Marc Gasol is giving Joel Embiid the Nik Vucevic treatment

TORONTO — It’s damn near impossible to win in the playoffs if your leading scorer can’t get his points. Toronto Raptors fans know this all too well.

Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, and Kyle Lowry each had their moments in the first round against the Orlando Magic, but the unsung hero was Marc Gasol. He didn’t put up massive numbers, but Gasol completely neutralized Orlando’s best player.

Nikola Vucevic went from leading the Magic with 21 points and 12 rebounds on 53 percent shooting in his breakout all-star campaign, to being a clear minus on defense while scoring 11 points on 36 percent shooting. And without their leading man, the Magic went from being average on offense to not even sniffing 100 points.

It’s early, but the same effect might be playing out with Joel Embiid. To be clear, Embiid is classes above Vucevic in terms of ability, but could you really tell the difference in Game 1? Embiid shot 5-of-18 from the field, and his 16 points actually represented a career-high in six meetings against Gasol.

Here are his previous outings: 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 14 points on 4-of-10, 15 points on 5-of-13, 15 points on 4-of-13, and 14 points on 5-of-14. Gasol literally schooled Embiid so bad that he pulled a Tim Duncan by texting Embiid tips on how he can improve. Evidently, more tough lessons are needed.

“I can’t exactly remember but I think one of my first games against him I did something and then he told me that I should (have) done this. I think that was my first or second game against him,” Embiid recalled before Game 1.

If you break it down even further, Embiid actually scored 11 of his 16 with Gasol on the bench, which means he only managed five points during Gasol’s 26 minutes in Game 1. Embiid was able to manhandle Serge Ibaka in the post and capitalize by getting layups and free throws, but he was completely blanketed against Gasol.

The game plan for Embiid isn’t all that different from how the Raptors played Vucevic. Embiid can hoist as many jumpers as he wants, but he’s not getting anything easy in the paint. Gasol is making Embiid catch the ball farther out than he would normally like, cutting off his drives, boxing him out on the defensive glass, and keeping his arms straight up to contest so Embiid can’t get to the line. If Embiid does score, it will either be off a broken play, a long jumper, or a contested hook shot over a seven-footer, and the Raptors will live with that.

Gasol’s post defence is textbook mixed with bits of improvisational brilliance. He has all the physical tools to resist Embiid’s rampage, but pairs that with excellent positioning. The first time they matched up, Gasol forced Embiid to catch it at the three-point line, remained in position on the crossover, and stayed light on his feet to close out on the pull-up jumper. The second time, Gasol cut off Embiid’s roll to the rim, bodied up twice on the block, and even had the presence of mind to step in and eliminate the gap when Embiid went to the turnaround jumper so there was absolutely nowhere to go.

Embiid lives off post-ups because he either outsmarts or simply overwhelms his defender, but neither edge exists against Gasol. Embiid averaged 8.5 points per game out of post-ups this season — good for about a third of his scoring average — but he only produced four points on 12 attempts in Game 1. Philadelphia is dead in the water if this pattern continues.

That being said, it’s foolish to count out a great player like Embiid after just one game. Philadelphia will pore over the tape and invent new ways to give Embiid easier looks, and Embiid is versatile enough to still impact the game when his go-to move isn’t working. For example, the Sixers might look to get Embiid matched up more against Serge Ibaka at the start of the second and fourth quarters, while also getting Embiid attacking in space off pick-and-rolls and on dribble hand-offs.

Making those adjustments, however, is easier said than done.

Shifting more of Embiid’s minutes against Toronto’s second unit is a nice thought, but who’s holding down those shifts against the starters? Boban Marjanovic resembled a gargoyle in Game 1 and was benched for rookie Jonah Bolden by the second half. Extending Embiid’s minutes is also out of the question because he’s battling a persistent knee issue.

Getting Embiid moving in the pick-and-roll also seems easy, but does Philadelphia have the type of playmakers to feed him the ball? The Raptors would just go under on both Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler to deny the paint and dare either one to shoot from distance, while Tobias Harris mostly looks for his own shots off the high screen. Part of the reason Embiid spends so much time in the post is because the Sixers can’t feed him in other situations.

The Sixers are facing the same dilemma that the Magic encountered. Toronto was able to score through their first and second options in Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, whereas the opponent was forced into their Plan B because Gasol had shut off Plan A. And of course, Plan B against the Raptors usually involves attacking Leonard, Siakam, Lowry, or Danny Green, so good luck with that.

“You've got to give credit to Marc Gasol, he was the Defensive Player of the Year for a reason,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said.

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