76ers can be eliminated from NBA playoffs tonight, bringing them one step closer to completing The Tank

When the 2025 NBA season tipped off, the Philadelphia 76ers were clinging to hope that a retooled roster and bold offseason moves could spark a title run. Now, on March 29, they’re one loss away from officially being bounced out of playoff contention—and bizarrely, that might be the best thing that’s happened to them all year.

Tonight, the Miami Heat have a chance to do what the 76ers themselves can’t seem to manage—put this disaster of a season out of its misery. A loss to Miami would hand Philly its 51st of the year, locking them into the lottery and keeping the dream of a top-5 NBA Draft pick alive. For a franchise that’s suddenly looking more Process 2.0 than Parade on Broad, the tank is officially on.

How the 76ers Fell This Far

Injuries, chemistry issues, and flat-out bad luck have plagued the 76ers from the jump. Even when Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey shared the court, the cohesion never clicked. And since the All-Star break, it’s been a slow descent to the bottom.

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Embiid was shut down for the year, prioritizing recovery over a doomed postseason push. George’s season was marred by nagging injuries, and Maxey—who hasn’t suited up since early March—is also on the shelf with a finger injury and lingering back issues.

The result? A skeleton crew limping through the final weeks while the franchise eyes lottery balls instead of banners.

Elimination Could Be a Blessing in Disguise

If the 76ers lose to Miami tonight, they’ll match the 23-51 record of the Brooklyn Nets. That’s not just a meaningless stat—it’s positioning. Philadelphia is now fully entrenched in the race to retain their own first-round pick, which only conveys to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top 6. Every loss increases the odds of that not happening.

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It’s a bizarre twist: The worse they play, the better the long-term outlook. With the NBA Draft class shaping up to feature high-upside wings and guards—exactly what Philly needs alongside Maxey and Embiid—there’s real value in bottoming out.

Nobody wants to admit it, but this season has morphed into a soft reboot of The Process. Instead of chasing a playoff spot for the sake of optics, the Sixers are playing the long game again. And this time, they already have foundational pieces in place. A top-5 pick wouldn’t be the beginning—it’d be the final piece of a much-needed reset.

So if the Sixers go down tonight, don’t mourn the end of the season. Celebrate the opportunity it brings. Because in a year where everything went wrong, the best-case scenario might just be losing one more time.