Ranking the Easiest Potential First-Round Matchups for the 76ers

The NBA playoffs are quickly approaching; the Philadelphia 76ers have just 16 games left before ramping up the stakes for the postseason.

Currently, the Sixers are 44-22 and the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re one and a half games back of the second-seeded Boston Celtics, and four games behind the first-seed, the Milwaukee Bucks.

It’s close to the time to look at some potential first-round playoff matchups. Here, the four teams with the seemingly highest chance to play the 76ers in the first round will be ranked by how easy the matchup would be for Philadelphia, with the easiest being number one.

The Celtics and Bucks are steamrolling towards top seeds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a firm grip on a top-five seed in the East, removing them from these rankings.

The four teams below have a strong chance of finishing in a playoff spot within the sixth-to-eighth-seed range, which would potentially put them in a first-round matchup with Philadelphia.

4. Miami Heat

The Heat are just three games over .500. Yet, they seem capable of so much more.

Three years removed from an NBA Finals appearance, Miami’s roster hasn’t changed much since the 2020 run. Their record may not show it now, but nobody wants to play Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in the first round of the playoffs.

The Heat have high upset potential no matter who they face in Round One. But for some reason, they often play a lot better against the 76ers, and Butler has a lot to do with that.

Since leaving the Sixers for Miami, Butler has been excellent in every game the two teams have played against each other. Just two weeks ago, he went for 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists and hit a tough reverse-layup to beat Philadelphia on the road.

The Heat sent the 76ers home last season in the second round, and Butler famously chirped afterward about the team’s decision to resign Tobias Harris over him.

A motivated Butler should terrify the 76ers in the first round. Philadelphia may be the more talented team, but Miami’s top-tier defense and coaching make them the toughest squad the 76ers could face early in the playoffs.

3. New York Knicks

As the season has gone along, the Knicks have gotten better. New York is 11-3 over its last 14 games.

Once again, it’s clear that the 76ers are the more talented team. But similar to the Heat, the Knicks are dangerous; the duo of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, paired with some great role players, looks like a potential trap-series for whoever plays them in Round One.

New York plays an energized, team-oriented style of basketball behind coach Tom Thibodeau. If the 76ers went into a playoff series with the expectation of winning, it could come right back to haunt them.

James Harden and Joel Embiid have both played well against the Knicks this season. But Brunson and Randle have also been excellent against the Sixers; both players scored at least 20 points in three of the four matchups between New York and Philadelphia this season.

To thicken the plot even more, playing playoff basketball at Madison Square Garden wouldn’t be easy for Doc Rivers and the Sixers.

The 76ers and Knicks split their season series at two games apiece. New York wouldn’t be the scariest first-round opponent for the Sixers, but they would surely be a formidable one.

2. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are 34-33 and recently fired their head coach. This season just doesn’t seem like their opportunity to make a deep run.

Trae Young is still one of the best point guards in the league though, averaging 26.7 points and 10.1 assists per game. There’s enough firepower on the roster to make them respectable in the playoffs.

Dejounte Murray hasn’t fully lived up to the hype for Atlanta, but he’s still averaging 21.0 points and 6.0 assists. The Hawks have the capability to score when they need to, but their defense is a huge problem.

Embiid would likely feast against Atlanta’s defense, which ranks in the bottom third in the NBA in opponent’s PPG. The Hawks’ points per game differential is a net 0.0 on the season, which just won’t cut it in the postseason.

The 76ers are also 2-1 against the Hawks this year, with their only loss coming without Harden due to his foot injury.

The star power of Young, who did carve up the 76ers’ defense two seasons ago in the playoffs to send them packing, keeps the Hawks at the second spot in these rankings. Without him, Philadelphia would easily sweep Atlanta in a playoff series.

1. Brooklyn Nets

If this were the same Nets roster as six weeks ago, things would be a lot different for a potential playoff series.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were still in Brooklyn, plus Ben Simmons was healthy and would have jolted the rivalry even more in a Philadelphia-Brooklyn series due to the drama he had with the Sixers.

This is a completely new Nets team though. Irving is now a Maverick, Durant was shipped to Phoenix and Simmons doesn’t look like he’ll play again this season.

Without Irving and Durant, they have no real championship chances. There is still a good amount of young talent on Brooklyn’s roster, but not enough to challenge a more proven 76ers team.

This is no disrespect towards Brooklyn either. They chose to commit to rebuilding the franchise, and they have some very good pieces to do so. Mikal Bridges looks like a future All-Star; he’s averaged 25.0 points since being traded to the Nets and has carried them to a few wins already.

If Philadelphia found themselves against the Nets in the first round, there would be no reason to worry. They lack the size to defend Embiid, the offensive firepower to keep up with the Sixers’ high-powered offense and the presence of a superstar to carry them in the playoffs.

Bridges and the Nets are a respectable team with some depth and a good future outlook, but the 76ers will likely have a sigh of relief if they face them in Round One.

Featured image courtesy of Tim Nwachuwku/Getty Images

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