, the majority thinks he should continue to coach the team. Brown himself wouldn’t have anything against that.

“I think this will play out as it plays out, but I love being here,” – said Brown. “We’ve grown something that I think all of us, when you take a deep breath, look around and collectively as an organization, I’m just so proud of where we are. I think my situation will unfold as it should.“

The post 76ers “Need Help To Win A Championship” According to Coach Brett Brown appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Philadelphia 76ers finally managed to win a game against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The 76ers entered Game 4 down 3-0 and facing the possibility of getting swept but came through closing out the game 103-92. Celtics will now look to finish the job in Game 5 in Boston on Thursday.

The unlikely hero of the 76ers win was backup point guard T. J. McConnell who finished the game with career-high 19 points alongside 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In the previous three games of the series against the Celtics, McConnell averaged four points per game. The 76ers fans recognized McConnell’s efforts and started chanting “T.J.” each time the point the 26-year-old point guard got the ball.

“It was a pretty special moment,” – McConnell commented the chants. “I think we have the best fans in the NBA. They’ve been here through the dark times and they’ve certainly been here on our rise.“

Dario Saric and Ben Simmons contributed with 25 and 19 points respectively while Joel Embiid added 15 points.

Embiid also managed to get in a scuffle with Celtics’ Terry Rozier late in the first half. Both players were handed a technical foul after that.

“He tried to punch me twice. Too bad he’s so short he couldn’t get to my face,” – said Embiid after the game.

Despite the win, Philadelphia 76ers is now going up against the history in order to advance to Eastern Conference finals since no team has managed to win the series after facing a 3-0 deficit in previous 129 times. But the 76ers already surpassed everyone’s expectations, so making history would seem fitting for this team.

The post Philadelphia 76ers Win Game 4 and Avoid Getting Swept by Boston Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It took Philadelphia 76ers only five games to eliminate Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and clinch the spot in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. 76ers welcomed the Heat at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night and greeted them with a 104-91 win, which gave the 76ers a 4-1 win in the series.

The 76ers young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid had another stellar game and showed that they are the rising force and probably a duo that will mark the NBA in the years to come. Simmons had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while Embiid finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“I kind of promised the city this,” – said 76ers’ center Joel Embiid.

“We feel like we’re unstoppable and we can get whatever we want to. That’s the goal and we’re going to do what it takes to get there.” – he added.

The success of the Philadelphia 76ers is even bigger when you realize that they ended the last season with 28-54 record. This will be their first Eastern Conference Semi-Finals since 2012.

“We’ve changed our goals like four times,” – said JJ Redick. “First, it was make the playoffs, then win 50 games, then getting home court, then getting the No. 3 seed.”

Now the Philadelphia 76ers are waiting to see who will get the better end of the series between Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. One thing is for sure, neither of them will have an easy task against this rising Philadelphia team.

“That is a monumental effort, given where we were and where we are,” – said 76ers’ head coach Brett Brown in the locker room after Game 5. “To win a round in the playoffs is not to be denied. That’s special, especially given where we have come from. That’s the first thing. And the second thing, and I have said this to you — I believe it, you believe it — we have so much more to grow and give.”

The post Philadelphia “Trusts the Process” as 76ers Advance to Eastern Conference Semi-Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After losing Game 1 in Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers have stormed ahead to win two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and take a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Philadelphia returned home and blew out the Raptors by a 116-95 final score at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

The Sixers were fueled by a rowdy and raucous crowd that created a hostile environment for Toronto.

Center Joel Embiid had a monster performance for Philadelphia, scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on the night. The Raptors’ Marc Gasol just couldn’t contain him inside of the paint, and Sixers fans showered Embiid with “MVP!” chants all night long.

All of Philadelphia’s starting 5 finished with double-digit points on the night. As per usual, Jimmy Butler was the number two option behind Embiid, chipping in 22 points of his own along with 9 boards and 9 assists.

Kawhii Leonard had another excellent game for the Raptors, also scoring 33, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome an excellent team performance by the 76ers.

The series will continue with Game 4 on Saturday night in Philly.

