The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Sixers enter the series as betting favorites and the No. 1 seed, while Atlanta will play the part of the young upstart in search of an upset.
Several storylines loom large in this series — chief among them Joel Embiid‘s injury status. The MVP candidate suffered a small right meniscus tear in the Sixers’ first-round bout with Washington. If he cannot play or is in any way limited, it opens the door for a confident Hawks team.
In the first round, Atlanta defeated the New York Knicks in five games, with Trae Young averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists on 57.4 percent true shooting in his first career playoff series. Atlanta is one of the deepest teams in the NBA, with a balanced starting five and several high-impact offensive players in the second unit.
The offseason acquisitions of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, last season’s trade for Clint Capela, and the mid-season move to Nate McMillan as head coach, have transformed Atlanta from pretenders to contenders. The Hawks may be a season or two away from making major noise, but with uncertainty around Embiid’s knee, the Sixers have a slim margin for error.
Philadelphia had no trouble ousting Washington in the first round. There was never an ounce of concern, even after Embiid’s injury in a Game 4 loss. That comfort level will not translate to the second round. The Hawks are a much better team. The Sixers should treat them as such.
Game 1 will tip off in the Wells Fargo Center at 1 PM E.T. on Sunday, June 6. You can check out ABC for the broadcast.
Sixers vs. Hawks syllabus — stories to read, matchups to watch
- Sixers-Hawks schedule, start times, TV slots
- 5 Sixers-Hawks storylines to watch
- Atlanta’s going to be a bigger problem than people think
- Joel Embiid injury history and updates
- 5 key matchups to watch in Sixers-Hawks
From our friends over at Soaring Down South…
Sixers vs. Hawks series predictions
Christopher Kline — Philadelphia in 6
Jonathan Geib — Philadelphia in 6
Chris Cobb — Philadelphia in 6
Uriah Young — Philadelphia in 7
Sam Coltrane — Philadelphia in 5
Sheldon Washington — Philadelphia in 5 or 6
Carson Fowler — Philadelphia in 6
Jimmy Boligitz — Philadelphia in 7
Lucas Johnson — Atlanta in 7