A Guide To The 76ers Playoff Positions In The Last Week
It’s been a crazy ride for the 2024 76ers playoff chances. What started out as a team on a rampage was derailed by the Joel Embiid injury and trying to survive nine weeks without their MVP. Somehow, they are one of the most intriguing teams coming down the stretch! Where they land is anyone’s guess in this final week. Here is a rooting guide for what we need to see happen!
THE ASSUMPTION
For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume the best-case scenario for climbing in the East standings and that the 76ers can win out. That would give them a final total of 47 wins. That would still be a very impressive accomplishment after the struggles and roster transformation that has occurred. Can they catch the teams they are lumped in with?
THE NEMESIS: MIAMI HEAT
The Heat could win out and grab 48 wins. Their schedule is favorable finishing off with two home games vs the Toronto Raptors. Is it likely they collapse at the finish line? Could happen. The 76ers and Heat split their season series so the tie-breaker that would decide seeding falls to record vs Eastern Conference teams which the Heat lead in. Philly needs a few conference losses to win a tie situation.
THE UPSTARTS: INDIANA PACERS
The Pacers won the season series vs the 76ers, so they must only get to 47 wins to secure sitting ahead of Philly. The Pacers schedule is rougher than that of the Heat, so them dropping into the play-in tourney would not be a surprise.
THE HYPED: NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks have also been injury challenged, but won the season series vs the 76ers. They too only have to get to 47 wins to insure being ahead of Philly in the standings. I don’t see it likely that they would drop behind the 76ers.
THE OUTLIER: ORLANDO MAGIC
Here is the opportunity. The Magic lost the season series to the 76ers so they must get to 48 wins to guarantee positioning ahead of them. Orlando has a tough schedule that includes a Friday night matchup in Philly. I could see the Magic dropping back behind the 76ers which would shock many.
THE SILVER LINING FOR THE 76ERs
Since the 76ers will most likely never get to the 4 or 5 seed, they won’t have a second round matchup with Boston. If they can just avoid the 8 seed you won’t possibly face the Celtics until the Conference Championship Round.
YOUR MISSION
Avoid the 8 seed! The best-case scenario would be sliding into the 6 seed which I don’t believe will happen but is possible. Since the Bulls and Hawks will be in the 9/10 game you will most likely have to play in the 7/8 game. Win that one and Boston awaits down the road. I would like their chances in that scenario.
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A Cup of Coffee: 10 Philadelphia Sixers Players Better Known With Other Teams
Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic has had a nice career between the Magic and Bulls. But he started out as a rookie that Doug Collins refused to give too many minutes to. The next offseason after being drafted, he was part of the now infamous deal for Andrew Bynum. He went on to make two All-Star games. Bynum never played a minute for the Sixers.
Kwame Brown
One of the most famous NBA busts had a cup of coffee with the Sixers. The Warriors sent him to the Bucks as part of the Andrew Bogut trade. The Bucks cut him soon after though. He signed a 2-year deal with the Sixers, but played in only 22 games and was cut before the second season of his contract. He nearly had as many personal fouls (37) as he did points (41) while with the Sixers. It was the last chance in the NBA he ever got.
Glenn Robinson
The Sixers tried so hard to find the second scoring option behind Allen Iverson. One of the guys they tried, was Glenn Robinson. He was very good with the Bucks, usually averaging over 20 points per game. He was not bad with the Sixers, but he was not that same guy. He played just 42 games here and averaged 16 points per game. He was injured for his entire 2nd season here and then got traded.
JaVale McGee
McGee is perhaps best known for his frequent appearances on Shaqtin a Fool. Its gave him a bit of an unfair repuation. Did he make some bone headed plays in his career? Yes. But he was also a 3-time champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a physical presence on defense.
His time with the Sixers was know memorable at all though. The Nuggets shipped him here, along with a first round pick, and the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum, as a pure salary dump. He played just 6 games here.
Toni Kucoc
Kucoc won 3 NBA Finals with the Bulls, was 6th Man of The Year in the 1995-1995 season, and won pretty much every award you can as a Basketball player when over in Europe. He was a significant piece of the Bulls second run of 3 straight championships. But he did not get much time with the Sixers.
He was decent in the 1999 -2000 season, averaging 12 points per game. But the next season he was part of the trade that landed the Sixers Dikembe Motumbo. In the end, he played in only 80 total games here, averaging a little over 8 points per game.
Dwight Howard
Obviously we don’t forget he played here. It is too recent. But he will be one of those guys where we look back one day and go “Oh yea, he did play here.”. Howard was probably one of the best backups for Embiid. He only lasted one year here. And like so many backup bigs before him, he disappeared in the playoff.
Chris Webber
Not sure if anyone forgets his time here, so maybe it doesn’t quite fit the brief. But Webber is a superstar, who had a disappointing cup of coffee in Philly. Webber was supposed to come here and finally be the guy to be AI’s Co-Star. It never quite worked out. He was injured for parts of his first season, had a decent first full season here, but then was benched in year 3.
