Sixers Playoff Scenarios- The Guide To Winning the 6 Seed
Friday night made things a bit complicated for the Sixers playoff scenarios. They got the win they needed over the Magic. At the end of that game, they held the 6 seed.
But then the Pacers lost too. This means going into Sunday, the Sixers, Pacers, and Magic are in a 3-way tie. All 3 currently sit at 46-35.
That is not the best scenario for the Sixers. Because in this 3-way tie, they are the odd team out. The Magic break the tie because they won their division, and then the Pacers have the tiebreaker over the Sixers. This all make the Sixers playoff scenarios a bit complicated going into the final game.
All 3 teams play their final game of the season on Sunday. The Sixers play the 32-49 Nets. The Magic play the 49-32 Bucks. And the Pacers play the 37-44 Hawks.
Let’s run through the different results on Sunday, to see how they impact the Sixers Playoff Scenarios:
Let’s start by assuming the Sixers win. There is actually a result where they lose but still claim the 6 seed. But there are far more paths to a better seed if they beat the Nets.
Both The Magic and The Pacers Win
This is the worst-case scenario. If they both win, the Sixers will be the 7 seed. Because in that case, it will remain a 3-way tie. As we already explained, that is bad for the Sixers. So they do need someone to lose. But which team loses between the Pacers and Magic does matter.
The Magic Win and The Pacers Lose
In this case, the Pacers would be alone in the 7 seed, and the Sixers and Magic would both be 47-35. Because it is no longer a 3-way tie, the Sixers would have the tiebreaker over the Magic, and claim the 5-seed. They would play the Cavs in the 1st round.
Not ideal, because then they would play the Celtics in the 2nd round. The goal is to avoid them as long as possible. But you would still avoid the play-in at least.
The Pacers Win, and The Magic Lose
Magic would be the 7 seed, and the Sixers and Pacers would be tied. Because the Pacers have the tiebreaker, they take the 5-seed, and the Sixers claim the 6-seed.
The Magic losing on Sunday did become more likely tonight. The Bucks lost, and the Knicks won. That means the Bucks need to win on Sunday to hold onto the 2-seed.
For me, this is the ideal scenario. They would play the Knicks in the 1st round, and if they won that, they would play either the Bucks, Magic, or Heat in the 2nd round. Not that any of those matchups are easy, but they are easier than the Celtics.
Both Teams Lose
In this case, there is no need for tie-breakers, because the Sixers would sit alone in the 5 seed. As long as the Magic lose though, and the Sixers win, they can avoid the play-in. The Pacers game would just decide if it is the 5-seed or the 6-seed.
As already mentioned, it is probably better if they are the 6 seed.
What If The Sixers Lose?
I mentioned a scenario where they lose, but still claim the 6-seed. If they lose, the Magic lose, and the Pacers win, they would be the 6 seed. The Pacers would take sole possession of the 5 seed. If the Heat also lose, the Sixers would have the tie-breaker over the Magic for the 6-seed.
If the Heat win, and the Sixers lose, they could still fall as low as the 8 seed. It could get really complicated if the Pacers, Sixers, and Magic lose, and the Heat win. So to keep things simple, we just need the Sixers to win.
The Magic losing is the most important part. As long as the Sixers win, and the Magic lose, you can avoid the play-in.
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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.
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