Who will the 76ers play next in the NBA playoffs? Opponent, Date & Time
The Philadelphia 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Joel Embiid, James Harden and the rest of the team did a great job, becoming the only team to sweep their playoff opponents in the first round.
However, the Sixers will face a much tougher challenge in the second round. After finishing the regular season with the third-best record in the conference, they will play against either the second-seeded Boston Celtics or the seventh-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
The next round will be tough, but it will be interesting to see if the Sixers can advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The last time they advanced to this stage was in the 2000-01 season.
The Philadelphia 76ers haven't been to the Eastern Conference finals in more than two decades
The last time the Philadelphia 76ers made the Eastern Conference finals, they had Allen Iverson on the team. The Sixers advanced all the way to the NBA Finals that year, but ended up losing it against the LA Lakers, 4-1.
One of the toughest obstacles they will face this year will be the Boston Celtics. The Celtics finished the regular season with 57 wins and 25 losses, good for the second-best record in the entire league.
The Celtics have a 3-1 lead over the Atlanta Hawks and Game 5 will be played in Boston. Due to this, they will likely finish the series soon and meet the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was in 2020. The Celtics swept 76ers, winning games by an average margin of 11.7 points per game. During the 2022-23 regular season, they met four times, with Boston going 3-1.
The schedule for the second round of the playoffs hasn't been released yet. If the Celtics end up beating the Hawks in Game 5, they could play their first game against Joel Embiid's squad in late April. Otherwise, it will begin in early May.
According to the NBA's schedule, the second round is scheduled to begin on May 1 and 2, with a possible move-up to April 29 and 30. Game 5 of the Hawks-Celtics series will be played on Tuesday night.
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Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday, while Game 7 will be played on Saturday if necessary.
Whether the Celtics eliminate the Hawks in Game 5 or the series goes to seven games, the Sixers will have more than enough time to rest and recover. This is crucial for Embiid, who's dealing with a knee injury.