Raptors vs. Cavaliers: Keys to Game 6

In one of the biggest games in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors were humiliated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 116-78 defeat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final on Wednesday night.

By halftime, the game was already over as the Cavaliers led by an NBA conference finals record 34 points.

The devastating loss put Toronto on the brink of elimination, but the Raptors still have a chance to even the series and send it back to Cleveland for a deciding seventh game on Sunday with a victory in Game 6 on Friday night (8:30 p.m. ET).

Tonight's game will take place in the friendly confines of the Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors are 8-2 in the playoffs, including 2-0 against Cleveland, and will have the support of 19,800 fans.

The Raptors were counted out by basketball pundits after lopsided losses in Games 1 and 2, and fought back to tie the series at home. Who's to say they won't do it again? 

Here are the keys to Game 6:

Star power

In the two home wins against the Cavs, the Raptors averaged 102 points on 48 per cent shooting. Toronto's offence relies heavily on its guard play as DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are averaging a combined 59.5 points per game on 58 per cent shooting at the ACC in the playoffs.

If the Raptors are to have any chance, DeRozan and Lowry will need to play like all-stars in order to open up opportunities for their teammates. 

Get J.V. going

Jonas Valanciunas was one of the league's more efficient players in the regular season as he shot 56.5 per cent from the field, good for sixth in the league. Whether head coach Dwayne Casey chooses to start the young Lithuanian centre, who recently returned from an ankle injury, is his call. But without doubt, his squad will need to get its big man some touches.

Feed off Biz

Bismack Biyombo, the six-foot-nine centre from the Democratic Republic of Congo, plays bigger than his height. Biyombo's mere presence in the lane and shot-blocking ability (ask LeBron James) has forced the Cavs away from attack mode and toward becoming more of a jump-shooting team. In Games 3 and 4, Biyombo blocked a combined seven shots.

While Biyombo isn't the offensive threat that Valanciunas is, he makes up for it on the glass. In Games 3 and 4, the former seventh overall pick averaged 20 rebounds and 5.5 offensive rebounds. 

The ability to give your team second chances is invaluable and doesn't go unnoticed by teammates. "He gives us that confidence. He gives us that rim protection… we feed off of that energy," said Lowry after Game 3.

Limit turnovers

The Raptors have done a great job at home of taking care of the basketball. In this series, the team is averaging 9.5 turnovers per game, which is less than its regular-season mark of 12.3, tied for sixth-fewest in the league. 

At the Air Canada Centre, opponents are scoring 13 points per game off those turnovers. It has been a different story in the Raptors' three losses on the road. At "the Q" in Cleveland, Toronto has turned over the ball an average of 15 times per game, leading to almost 20 points per game off those turnovers.

Attack the paint

The battle in the key has been as Jekyll and Hyde as the rest of the key stats in the series, with the home team gaining the edge in each victory. The Cavs have outscored the Raptors in the paint by a combined 56 points in three games at Quicken Loans Arena. The trend didn't change north of the border as the Raptors outscored the Cavs in the paint by a combined 24 points.

The Raptors need to be aggressive and attack the paint because the Cavs don't really have a true rim protector as Tristan Thompson is averaging less than a block per game in the Eastern Conference final. 

Lowry and DeRozan have the ability to finish at the rim — DeRozan is a career 63 per cent shooter within three feet while Lowry is a career 58 per cent shooter from the same distance. If both guards continue to drive to the rim, the Raptors may have more open looks from the perimeter. 

Valanciunas's return gives the Raptors another interior offensive option. Prior to his injury, the former fifth overall pick was playing the best basketball of his career with playoff averages of 14.5 points and 11 rebounds per game on 56.5 per cent shooting. He dominated opposing big men in the paint throughout the first two rounds, shooting 63 per cent on field goal attempts within three feet and 48 per cent from three to 10 feet.