It’s nothing if not cinematic: eventual Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard barely gets a baseline jumper over the outstretched arm of Sixers deity Joel Embiid as time expires in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Then, they wait. Leonard, Embiid, a trailing Ben Simmons — they all stand and look at the basket. The hard-fought series has resulted in this: a 90s-style defensive slugfest that will either head to overtime or send the Raptors to Milwaukee, hinging on the fate of this one shot. The characters in this epic stare as the ball caroms not once, but four times, before falling through the net and sending an entire country into an earthquake of jubilation.
The Retooled Sixers and their Pursuit of Vengeance
