No team in NBA history has ever lost a playoff series after leading 3-0, but momentum suggests the Philadelphia 76ers could be the first.
Joel Embiid's injured right thumb is clearly affecting his play. James Harden still looks at least a half step slow. The Toronto Raptors are younger, fresher and deeper, readily exploiting their athleticism and versatility advantages now after a rough start to the first round. There's still an outside chance Fred VanVleet returns from the hip injury that kept him out of Toronto's 103-88 victory in Game 5, too.
Making matters even more dire for Philadelphia? This series shifts back north for Game 6, just one of the many reasons Sixers legend Charles Barkley virtually guaranteed another Raptors victory.
@tsn Charles Barkley says the Sixers have “no chance of winning” Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday. Do you agree with him? 👀 (🎥: @NBA on TNT)
It's tough to argue with Barkley's decisiveness.
After Philadelphia ran over Toronto in Games 1 and 2, it seemed like a series many expected could be among the first-round's most competitive would be finished in short order. Embiid's injury and the Raptors' much-improved approach on both sides of the ball changed everything, though. Just imagine where the Sixers would be if Embiid's buzzer-beating triple to win Game 3 had been off the mark.
Philadelphia could meet that same likely fate anyway, ending up on the wrong side of history by losing four straight to Toronto—prompting even more offseason drama and hand-wringing for a franchise that just can't seem to avoid it.
Game 6 tips off on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. (PST).
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