Sixers: Best and worst potential matchups in the playoffs
Who should the Sixers want to avoid in the NBA playoffs?
- Boston Celtics (40-27, fifth seed)
The Celtics and Sixers have been the best Eastern Conference teams record-wise since the calendar flipped to 2022. Boston’s early-season struggles are a thing of the past. Ime Udoka’s team has the No. 1 defense in the NBA right now, deploying a switch-heavy scheme and boasting multiple All-Defense candidates.
Very few players have meaningfully impeded Joel Embiid one-on-one this season. Unfortunately, one exception to the rule is Al Horford, who has a lengthy track record of giving Embiid problems. Robert Williams doesn’t have the strength to battle Embiid in the post, but he’s an elite rim protector and roamer who can switch freely on the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Marcus Smart sits near the top of the list of best James Harden defenders in the NBA. Smart is having perhaps his best defensive season to date, and is at the center of Boston’s turnaround this season. He has figured out his role on both ends and is thriving.
Philadelphia should hope Boston is on the opposite side of the bracket.
- Toronto Raptors (35-30, seventh seed)
Again, this is relative. The Raptors are not a scarier matchup than Miami or Chicago in a vacuum. That said, if today’s bracket were to hold, the Sixers would face Toronto in the first round. That’s a tricky draw off the bat. The Raptors make Embiid work harder than the average defense, while OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and Fred VanVleet are all capable of guarding the Hardens and Maxeys of the world.
Nick Nurse runs a tight ship and the Raptors have championship DNA. The size advantage and top-level talent advantage both belong to Philadelphia, and yes, the Sixers would be heavy favorites. But Toronto is no joke, and the Sixers would be better served facing a Hawks or Hornets team in the first round.
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- Brooklyn Nets (33-33, eighth seed)
Speaking of potentially difficult first round matchups… Brooklyn has not looked like a contender this season, due to an unfortunate mixture of injuries (Kevin Durant), unhappiness (James Harden), and stupidity (Kyrie Irving). Now Harden is a Sixer, Ben Simmons is nursing a back injury, and the Nets have done a lot of losing since Christmas. On paper, this matchup favors Philadelphia.
That said, the Nets do have a not-so-secret weapon in Kevin Durant. He’s the basketball equivalent of the Death Star and not many players can single-handedly will their teams to victory like Durant. Add in Kyrie Irving (even if it’s only for half the games) and defensive whiz Ben Simmons, and Brooklyn has the kind of perimeter firepower and versatility Philadelphia is ill-equipped to contain.
Fortunately enough, the Nets are similarly ill-equipped to handle the size of Embiid in the post. The Sixers also have a potential psychological advantage on the Ben Simmons front… who knows how he’d react to postseason basketball under the bright spotlight of Philadelphia’s home crowd.
The Nets may just not have it this season — teams who lose as frequently as Brooklyn generally don’t win championships — but the Sixers should prefer to let a different contender test that theory.
- Milwaukee Bucks (42-25, second seed)
The Bucks won the title last season. It’s that simple. Philadelphia actually matches up well with Milwaukee on paper, but the inverse is true too. Embiid can defend Giannis, but that requires a lot of energy. Jrue Holiday can defend James Harden better than anyone. If Brook Lopez returns, he is one of the best Embiid-stoppers out there (not that anyone can fully “stop” Embiid).
This would be an absolute slugfest and would make for good television. The Sixers should probably not want Milwaukee, but you have to beat the great teams to get somewhere, and the Bucks are not invincible.