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Sixers’ Game 7 against the Raptors will be the biggest one of The Process era, for better or worse

The Sixers hope to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. The Raptors, meanwhile, look to make their second trip in four seasons. It’s right there for the taking for one of them.

Joel Embiid of the Sixers as he shoots around at the start of practice on May 11, 2019.  The Sixers are preparing for game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Joel Embiid of the Sixers as he shoots around at the start of practice on May 11, 2019. The Sixers are preparing for game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

TORONTO – Here we are.

Game 7 tips off at 7 p.m. Sunday at Scotiabank Arena, 15 days after the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the 76ers and Toronto Raptors began. It’s seven days after the Sixers missed out on taking a commanding 3-1 lead, and three after avoiding elimination.

This series had turns and flips and suddenly here we are, winner takes all.

The Sixers hope to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. The Raptors, meanwhile, look to make their second trip in four seasons. It’s right there for the taking for one of them.

They’ve had two days to rest. Defensively, that’s a good thing because Game 7′s are often high intensity, pressure-packed contests.

Sixers reserve Mike Scott is fully aware. As a second-year player with the Atlanta Hawks, he participated in a Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers.

“It’s chippier,” he said of Game 7′s.

He mentioned the crowd and having to cherish each possession and taking care of the ball. In addition to making shots, there’s often a physicality one plays while trying to win a Game 7.

In his lone Game 7, Scott’s squad suffered a 92-80 setback. The Hawks had a commanding 3-2 series lead heading back to Atlanta for Game 6. After losing, the Hawks knew it would be tough to beat the Pacers in Game 7 -- in Indianapolis.

“Now, I feel [more] confident," he said about his new team. “I feel good and I like our chances.”

Scott likes the Sixers’ chances because they move and share the ball.

“We can beat them,” he said. “We showed that we can beat them here [in Toronto] on this floor already. So I feel good.”

But it’s hard to overlook the current players’ lack of experience in Game 7′s.

The Raptors have 21 combined-games experience in Game 7′s on their roster, compared to nine by the Sixers. Scott is 0-1, JJ Redick is 3-2, Amir Johnson is 1-1, and Jimmy Butler is 0-1.

Scott had some wisdom to share after some of his young teammates asked him about playing in a winner-take-all game.

“I just told them, ‘We got to man up, grow some [fortitude]," he said. "You know it’s going to be hostile. It’s going to be a hostile environment. Take care of the ball, make sound decisions, and it’s going to be tough.

“But [the Raptors] are worried, too. I know they’re worried.”

The Sixers dominated Toronto in Game 6, leading by as many as 24 points en route to a 112-101 win.

Butler paced them with 25 points. Ben Simmons had his best performance of the series, finishing with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting. He also had eight rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers.

Joel Embiid, who appears to be over his upper respiratory infection, had 17 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. He graded out a game-high plus-40.

Tobias Harris (16 points), Redick (11), and Scott (11) were the other double-digit scorers.

Raptors star Kawhi Leonard finished with a game-high 29 points.

“I think we’re all excited, anxious to play,” Harris said of Game 7. "We understand, obviously, being here again and playing here.

“We have to bring our own energy, and we got to pick each other up and embrace one another and have confidence in our team in what we are going to do.”

Coach Brett Brown knows what to expect.

As a Spurs assistant coach, he participated in two Game 7′s in the NBA Finals, in addition to a Western Conference Finals Game 7 and he’s also been there in the conference semifinals.

He watched the tape of fourth quarters of a couple of NBA Finals series deciders on Friday night.

“Everything is just zoomed in,” he said. “It’s just raw. It always gets back to my opinion, defense. There will be no like ‘That’s a great shot.’ Everything’s contested. A lot of times, you just hope to get a shot."

There’s a heightened sense of urgency in Game 7. And, Brown says, there’s an incremental increase as the clock winds down.