Philadelphia 76ers: A look at possible first round playoff opponents
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Here’s a look at possible first-round opponents.
If the season is officially over, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently locked at the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. If they can put together a winning streak if the season resumes, then moving up in the standings shouldn’t be a problem.
They won their last game against the Detroit Pistons in Joel Embiid‘s return, but Ben Simmons is still out. Simmons has proved to be harder to replace than Embiid, but having Embiid back makes things a little easier.
The much-needed efforts of Shake Milton and Tobias Harris were not enough in Embiid’s absence as they dropped three of their last four games on their west coast road trip.
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The Golden State Warriors game was a nail biter that ended in disappointment as the Sixers unexpectedly dropped that game. That was even without Steph Curry who was out with the flu.
Before the injuries of Embiid and Simmons, the goal was to try to move into the fourth spot in the standings so they can get home court in at least the first round.
That may not be possible with the season probably being over, and the Sixers would most likely be not able to win enough games anyway. The Indiana Pacers have been able to keep pace with them, and the fourth spot looks out of reach.
Right now, where the Sixers are in the standings, they would have to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They wouldn’t have a home-court advantage.
The Celtics have already clinched a playoff spot. The Sixers have played well against the Celtics though. They are 3-1 in the regular season against Boston in the regular-season series this year.
Philadelphia matches up well against the Celtics as their size, and their talent creates matchup problems.
If the season resumes, the Sixers could try to make a move for the fifth spot. If they get the fifth spot, that could lead to a matchup in the first round against the Miami Heat.
Facing off against Jimmy Butler would be an interesting matchup. The Sixers won one game earlier in the season, but they lost the next three.
The Heat, after that first game, were able to figure out the Sixers. The Sixers would definitely see the zone that gave them problems during the regular season. Philadelphia would most likely not move higher than the fifth seed if the season resumes anyway.
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The Philadelphia 76ers are fine where they are in the standings right now as they match up better against the Boston Celtics.