Sixers: 3 storylines to watch in final regular season games

Sixers storyline to watch: Who gets the 4/5 seeds

The Sixers will be heavily favored in the first round against whichever team gets the No. 8 (or, in the worst-case scenario, No. 7) seed. The likes of Boston, Charlotte, Indiana, Washington, and Chicago populate that conversation, but none of those teams are equipped to handle the record-wise best team in the East.

The No. 4 seed, however, could pose a slightly more interesting set of challenges. Three teams are vying for two spots right now, with Atlanta (40-31), Miami (39-31), and New York (39-31) currently fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

The most favorable outcome would be Atlanta and New York in the 4/5 spots. While you can only take so much away from a possibly meaningless late-season stinker, Miami’s dominant win Thursday night does hint at potential issues in a seven-game series. The Heat held Joel Embiid, a potential MVP, to six points. Excellent team defense and some tricky individual matchups — not to mention the general discomfort of facing Jimmy Butler seven times in a row — should make Sixer fans eager to avoid the Heat.

The Hawks and Knicks are both solid teams, and New York’s physicality would certainly make life hell for four to seven games. In the end, however, that’s preferable to the experience and star-power on Miami’s roster, even if the Sixers would be heavy favorites regardless.