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NBA playoff history says the Sixers will have a hard time coming back down 3-2 to Raptors

What does the history of teams going down 3-2 tell us about the Sixers' current situation against the Raptors?

Tobias Harris struggles to maintain possession against the Raptors' Pascal Siakam.
Tobias Harris struggles to maintain possession against the Raptors' Pascal Siakam.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
    by EJ Smith
    Published 

The 76ers head back to Philadelphia after a blowout loss to the Raptors Tuesday night with a tall task ahead of them.

The 125-89 blowout put the Sixers behind in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup 3-2. They now have to hope they can force a Game 7 back in Toronto. But the history of the NBA playoff series featuring a team winning a Game 5 for a 3-2 lead is ominous for Joel Embiid and his teammates.

Since 1984, when the current playoff format started, teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 series in the semifinals eventually advance to the conference finals 86.8 percent of the time (46 of 53 teams).

In all rounds since in NBA playoff history, the team snapping a 2-2 tie wins the series 82.4 percent of the time (168 out of 204 teams).

The most recent team to overcome the daunting odds was the Cavaliers in last year’s Eastern Conference final, beating the Celtics after falling, 3-2, in the series. The Cavs went on to lose to the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals.

The Cavs also overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Warriors in 2016, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Celtics after falling behind 3-2 in the 2010 NBA Finals.

The Sixers will likely need more from their two All-Stars, Ben Simmons and Embiid combined for 13 turnovers and just 20 points.

Game 6 will be Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center at 8 p.m.