76ers Can Position Themselves For Favorable Playoff Matchups

As I write this, I can already hear Bob Cooney in the background saying “Bring on the Celtics!” I will attest that the only person touting this strategy is a masochist. The 76ers should feel good about the potential of any Eastern Conference playoff series matchups except against the Celtics.

If someone tells you they are good enough to beat the Celtics in a seven-game series, just ask them why. Four games out of seven against a team you rarely ever defeat is an illogical dream. Here’s what the 76ers must accomplish down the stretch to create a potential playoff run.

It’s a long shot to think that they will catch the Indiana Pacers for the six seed. The next few games will potentially lock the 76ers out as Indiana plays the lousy Nets. Chances are low they can now avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.

With the 6 seed most likely out of reach, what are the 76ers priorities?

When you play in the 9/10 game, it means you are in a single elimination. Joel Embiid returning means he should be rounding into shape after a two-month layoff. The last thing you want is to have him in a win or go home scenario. The good news is that the chances of the Hawks or Bulls getting past the 76ers is extremely unlikely. Keep an eye on them, but don’t sweat them securing a spot in the 7/8 game.

When you host the 7 seed, you get two opportunities to advance to the playoffs at home if necessary. The 7/8 game winner secures the 7 seed, and you get at least three days off before your playoff series begins. If you lose it, you host the winner of the 9/10 game. I don’t see a scenario where the 76ers would lose the 7/8 and the 9/10 game.

If you are the 8 seed, you will open the playoffs against the Celtics. If you are the 6 or 7 seed, you cannot face Boston until the Eastern Conference Finals.

Imagine the Sixers opening the playoffs against the the Cleveland Cavaliers or Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks. Does anyone think with a healthy Joel Embiid that the 76ers wouldn’t have a chance to win those playoff matchups? Plus, if they did advance, they know Boston won’t be waiting for them in the Conference Semifinals.

Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers remember “The Process” all too often. It seems like a new narrative somehow emerges every season drawing a connection to Sam Hinkie and his unusual roster-building strategy.

The Process became a lightning rod topic in Philadelphia sports radio and around the NBA beginning when the 76ers made an unexpected trade at the 2013 NBA Draft. Hinkie sent Jrue Holiday and a second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and the 10th-overall draft pick in 2014. 

The resulting era of Sixers basketball became the most (in)famous rebuild in the history of professional sports.

Brett Brown coached some pretty terrible teams during The Process years. Records for NBA futility became much more prevalent than playoff contention.

The front office might’ve ignored the results with a larger focus on improving odds in the NBA Draft Lottery odds. However, the games still existed. Brown's rosters consisted mostly of G-League-caliber players and players on 10-day contracts. He still got his team ready to take the court. 

Philadelphia fans still remember the names of players who stepped on the floor with their professional basketball careers at stake. Some of them actually carved out NBA careers given the wide-open opportunity for playing time and chances to take the ball.

The Sixers finally decided they were ready to compete with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as their centerpieces entering the 2017-18 season. The Process will always live in infamy in Philadelphia fandom.

The most incredible stat of The Process era came from Tony Wroten. He became the first player in NBA history with a triple-double in his first career start. The Sixers beat the Rockets in overtime on Nov. 13, 2013 behind Wroten’s shocking effort.

Wroten had the most ridiculous stat line in the matchup against the Rockets. Anderson came close with a career-high 36 points.

Varnado had a few cups of coffee around the league before The Process began. He played 23 of his 37 career NBA games for the 76ers in 2013-14.

He didn’t last long, but Casper made it to the show. He averaged 5.3 points in nine games for the 76ers in 2013-14.

Sims used his 6-foot-10 frame to average double figures in 26 games for the Sixers in 2013-14. He hung through the 2014-15 season.

Poor Hollis Thompson. He played 256 games for the 76ers, and the front office didn’t try to put together a team to win a single one of them. He left Philadelphia the first season they started trying to compete, and he only played nine NBA games the remainder of his career.

You probably didn’t see it coming at the time. JaKarr Sampson carved out a nice NBA career for himself. He played the last of his 236 NBA games in 2020-21.

He was a sensation for a few short months. It looked like Hinkie struck gold in the second round, but the timing didn’t work out. The Sixers traded McDaniels at the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline.

He’s the second-most famous Furkan associated with the modern era of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brandon Davies had a good career at BYU. He went on to play 71 of his 78 career NBA games for the Sixers in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The Sixers acquired Alexey Shved as part of the trade that sent Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He only lasted for 17 games in Philadelphia.

Take advantage of a team that needs someone to take shots. There’s nothing to lose. Ish Smith used opportunities during The Process to help him become a true journeyman of the NBA with stints on 13 NBA teams.

It’s tough to play point guard and distribute the ball to players that a front office doesn’t believe should compete in the NBA. Isaiah Canaan did it for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 Sixers.

Marshall bounced around with three NBA teams before becoming a victim of The Process. He played his final 30 games in the NBA for the 2015-16 Sixers.

The Spanish point guard never failed to excite 97.5 The Fanatic play-by-play announcer Tom McGinnis. He played 68 games in 2015-16, the final season of the tank.

Byron Mullens had averaged double figures for the Charlotte Bobcats the previous season. He didn’t find his groove in 18 games with the 76ers in 2013-14.