The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Naturally, there is an extra layer of intrigue surrounding this matchup due to the uncertainty around Joel Embiid’s health. The Sixers are favorites, but Atlanta is capable of pushing them.
The Sixers defeated the Washington Wizards in five games to advance, while the Hawks ousted the New York Knicks, also in five games. Philadelphia has home-court advantage, and furthermore, the advantage of a full-capacity crowd, which factored into the team’s resilient Game 5 win over Washington.
Recently, the NBA released a primitive outline of the series schedule.
Sixers vs. Hawks second round TV schedule
- Game 1 — Wells Fargo Center — Sunday // June 6 // 1 PM E.T. — ABC
- Game 2 — Wells Fargo Center — Tuesday // June 8 // 7:30 PM E.T. — TNT
- Game 3 — State Farm Arena — Friday // June 11 // 7:30 PM E.T. — ESPN
- Game 4 — State Farm Arena — Monday // June 14 // TBD — TNT
- Game 5* — Wells Fargo Center — Wednesday // June 16 // TBD — TNT
- Game 6* — State Farm Arena — Friday // June 18 // TBD — ESPN
- Game 7* — Wells Fargo Center — Sunday // June 20 // TBD — TBD
* if necessary
Of note is the extra day of rest between games two and three, as well as three and four. That could prove important if Embiid needs substantial treatment or is forced to miss time early in the series. Philadelphia’s chances hinge largely on Embiid’s availability. If he’s on the floor and in good shape, Atlanta is operating at a severe disadvantage.
The Hawks are a fun team, and this should be an exciting series. Trae Young has embraced the villain label after his first-round masterclass in New York, while Philadelphia is looking for its first conference finals trip in the Embiid-Simmons era. This is a battle of two high-level coaches in Doc Rivers and Nate McMillan, with more than enough offensive firepower to keep eyeballs on the screen.
The fun starts on Sunday!