Playoffs - jockeying for position

[TFK]

Was hoping we could have a thread dedicated to tracking the standings and our playoff positioning.

I'm wondering if that 4 seed starts looking more attractive the stronger the Bucks' hold on #1 gets. I still like our chances against them in the 2nd round as opposed to Toronto and Boston, mostly because of Horford and Gasol. Yeah, Lopez can stretch the floor but he doesn't present Embiid with as much of a challenge on both ends of the floor. Bucks are playing fantastic but I'm much more confident they will regress a little bit in the playoffs than either the Raps or Celtics (Raps have bad playoff history but Kawhi, Gasol, Green and Siakam can hardly be considered to be part of that slump), and Giannis has a style, much like Simmons, that can at least be countered a bit in half court playoff basketball. I'd rather have to face only 1 of the Celtics or Raptors in the ECF than potentially have to face them back to back in round 2 and the ECF.

And I'm pretty confident in us being able to beat an Oladipo-less Pacers team, even if we were the 5 seed. So getting to the 3 seed doesn't do much for me in terms of first round matchups.

So, I don't know... not trying to outsmart myself here, but a Pacers (5), Bucks (1), Celtics(3)/Raptors(2) road to the Finals sounds much more doable to me than a Nets(6), Raptors(2), Celtics(4)/Bucks(1) road does.


Will be interesting to watch this play out over the next 2 months and see whether the Sixers just keep fighting as hard as they can to get as high as they can, or if they err more on the side of health/rest cuz they don't see much advantage to be gained by climbing the standings (assuming they can't get to the #2 seed). They do need chemistry though, so that might be what keeps them logging heavy minutes and not utilizing many "load management" nights off.

[Sixerscan]

The Bucks are only 1.5 games ahead of Toronto, and Toronto has the easier schedule. Bucks have the tiebreaker but I wouldn't just assume they're gonna be the 1 seed.

As far as the Celtics go, given both teams' huge home/road splits you're gonna want home court advantage against them in any potential matchup.

So yeah I think you're overthinking it. 4 seed isn't terrible but seems like it makes the most sense to shoot for 3.

[XDevilBoiX]

I see the Sixers finishing as the 4th or 5th seed. Depends on 1st rd matchups if they make it to the 2nd rd.

[fringg]

Home court advantage could be the difference between making the finals this year and going out in the second round!

[KrazySixersD]

im starting to think trying to matchup with milwaukee in round 2 would be the smart thing as well

I think they may be our best matchup when talking about the the other 3 ahead of us..

doesnt matter if we are the 3 or 4 seed as we get home court in round 1 and then dont get it in round 2 either way

also, as the 4 seed, we likely get the pacers without their best player, where as if we get the 3 seed, we likely get brooklyn who at that point will be fully healthy and was already giving us major issues without being healthy

I'm starting to think coasting and not running our players into the ground for 36 minutes in order to barely beat scrub teams is the wrong way to go about it trying to get that 3rd seed

coast, get the 4th seed, go in fresh and with the better matchups, that would be the SMART thing to do

[PhillyPhilly]

I just want us to win as many games as possible and to see our starting five gel. A starting five that can rival Golden State's imo. I'm not gonna waste time worrying about the Raps, Bucks, Celtics or Nets. Whoever we get, we get. At the end of the day we're gonna have to beat our rivals in order to get out of the east anyway.

[TFK]

Home court advantage could be the difference between making the finals this year and going out in the second round!

yeah, that's great and all, except for one minor detail... it's a pretty widely recognized assumption that, barring a major injury to Giannas or Kawhi, there aren't enough games left to climb any higher than #3 seed. So, it's a safe bet that home court in round 2 is not attainable... most discussion is about whether it'd be better to play @ Bucks or @ Raps in round 2.

I'd prefer @ Bucks and let the Celtics and Raps beat each other up.

[kuclas]

We aren’t beating any of the Celtics bucks raptors with the style of play we currently have and lack of coaching/cohesiveness.

Last night was game we won cause we had superior talents against the Heat.

We won’t have the big talent advantage against the bucks or Celtics or raptors. That’s where coaching and player decisions make a difference.

Simmons is a liability in the half court game. Embiid is too slow to make decision in the half court game. Butler can make up the defienency but he’s pacing himself. Harris is still be integrated.

[LloydFree]

Unless something drastic changes, the 76ers better be focused on the #3 seed and pray Milwaukee falls to the #2 seed. Best shot at getting past the 2nd round.

Toronto is the best in the East. The only chance anybody else has of getting to the Finals is to delay playing Toronto until the ECF, and hope some of their injury prone players aren't quite right at that point of the season.

[Mik317]

we are going out in the second round. If we play Boston in the first...then we will go out then.

I don't see this team gelling well enough to overcome the Boston issues or the Kawhii issues. BroPez will also probably look like a 7ft Ray Allen against us still lol.

team may have raised the timeline...I still don't think its going to happen this year

[XDevilBoiX]

we are going out in the second round. If we play Boston in the first...then we will go out then.

I don't see this team gelling well enough to overcome the Boston issues or the Kawhii issues. BroPez will also probably look like a 7ft Ray Allen against us still lol.

team may have raised the timeline...I still don't think its going to happen this year

Exactly how I feel. This coaching staff has no answers to compete with the top teams in the East and Brett’s substitutions are atrocious. If he somehow miraculously changes then they can make it to the ECF but I don’t see it happening soon.

[ProcessDoctor]

For this team’s morale heading into next season, I hope we get to the ECF. IMO, the easiest route would be through Milwaukee in the 2nd round. So hopefully we find a way to them via a 2/3 or 1/4 matchup.

[Kobblehead]

Don't hit the NoS too soon and worry about rising in the standings to secure homecourt.

We just need to be healthy, fresh, gelled, and to have not peaked leading up the playoffs.

Let those other teams gas themselves out in the final stretch.

[kuclas]

Sixers have not been a good road team. No home court means pretty dismal odds to advance.

[Kobblehead]

Sixers have not been a good road team. No home court means pretty dismal odds to advance.

I wouldn't worry too much about that road record considering we've been three different iterations of a team this year. All that matters is how you think this current group would fair on the road.

I don't see the value it ramping it up and turning it on right now just to vie for homecourt and get as high a seed as possible. I'd rather us take a gradual and slower approach so that we peak at the right time. I have enough trust in our starters to where we have a good shot in any playoff series.

[Sixerscan]

Sixers have not been a good road team. No home court means pretty dismal odds to advance.

I wouldn't worry too much about that road record considering we've been three different iterations of a team this year. All that matters is how you think this current group would fair on the road.

I don't see the value it ramping it up and turning it on right now just to vie for homecourt and get as high a seed as possible. I'd rather us take a gradual and slower approach so that we peak at the right time. I have enough trust in our starters to where we have a good shot in any playoff series.

13-8 on the road since the Butler trade. 3rd best in the league over that period behind the Bucks and Warriors.

[Kobblehead]

So if by some miracle the Pacers remain in the homecourt half of the playoffs and the Celtics jump us, I'm fine with going on the road.

Just get to the playoffs rested and healthy with some developed chemistry. Let's time our "ramp up" well so we're ready to sustain peak performance for a longer duration than some of these other teams.

[LloydFree]

I don't care about the Pacers, at home or on the road. Id just rather not play the Raptors in the 2nd round.

[BB_Fan]

76ers cannot defeat Celtics. Brad stevens is a better coach than Brett Brown and 76ers team does not match well with celtics. If we play them in any round with it will be a 4-0 or 4-1 defeat.


My preference in second round would be
1) Bucks
2) Raptors
3) Celtics

[76ciology]

3rd seed = want Raps over Bucks
4th seed = want Bucks over Raps

To get to the finals, you most likely have to face both.