The Sixers are in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the first time. Here’s everything to know.

The Sixers ended the season with eight straight wins, but to enter the NBA playoffs, they’ll need one more.

Say hello to the play-in tournament, where the Sixers are making their first appearance in franchise history after finishing the season as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Think of it as a playoff detour, where the Sixers have two chances to advance.

First up are Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, who finished the season with the No. 8 seed. They’ll face the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN), with the winner moving on to face the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

Whichever team loses will play the winner of the Eastern Conference’s other play-in game, between the No. 9 seed Chicago Bulls and No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks. The winner of that game will face the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser’s season will be over.

This is the fifth season the NBA has hosted a play-in tournament, which was created for the league’s bubble because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current play-in rules have been in effect since the 2020-21 season, and just two play-in teams — the Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 — have advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The Heat advanced out of the play-in tournament last season and made it all the way to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately lost to the Denver Nuggets.

“The Sixers have a shot. A real shot. The Eastern Conference finals are well within their reach,” wrote Inquirer columnist David Murphy. “Jimmy Butler is not the only obstacle, but he is the biggest one. He is the most significant one. Concretely. Abstractly. Biblically.”

Here’s everything you need to know.

The play-in tournament begins Tuesday and runs through Friday. The Eastern Conference tournament doesn’t begin until Wednesday, which is convenient because the Flyers — also fighting for a playoff spot — are playing their final game of the season Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Four teams in each conference have entered the tournament, with two spots in each conference’s playoff bracket up for grabs.

The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed, with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The loser hosts the winner of the second play-in game, between the No. 9 seed and No. 10 seed. The winner of that game advances to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

The Sixers split their four games with the Heat this season, but won their two most recent matchups — a 109-105 victory in Miami on April 4, and a 98-91 win in South Philly on March 18.

During their win earlier this month, the Sixers were led by Tyrese Maxey, who came close to a triple double with 37 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. It was Embiid’s second game back to the court after sitting out two months, and he put up 29 points.

Of course, pride will be on the line for Butler, who played for the Sixers during the 2018-19 season and nearly helped push Philly to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Ultimately, the Sixers chose Ben Simmons over Butler (despite Butler famously shouting out “Tobias Harris over me?” in 2022) and fans know how that turned out.

The first game is scheduled for Saturday in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Sixteen teams ultimately will make the playoffs, eight in each conference. Each playoff round, including the NBA Finals, is a best-of-seven series with the higher seed gaining home-court advantage.

Here’s how the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs will look when they begin this weekend. Dates and times have yet to be announced:

After a chaotic week, here’s how the first round of the Western Conference playoffs stacks up: