Things were all good for the 76ers just a week ago.
After getting out to a 3-0 series lead over the Raptors, the 76ers have squandered two straight closeout opportunities and face a real threat of being on the wrong side of NBA history. In Philly's Game 5 loss, it was limited to just 88 points, with Joel Embiid scoring a team-high 20 points while James Harden scored just 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
MORE: Raptors extend series with dominant Game 5 win over 76ers
When Embiid was asked about Harden attempting just 11 shots in a crucial game, the All-Star center didn't hold back in his response.
"I've been saying all season since he got here, (Harden) needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself," Embiid told reporters.
"That's not really my job, that's probably on coach to talk to him and tell him to take more shots," the MVP finalist continued. "Especially if they're going to guard me the way they've been guarding. But that's really not my job."
Embiid on Harden only taking 11 shots: "I've been saying all season since he got here, he needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself. That's not really my job, that's probably on coach to talk to him and tell him to take more shots"
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) April 26, 2022
Full quote: pic.twitter.com/vc5WIpROLO
While they lack a traditional center that can match Embiid's size, the Raptors have employed double and triple teams to get the ball out of the big man's hands. Embiid's response indicates that he feels Harden should be taking advantage of these coverages and that head coach Doc Rivers should be telling the star guard to take advantage of Toronto's defense.
MORE: Joel Embiid is playing through torn ligament in right thumb
In 21 regular-season games with the Sixers, Harden averaged 21.0 points on 13.6 shot attempts per game. Through the first five games of the first-round series with the Raptors, Harden is averaging 18.4 points per game and is shooting 37.3 percent from the field on 13.4 shot attempts per game, but he attempted just nine shots in Game 2 and 11 shots in Game 5.
Embiid made sure to take accountability as well, adding that "we all need to be better offensively. We missed a bunch of wide-open shots … we just kept moving the ball around the perimeter, and that gave them time to recover, and that's why we were not able to get anything out of it."
Sixers get it to Embiid in the middle of the floor again and you can see the mindset. Harris is cutting, Siakam is still looking to hold/double. Finds him for the layup but it doesn't go. pic.twitter.com/crNhIPbhUi
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 26, 2022
As the series shifts back to Toronto, the pressure mounts for the 76ers, who now only hold a 3-2 series lead.
No team in NBA history has overcome a 3-0 series deficit, but with their daring defensive coverages, the Raptors look to become the first.
Game 6 is set for Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
