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Philadelphia 76ers: In-Season Tournament Preview

Robert Covington, Nick Nurse, 76ers (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Robert Covington, Nick Nurse, 76ers (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Philadelphia 76ers: In-Season Tournament Preview

The NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament is underway. Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers begin their quest for the in-season tournament championship on Friday, November 10th when they on the Pistons in Detroit. While this is brand new for NBA executives, coaching staff, and players, it is new for us fans as well. Let’s figure out the need-to-know in this In-Season Tournament Preview for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Group Play

Each NBA team has been randomly placed into a group of 5 teams. 3 groups representing the Eastern Conference and 3 representing the Western Conference. The Philadelphia 76ers are a part of Group A in the Eastern Conference.

East Group A: 

Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Hawks

Indiana Pacers

Detroit Pistons

During group play each team will play one game against the other teams found in their group, for a total of 4 games apiece. Group play began on Friday, November 3rd, and will end on Tuesday, November 28th. Group play games occur on both Tuesdays and Fridays. The Sixers group play schedule is found below:

Sixers Group Play Schedule

November 10 – at Detroit Pistons

November 14 – vs  Indiana Pacers

November 17 – at Atlanta Hawks

November 21 – vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Knockout Rounds

Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds based on their overall record during group play. The winner of each group (A, B, and C) will move on to the quarterfinals in their respective conferences. One additional “wild card” team from each conference will also join the quarterfinals. The wild card team will be chosen based on which of the remaining teams has the best record in group play.

The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are known as the “knockout rounds” as they are single-elimination. The quarterfinals will happen December 4th-5th, followed by the semifinals on December 7th and the championship game on December 9th.

Regular Season Impact

Every game of the NBA In-Season Tournament counts toward the team’s regular season record with the exception of the championship game. The 22 teams that do not qualify for the quarterfinal round will have two additional regular-season games scheduled while the 4 teams that fail to reach the semifinals will have one additional regular-season game scheduled.

While many are unsure how to respond to the brand-new In-Season Tournament, it should bring some excitement to November-December basketball. Competing for a championship is fun no matter what month it is. We will see how the Sixers fair as they open group play on Friday night in Detroit.