The Philadelphia 76ers will battle the Atlanta Hawks as slim favorites in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. A lot is riding on the health status of Joel Embiid, who tore his meniscus in the first round and is listed, somewhat ambiguously, as day-to-day. He could single-handedly determine the outcome of this series.
Regardless of how you slice it, there are several intriguing — and important — matchups across the board. Atlanta is a big step up in competition from Washington, and the Sixers’ elite defense will be tested in all new ways. The Hawks have found success against Philadelphia in the past.
Here are the five most notable matchups to keep an eye on.
Sixers-Hawks key matchups to watch: Seth Curry vs. ???
How Doc Rivers approaches the starting five matchups will be fascinating. On one hand, it makes sense to match your best defender against the opposition’s best player. The only complication, however, is that even Ben Simmons will struggle with Trae Young’s quick, slippery nature. If you shift Simmons to Bogdan Bogdanovic, however, then you’re stuck with Curry on Young. He can chase Young around screens, but not ideal.
In the end, Curry will face either Young or Bogdanovic, with Danny Green — who struggles fighting over screens — guarding the most traditional wing in DeAndre Hunter. If Curry is on Young, it will be fascinating how far effort and determination will carry him. Plus, how does such a tiresome defensive assignment impact his shooting? He has struggled with conditioning in lieu of COVID all season.
If it’s Bogdanovic, then Curry is at a size disadvantage and will still need to spend a lot of time moving around. Bogdanovic has been one of the NBA’s premier snipers this season, and he’s not incapable of creating his own offense either. The alternative is planting Curry on 6-foot-7 Hunter, then hoping Green can stick it out with Bogdanovic.
Simply put, there’s not an ideal matchup for Curry. We may see more Matisse Thybulle and George Hill as a result.