The post 76ers Take 2-1 Series Lead with Blowout Win Over Toronto appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although Philadelphia 76ers were projected to go as far as NBA Finals, their playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they suffered a tough 1-4 loss against the Boston Celtics. According to 76ers head coach Brett Brown, in order for his team to avoid this fate in the next season and compete for the championship, they need to add a “high-level” free agent.

“At some point, when the time is right, I think we need help to win a championship,” – Brown said to the reporters during the 76ers exit interviews on Friday. “If that’s the goal — and for me and us it is — then that’s the answer I give.“

After finishing the 2016-17 regular seasons with only 28 wins, Philadelphia 76ers made a giant leap forward in this season and finished with 52-30 record which was enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They managed to advance past the Miami Heat, but more experienced Boston Celtics were too much for the young 76ers team.

Although there are some people who think Brett Brown deserves the blame for the 76ers’ bad showing against the Celtics, the majority thinks he should continue to coach the team. Brown himself wouldn’t have anything against that.

“I think this will play out as it plays out, but I love being here,” – said Brown. “We’ve grown something that I think all of us, when you take a deep breath, look around and collectively as an organization, I’m just so proud of where we are. I think my situation will unfold as it should.“

The post 76ers “Need Help To Win A Championship” According to Coach Brett Brown appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Philadelphia 76ers finally managed to win a game against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The 76ers entered Game 4 down 3-0 and facing the possibility of getting swept but came through closing out the game 103-92. Celtics will now look to finish the job in Game 5 in Boston on Thursday.

The unlikely hero of the 76ers win was backup point guard T. J. McConnell who finished the game with career-high 19 points alongside 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In the previous three games of the series against the Celtics, McConnell averaged four points per game. The 76ers fans recognized McConnell’s efforts and started chanting “T.J.” each time the point the 26-year-old point guard got the ball.

“It was a pretty special moment,” – McConnell commented the chants. “I think we have the best fans in the NBA. They’ve been here through the dark times and they’ve certainly been here on our rise.“

Dario Saric and Ben Simmons contributed with 25 and 19 points respectively while Joel Embiid added 15 points.

Embiid also managed to get in a scuffle with Celtics’ Terry Rozier late in the first half. Both players were handed a technical foul after that.

“He tried to punch me twice. Too bad he’s so short he couldn’t get to my face,” – said Embiid after the game.

Despite the win, Philadelphia 76ers is now going up against the history in order to advance to Eastern Conference finals since no team has managed to win the series after facing a 3-0 deficit in previous 129 times. But the 76ers already surpassed everyone’s expectations, so making history would seem fitting for this team.

The post Philadelphia 76ers Win Game 4 and Avoid Getting Swept by Boston Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It took Philadelphia 76ers only five games to eliminate Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and clinch the spot in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. 76ers welcomed the Heat at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night and greeted them with a 104-91 win, which gave the 76ers a 4-1 win in the series.

The 76ers young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid had another stellar game and showed that they are the rising force and probably a duo that will mark the NBA in the years to come. Simmons had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while Embiid finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“I kind of promised the city this,” – said 76ers’ center Joel Embiid.

“We feel like we’re unstoppable and we can get whatever we want to. That’s the goal and we’re going to do what it takes to get there.” – he added.

The success of the Philadelphia 76ers is even bigger when you realize that they ended the last season with 28-54 record. This will be their first Eastern Conference Semi-Finals since 2012.

“We’ve changed our goals like four times,” – said JJ Redick. “First, it was make the playoffs, then win 50 games, then getting home court, then getting the No. 3 seed.”

Now the Philadelphia 76ers are waiting to see who will get the better end of the series between Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. One thing is for sure, neither of them will have an easy task against this rising Philadelphia team.

“That is a monumental effort, given where we were and where we are,” – said 76ers’ head coach Brett Brown in the locker room after Game 5. “To win a round in the playoffs is not to be denied. That’s special, especially given where we have come from. That’s the first thing. And the second thing, and I have said this to you — I believe it, you believe it — we have so much more to grow and give.”

The post Philadelphia “Trusts the Process” as 76ers Advance to Eastern Conference Semi-Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.