Sixers’ second-worst matchup: Atlanta Hawks
Sixers record against Atlanta: (2-1)
January 11th @ Atlanta (L) 94-112
April 28th vs Atlanta (W) 127-83
April 30th vs Atlanta (W) 126-104
The only team on this list to actually beat the Sixers this season! This is one of the weirder matchups to judge amongst the possible play-in teams because these two teams were never really healthy when they played. In their first meeting in January, the Sixers were getting devastated by the health and safety protocols, badly enough that Dakota Mathias started (and played 39 minutes!!) in one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ worst losses of the season. For the next two meetings, the Hawks were the unhealthy ones, missing Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kevin Huerter. Neither contest was close.
The main reason the Hawks are one of the tougher matches for the Sixers is because of Clint Capela. While no one can really stop Joel Embiid at this point, Clint Capela is one of the best paint protectors in the league and has done a pretty good job of slowing Embiid down in the past. The Hawks also have two really high level scoring forwards in John Collins and Danilo Gallinari, so Tobias Harris is going to have a tough matchup on his hands. Although his defense has greatly improved this year, he’s still not exactly an elite defender and could struggle in this series.
If these two teams can stay healthy for a series it should be extremely entertaining, with the stout Sixers defense facing off against one of the most potent offensive teams in the league. Sixers in five.
Sixers’ worst possible matchup: Miami Heat
Sixers record against Miami: (2-0)
January 12 vs Mami (W) 137-134
January 14 vs Miami (W) 125-108
May 13th @ Miami
The Miami Heat are one of the least likely first round matchups, currently sitting at the sixth seed, but are also the most dangerous. While the 76ers have won both games against the Heat this year, neither was against a full strength (or even close to full strength) squad. The Heat were dealing with the health and safety protocols and missing Jimmy Butler and Bad Adebayo for both meetings, but still made the first game interesting. Joel Embiid had 45 and 16 but the Sixers needed a Dakota Mathias 3-pointer in overtime to win after Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey both fouled out.
This team would definitely present the toughest matchup for the Sixers. They’ve got extensive playoff experience, a winning pedigree, and a great head coach. They’ve also got one of the young premiere centers in the league, Bam Adebayo. Watching Embiid and Bam go back and forth for seven games would be a joy, but could cause some anxiety for Sixers fans expecting to waltz to the conference finals. Oh, and they have a former Sixer named Jimmy Butler who may or may not have beef with Ben Simmons if the rumors are true.
While this would certainly make for the most entertaining first round series, it’s probably the one the Sixers are hoping doesn’t happen after seeing Miami knock out some great teams in last year’s playoffs. The Sixers should still win the series, but it probably won’t be easy.