The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers likely NBA Playoff opponents

By Bret Stuter

Markelle Fultz | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Markelle Fultz | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA,PA – MARCH 26 : Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers is greeted by Robert Covington #33 after the win ; giving Fultz a little shower against the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center on March 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers have guaranteed their appearance in the NBA playoffs. But if they played today, who would their likely opponents be?

The Philadelphia 76ers have climbed to a 45-30 record and have seven games remaining. For now, have played to the 4-seed of the NBA Eastern Conference. Still, they are just .5 games behind 3-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, and just .5 games ahead of the 5-seed Indiana Pacers. Complicating the matter is the recent injury to star center Joel Embiid.  Can the Philadelphia 76ers sustain their place?

Well, the team has seven remaining games to play. If they win 5 of the last seven, they will end the season at 50-32. That’s far better than anyone had expected. So if the playoffs started today, who would the Philadelphia 76ers face? Could they advance? And if they did advance, who would they face? In short, which teams will the Philadelphia 76ers face each round of the playoffs if they move ahead to the next round?

NBA Bracketology

The Philadelphia 76ers, currently as a 4-seed, has this path in the NBA Playoffs Bracketology:
Best of seven series against the 5-seed team (Indiana Pacers). Advancing to round two, the 76ers next face the winner of the 1-seed (Toronto Raptors) versus the 8-seed (Milwaukee Bucks).

That  winner then advances to face the winners of the 3-seed (Cleveland Cavaliers) versus 6-seed (Washington Wizards) and the 2-seed (Boston Celtics) versus the 7-seed (Miami Heat). The winner of that series goes on to face the winner of the NBA Western Conference in the NBA Championship. So lets break down the most likely opponent for each best-of-seven series.