So, it’s settled! After the inaugural play-in tournament, the Washington Wizards have secured the 8^th seed and a first-round date with the 76ers. The Wizards initially played in the first play-in game vs. the Boston Celtics to determine who the 7^th seed would be. They lost that game 118-100 with Jayson Tatum going off for 50 points. They then had to play the Indiana Pacers, who won their match up with the Charlotte Hornets, for the rights to the 8^th seed. The game between the Wiz and the Pacers was competitive in the early stages but, became a blow out in Washington’s favor.

Both teams come into this series relatively hot. The Sixers have won 8 of their last 10, while the Wiz have won 8 of their last 12. The Sixers won the season series 3-0 dominating the most recent matchup in Washington in the game Joel Embiid hyperextended his left knee. Some of the earlier season matchups were closer and there was even a game where the Sixers had to overcome a 60-point performance from Bradley Beal. In this series I would expect to see Doc stick with some of the same matchups that he went with in the regular season on the defensive end. Although Beal scored 60 when Green was the primary defender, I believe there will be a combination of Green and Thybulle guarding him. I believe Simmons will be tasked to guard Russell Westbrook. When matched up with Westbrook this season, Simmons caused him to shoot 7-18, with 10 assist and 5 turnovers. I think we will see him start out on Westbrook and switch to Beal when needed. I don’t think Doc wants to show his hand early in the series when guarding Beal.

Offensively, the Sixers shouldn’t have any problems with the Wizards. They are ranked in the bottom half of the league in point allowed and defensive efficiency. Joel Embiid should be able to dominate his match up of either Alex Len or Daniel Gafford. Tobias Harris should be able to score against his match ups as well. I think the X-Factors on how quickly the Sixers dispatch of the Wizards depend on two things. The first x-factor is how well Seth Curry shoots. Joel Embiid will see double teams and the ball will get swung to the perimeter. If Seth hits his shots consistently, it will open up the floor for Joel to work. The second x-factor will be the play of Davis Bertans. He has torched the Sixers historically but this year, not so much. If Tobias Harris can defend him relatively well and take away his spacing for Westbrook and Beal, they can dispatch of this group particularly fast.

Ultimately, I believe the Sixers will win this series in 5 games and move on to the second round. I think there will be a few close games, but the talent level and defensive intensity of the Sixers should be enough to end this series early. Game 1 is this Sunday at 1PM, see you guys at the Center!

With the playoffs right around the corner, the Sixers have just about locked up the top spot in the Eastern Conference. With the new play-in format to secure the 7^th and 8^th seeds, the Sixers don’t know who they will face first. With teams still shuffling between 4^th and 8^th in the Eastern conference and the results of the play-in tournament not determined, the Sixers will have to wait to do their homework on it’s first-round opponent. With that being said, we have ranked the teams the Sixers may face in the first round from “cake walk” to “I’m nervous”.

6. Charlotte Hornets

The Sixers have dominated the Charlotte Hornets for the last few years, no matter who has been on the Hornets’ roster. The Sixers have won 13 straight games against this team, and I don’t think the Hornets would give this team any problem. They still don’t have anyone who can stop Joel from dominating every game against this team. Embiid would probably average 30 plus points per game and would lead the Sixers to a series sweep. Charlotte has a really promising future with their back court, especially Lamelo Ball and Terry Rozier, but Kemba Walker isn’t walking through that door.

5. The Boston Celtics

The Celtics have had the Sixers’ number since the run to the playoffs in 2018 and swept the Sixers out of the playoffs last season in the bubble. How poetic would it be for the Sixers to do the same to this year’s Celtics squad. Jaylen Brown is out due to season ending surgery. There is no big on the roster that could guard Embiid as he has dominated every matchup this season. Tatum would have to go off every game for this to be a competitive series, but it just wouldn’t be enough. Out of respect for the Celtics, I would give them the ability to get one game in the series and lose the series 4-1. The Celtics and their fans (Hello Bill Simmons 😊) want to be put out of their miseries from this underachieving season.

4. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are pesky and could cause some slight problems for the Sixers. The Pacers stopped the squad from clinching the top seed on Tuesday night. The Pacers have some major injuries in their front court and would have trouble stopping the Big Fella. This team hustles and launches a ton of 3-pointers, which would keep them in games. They would be more annoying than scary. With a few close games, I see this series possibly being a gentleman’s sweep.

