Philadelphia 76ers: It doesn’t matter who’s their first round opponent
The regular season is over and the Philadelphia 76ers are the first seed in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time this has happened since 2001 when Allen Iverson led the Sixers to the NBA Finals. There’s a chance that the 76ers could end up back in the finals again this year, but they still have the take the first step and beat their first round opponent.
Who their opponent will be is yet to be determined due to the play-in tournament. The top teams in the Western Conference are worried about who comes out of the play-in tournament between the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs. However, the Sixers shouldn’t have any concerns regarding the East’s play-in tournament this postseason.
It shouldn’t matter for the Philadelphia 76ers who they face in the first round.
The four teams in the play-in tournament in the East are the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Charlotte Hornets. While each team has some talented players, none are a legit threat to push Philly in a seven-game series.
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Despite the Celtics sweeping the Sixers in the playoffs last season, the teams have switched fortunes. Like the 76ers last year, Boston now has a poorly constructed roster, while their second best player (Jaylen Brown) will miss the playoffs, and their head coach appears to be on the hot seat.
The Wizards have a dynamic duo at the guard positions in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. While this duo and team could possibly make for an interesting first round matchup, the Washington lack of depth outside of those two and Rui Hachimura. Without quality role players, they won’t make it very far in a series against Philly.
If the Indiana Pacers were healthier and had a better head coach who appears on his way out, then they may have a shot of making an interesting first round opponent for the Sixers. However, that’s not the case and the Pacers are struggling in some major ways this year and could see changes this offseason.
There’s no doubt that the Charlotte Hornets are one of the young exciting teams in the NBA. However, that youth will show up in the playoffs in a negative manner this postseason. Outside of Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier, there aren’t many big-time role players on that team that has any meaningful playoff experience. Against a seasoned team like the Sixers, it’s going to be hard for the Hornets to be competitive in a series.
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In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t worry about who they are facing in the first round as none of their opponent present them with a legit challenge.