Sixers mailbag: ‘What’s the ideal playoff scenario? What seed? What opponent?’
And when will they have Joel Embiid, who will obviously play a key part in their ability to compete in the postseason? The Inquirer's Keith Pompey answers all your questions.
The 76ers are looking to erase Wednesday’s heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. And based on previous games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have a great odds.
The undermanned Sixers (39-34) will look to extend their winning streak over the Cavs (44-29) to three games when the teams meet Friday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
We’ll find out if they can clinch the season series late Friday night. In the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.
Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.
Q: What’s the ideal scenario for the Sixers in the playoffs? What seed? What opponent, etc? —@Dunkadelphia
A: Thanks for starting off the mailbag, Sir Dunk. The ideal scenario for the Sixers would be to win the remaining nine games and hope the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers both suffer a few losses. I’m saying that, because the Sixers are better off as the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed.
» READ MORE: Sixers desperate to break pattern of fourth-quarter collapses: ‘We couldn’t quite make the play to win’
Assuming the top of the standings don’t change, they would have to face the New York Knicks in the first round. Even though the Knicks beat the Sixers three times this season, they would have a solid chance of beating the Knicks with a healthy Joel Embiid. That would set up a second-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee provides the path of least resistance for the Sixers’ hopes of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001.
The Sixers need to avoid the top-seeded Boston Celtics until the conference finals, and this scenario would help facilitate that.
Q: Is Joel Embiid going to play at all the rest of the regular season? The sixth [seed] is looking harder to get the longer we wait. Thoughts? —@Stouty2727_OG
A: That appears to be the billion-dollar question, Chris. I believe Embiid will return sooner from left knee surgery than what was envisioned weeks ago. The fact that he’s on this road trip with teammates is encouraging. The Sixers also posted a picture of him Thursday attempting a shot while being guarded by Paul Reed. I think the Sixers’ main concern is how he responds to practice.
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid will travel on the Sixers’ road trip, but his return timeline is still to be determined
So the Sixers will keep monitoring it, and go from there. That said, I expect him to be back in the near future. I actually think Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena would be the perfect game to ease back into things since he’s on the trip.
The Raptors (22-50), losers of 12 straight, won’t provide much resistance. It would also give him a tune-up game before the Sixers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
So if his body continues to respond well, don’t be surprised to see Embiid back in action during one of the coming games.
Q: Can you gauge the Sixers’ interest in Paul George? Any other free agents you think the Sixers are interested in? —@Sixersallie
A: What’s up, Allie? On a scale of one to 10, the Sixers’ interest in George is a 10. And that makes a lot of sense. They would have an All-Star guard in Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star wing in George and an All-Star center in Embiid. The Sixers’ chances of overtaking the Boston Celtics as the NBA’s best team would overwhelmingly improve.
As you know, the Sixers, like all NBA teams, will have a lot of players on their free-agency board. But OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are impact players they were said to covet. . However, the Raptors traded Anunoby to the Knicks and Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Both players are expected to re-sign with their new teams.
Unfortunately, this really isn’t a deep free-agent class of maximum-salary players. DeMar DeRozan could be one player of interest the Sixers chase if they’re unable to get George. And Tobias Harris, who has had a complicated tenure in Philly, is expected to be one of the top free agents on the market. But the ways things have transpired lately, both sides may decide to go their separate ways.