![]() ![]() The Sixers started by winning just one of their first five games, and were just 12-12 after a double-overtime loss to the lowly Houston Rockets (more on them later) on December 5th.īut then something clicked. Getting to 54 wins seemed unlikely after a rocky start in October. The Sixers finished the season with a record of 54-28, their best since the Allen Iverson-led 2001 squad went 56-26 on their way to the Finals. Sixers fans began anticipating the 2023 playoffs right after the team’s disappointing exit last year versus the top-seeded Miami Heat. But if everything breaks the Sixers’ way, the Finals begin on Thursday, June 1st.įour best-of-seven series or bust. If the Sixers can win three series, they would advance to the NBA Finals, rarified air they’ve not reached since 2001 and not succeeded in since 1983. But even if the Sixers best the Nets and the Celtics, there’s a strong possibility they’d need to get past the the powerhouse Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals - another matchup in which the Sixers would be underdogs (though, for what its worth, those teams split their season series). The Sixers would be underdogs against the Celtics (Boston won the season series 3-1), meaning the specter of a fifth second-round exit in six years already looms. If things go as expected - the Celtics draw the seventh-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first round - the Sixers would face off against the Celtics in the second round. The Eastern Conference is strong this year and boasts, arguably, three legitimate title contenders: the Sixers, plus the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics who secured the first and second seeds, respectively. The Sixers are favorites to win that series. That sets them up to play the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in a best-of-seven series that begins at home. The Sixers enter the Eastern Conference Playoffs as the third seed. Photograph by Sarah Stier/Getty Images Playoff Picture Shake Milton dribbles as Day’Ron Sharpe of the Brooklyn Nets defends during the second half at Barclays Center on April 9, 2023, in Brooklyn. Instead, here’s where to watch, how to watch, and everything you need to catch up on what’s been happening with the Sixers before they head into the Wells Fargo Center this weekend. Because, while the Sixers have been perennial championship contenders for the last six years, there’s a sense that their window may be closing - and maybe faster than they think.īut let’s not get ahead of ourselves - or down on ourselves - just yet. There has been something uniquely gut-wrenching about each of these disappointments, but an early exit in 2023 might be the most painful yet. And they’ve advanced to the second round four of the last five years - only to be stopped short of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals each time. If this is sounding familiar, it should: The Sixers have now made the NBA playoffs six years in a row. Photograph by Rich Schultz/Getty ImagesĬlap your hands, everybody! The 76ers begin their 2023 playoff run against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at 1 p.m. James Harden and Joel Embiid lead the Sixers to the NBA Playoffs this weekend. ![]()
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