The 76ers has forced a Game 7.
Philadelphia defeated Toronto, 112-101, in Game 6 on Thursday and earned a chance to go back to Canada to fight for the right to play the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.
This is a game the 76ers came out expecting to win and one player especially made sure to make that happen.
Here are three takeaways from the 76ers' win over the Raptors in Game 6
1. Jimmy Butler decided the 76ers wouldn't lose
There are certain players in the NBA who can will their teams to wins no matter how his counterparts are playing. Jimmy Butler can often be one of those guys and he was just that in Game 6.
While Butler didn't go off for 50 points or completely shut down Kawhi Leonard, he closed out the first half with a flurry of buckets, which gave Philadelphia a 15-point lead going into the half and completely set the tone for the final 24 minutes.
He finished with 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists, but his energy was palpable in the win on Thursday. If he shows up and plays with that same kind of intensity in Game 7, the 76ers will win this series.
2. Why would Kawhi Leonard re-sign with the Raptors?
We are legitimately asking this question — why would Leonard re-sign with the Raptors after watching the way this series has gone?
Leonard has been his typical otherworldly self in these games, averaging 29 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, but his teammates have been AWOL for much of the time.
Kyle Lowry — the Raptors' $33-million man — has been particularly suspect throughout the playoffs as he was averaging 12.6 points on 42.1 percent shooting (28 percent from the 3-point line) coming into Thursday's game.
In Game 6, the Raptors got 23 points off the bench — and a good portion of that (nine points) came from Serge Ibaka — while the rest came in garbage time.
If Leonard isn't going to get support in Toronto, there isn't much incentive for him to come back, so honestly why would he?
3. A significant number
In basketball, people always like to talk about how things players do doesn't show up on the scoresheet. Joel Embiid isn't typically one of those players as he is one of the most productive big men in basketball. In Game 6, however, his game was about what he did that most people won't see.
While he's not 100 percent, he controlled the paint for much of the game as Philadelphia dominated the game in points scored there. His defense also proved especially disruptive all over the floor.
He had a good night points-wise, but where his worth truly showed up was in his plus-minus. He finished the night plus-40, which was 11 points more than any other player and 25 more than any other starter. And this came on a night where he scored just 15 points and added 12 rebounds.
Embiid was great in Game 6, even if he might now have appeared to have been at his most productive.
Comments
SHARE