3. Washinton Wizards

The Wizards have hit their stride at the right time this season, pushing for the 10^th or 9^th spot in the play-in tournament. This team fought from the 12^th spot in the East to get to where they are now. A team with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook can cause headaches for this team on the defensive end. But the good thing is the Wizards don’t believe in defense at all, so the Sixers could have their fair share of points they would score. With the recent history of the Sixers not winning too often in D.C., I could see the Wizards maybe winning a game. With two superstars like Westbrook and Beal, they could make things tough to solidify a complete sweep.

2. New York Knicks

Who thought we would be talking about the Knicks as a potential playoff opponent AND being a team that could bring the Sixers some trouble? The Knicks’ defense is great and Juluis Randle has been playing like a star all season. I think this team could get a win at home against the Sixers but that is about it. They do not score enough offensively and would not be able to contain Embiid or Harris. The reason they are high on this list because their physicality. The Sixers would win this series but be left a little beat down after, which could affect how they play in the next round.

1. Miami Heat

They have come back from the dead for Jimmy Butler to try to haunt the Sixers. This team is a good defensive team and could cause problems schematically for the Sixers. Erik Spolestra is a great coach, but I think a little overrated. Everyone in Philly wants to avoid playing the Heat in the playoffs, but we will face them at some point. Yes, it would be a challenging and competitive series, but the Sixers would pull out a win in 6 games. I am confident about that. All I have to say to everyone about being scared of the Heat, IF YOU SCARED GET A DOG!!!

This past Saturday night, the 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons 118-104 to win their 8^th straight game and inch closer to clinching the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The “magic” number is down to 2 for the Sixers to clinch first place. That means the Sixers need to win 2 more games to secure the best record in the East, something they have been striving for since the season began.

During this 8- game winning streak, the Sixers handled business and beat the lesser teams, as they should have. They won their first 3 games by a combined 97 points with the starters mostly resting the entire 4^th quarter. They had a few hiccups on the streak as well, having to gut out victories against the San Antionio Spurs and an undermanned New Orleans Pelicans squad.

With the Sixers trying to pull away from the Bucks and Nets for the top spot in the East, Ben Simmons returned from injury to help push the pace and get this team back on track while Joel Embiid continued to dominate like an MVP front runner. If this team can get 2 more wins or a combination of losses from the Bucks and Nets, the Sixers can begin to rest their starters during the remaining 4 games. I do know that the Sixers will not rest any starter until first place is locked up.

Here are some quick thoughts from the last few games and what I expect from this team going forward:

• Ben Simmons has an official game winner on his resume. His tip in with no time remaining against the Spurs helped the Sixers pull out a victory.
• It looks like Ben Simmons may have pulled in front of Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year officially. The NBA released its DPOY ladder and Simmons was ranked first with a week to go.
• Speaking of defense, Matisse Thybulle should be first team All-Defense. He wreaks havoc on defense while he is on the floor. He is really a difference maker and will be a major key for the Sixers moving forward in the playoffs.
• The Sixer’s bench has had its ups and downs this season and the last 8 games have been a microcosm of this. All season, Doc has the tendency to play all bench lineups and I don’t think that is something he can stick to in the playoffs. There needs to be 1-2 starters in with members of the bench. Doc may be able to get away with this in the first round, but not so much as the opponents get better.
• The Sixers’ remaining schedule includes games at the Pacers and Heat and at home against the Magic (twice). I think the Sixers can win out, but it depends on what else is happening around the league and if the starters can rest.
• With the play-in tournament, the Sixers still have no idea who they will face in the first round of the playoffs. They can realistically play the Hawks, Heat, Celtics, Hornets, Wizards, or Pacers. Stay tuned this week on my rankings on who the Sixers would least like to face in the first round.
• Tyrese Maxey has been playing really well and I can see Doc using him in the playoffs if the second unit needs a spark.

As the playoffs draw closer, we get closer to what this team has worked for all year. I have one thing to say to all the fans out there. The playoffs will not be easy, but this team believes they have what it takes to win it all. We have to ride with them until the wheels fall off. “If you scared, get a dog”.