Play-In Tournament: Sixers await first round opponent with four teams playing this week
The NBA’s Eastern Conference will run through Philadelphia in the 2021 playoffs. With a win over the Magic on Friday night, the Sixers have clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. More importantly, the Sixers have managed to position themselves on the opposite side of the East’s bracket from the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers will be the first seed for the first time since 2001, when Allen Iverson took the Sixers to the finals. Who will the Sixers play in the first round of the playoffs? That has yet to be determined. Play-in games kick off tomorrow through Friday, with the Celtics, Hornets, Pacers, and Wizards all in play for the 8th seed.
Official Play-In Tournament Schedule:
How it Works:
The Play-In Tournament features teams finishing 7th-10th in their respective conferences. The teams finishing the regular season sitting at seventh and eighth in each conference will receive two chances to win one game and advance in the playoffs, while the teams finishing at ninth and 10th in the standings will need to win two consecutive games to earn a spot in the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, both Charlotte and Indiana will need to capture two straight wins to secure the number 8th seed for the postseason, while the winner between the Wizards and Celtics automatically takes the seventh seed for the playoffs, which begin on May 22nd. The loser of Wizards and Celtics will go on to host the winner between Charlotte and Indiana in a battle for the eighth and final playoff spot on Thursday at 8 PM. The game will be televised on TNT. The loser of the Hornets-Pacers game is officially eliminated.
The Sixers are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for a reason and shouldn’t be worried too much about who they will be facing in the first round of the playoffs. They are a combined 11-1 against their potential first round playoff opponents and have outscored them by a total of 122 points.
- 3-0 vs BOS
- 3-0 vs WAS
- 2-1 vs IND (Embiid DNP in Loss)
- 3-0 vs CHA
After wrapping up the regular season yesterday, Doc Rivers and company will have a full week to prepare and analyze the teams participating in the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs are set to begin next week.
Mandatory Credit: NBC Sports Philadelphia
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