Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers rings the bell prior to Game One of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Facing elimination in game six at home, the Sixers and their fans are desperate for a bell ringer who can help ignite the crowd to get some energy in the building early. Coming off back to back losses, the Sixers need a win to keep their season alive and force a game seven against the dangerous Raptors. Anything can happen in game seven and the Raptors will undoubtedly be coming out for the kill to try and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2016.
With such a huge home game, just who is going to be ringing the bell at the Sixers vs. Raptors game six?
Who Is Ringing the Bell Tonight at Sixers vs. Raptors Game 6?
UPDATE: Chris Long and Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles rang the Sixers bell.
🗣PHILLY ALREADY KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT UNDERDOGS
Chris Long and Lane Johnson rang the bell for the Sixers tonight to get Game 6 going.
While it has yet to be announced who exactly is ringing the bell before the Sixers vs. Raptors for game six, the Sixers will want to pull out all the stops as they face elimination at home. While the most important thing to the Sixers’ success is a healthy Joel Embiid, having a roaring home crowd behind them should help keep the energy level up when the Raptors inevitably make their run.
Rhys Hoskins, James Van Riemsdyk, and Carson Wentz rang the bell in game three while Charlie Manuel and Shane Victorino got the honors before game four. Given the theme of games in this series, it would be likely to expect the Sixers to stick with the trend of fan-favorite Philadelphia sports heroes. That said, the Sixers do have a strong history of drawing celebrity talent in to ring the bell, with big names like Meek Mill and Lil Dicky having been past bell ringers.
Sixers vs. Raptors Game 6 Preview
Coming off a tough game five loss, the Sixers have their backs up against the wall in game six as the Raptors have them staring down elimination. Joel Embiid has been battling a number of health issues throughout the playoffs and has been extremely ineffective in this series. It remains to be seen just exactly how healthy Embiid might be and the Sixers desperately need their big man to be healthy. When at (or near) 100% on the court, Embiid becomes a near unstoppable two-way force and a walking 20/10.
Unfortunately, his current state is far from 100% and Embiid has become a liability on the floor. Not scoring as efficient or at the same volume as he typically does along with being taken advantage of on defense, the Raptors beat up on the Sixers in game five with Embiid on the floor.
While Embiid has struggled to post the same offensive numbers he normally sees in the regular season, he had still been relatively effective on both sides of the ball prior to game five. If the Sixers want to survive against the Raptors, they need a healthy Joel Embiid as the mismatch he offers down low is their biggest advantage over Kawhi Leonard and company.