It's the only literal must-win game of the season tonight. Here are three questions to ask yourselves as you're watching the Sixers take on the Raptors in Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center.
Is Joel Embiid smiling?
It seems simple, right? But if you watch back the last two games, there is one thing you will not see: the Sixers' big man cracking a smile. Love it or hate it, it's how Embiid ticks. As the Sixers' "crown jewel" said after Game 5, he shouldn't care about what anyone else thinks, because it's what gets him going. Rocking the baby, shimmying, airplaning, staring down opponents, leave it all on the table in Game 6.
What's the first-quarter score?
Whether you think there's any validity to it, there's another interesting note that has remained true in this series. Whoever has won the first quarter has won the game. The Sixers finished the regular season as the top first-quarter-scoring team in the NBA (average of 30.8 points), while the Raptors came in to the postseason at 28.1, the middle of the pack. The Raptors, though, have maintained their average throughout this series, while the Sixers have seen their first-quarter advantage neutralized thanks to the Raptors' defense. So check that score at the end of the first quarter, it might lead us to the outcome.
How are the Raptors shooting from three?
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In the Sixers' two wins this series, the Raptors shot just 26.6 percent from three. In case you haven't heard a Brett Brown press conference, the Raptors were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA since their acquisition of Marc Gasol (41.0 percent). Running the Raptors off the three-point line and continuing to make the Raptors take contested threes will be crucial in tonight's game. (It's also why Brown has been so hesitant to show Kawhi Leonard a steady diet of double teams.)
If the Sixers have the right answers to those questions, they'll be heading to Toronto for a Game 7!
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