Six keys to a Sixers win in Game 6

Apr 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) in the second half during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images The Sixers will kick off Game 6 tonight in Philadelphia in a few hours. The odds of the Sixers coming all the way back from 3-1 down are … decidedly not great.

Boston has won all 32 playoff series when they jump out to a 3-1 lead. The Sixers, by contrast, have not come all the way back in a single one of the 18 series when they’ve found themselves in a 3-1 hole. Even still, the circumstances in this one are a little bit unique.

The Sixers were down in the series, in part, because their best player was missing for the first half of the series while recovering from an emergency appendectomy. The Celtics, for their part, aren’t the Boston Celtics of prior years, having gutted some key depth pieces to get under the luxury tax in what many thought would be a gap year for the perennial contenders following Jayson Tatum rupturing his Achilles last spring. All of which is to say that the task, while difficult, isn’t quite as daunting as 32-0 would suggest.

I would still make the Celtics the heavy favorites, but the Sixers have a chance to make things really interesting tonight. Here are 6 thoughts/tidbits which could be key to tonight’s game. Boston has been a great road team under Mazzulla Over the course of Mazzulla’s four seasons in Boston, the Celtics actually have a better record on the road in the playoffs (17-7, 70.