No Joel Embiid, no problem for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite being without the big man, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and the rest of the Sixers pulled out a decisive 96-88 win in Game 4 in a first-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. With the sweep, the Sixers finished the year 8-0 against the Nets, whose season ended in turmoil after being forced to trade stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The series wasn’t without drama, as Game 3 featured Embiid receiving a flagrant foul for kicking Nets center Nic Claxton and Harden getting ejected after hitting the groin of Nets’ Royce O’Neale. Embiid missed Game 4 after injuring his knee in Game 3.
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The victory clinched the Sixers’ first playoff sweep since 1991 when Charles Barkley led the team to a first-round 3-0 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s the team’s first sweep in a best-of-seven series since they knocked out the Bucks in the conference semifinals in 1985, Barkley’s rookie year.
Despite handling the Nets with rather ease, the road to the NBA Finals gets only harder for the Sixers. Here’s a look at which team they will likely face and when:
Since the NBA playoff bracket does not reseed, the Sixers will play the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics even though the lower seeded New York Knicks and Miami Heat advanced.
The Celtics topped the Atlanta Hawks 4-2, clinching in the best-of-seven first-round matchup with a 128-120 win in Game 6.
During the regular season, Boston went 3-1 against Philly.
The Sixers lost the first three games against the Celtics, despite a 41-point effort from Embiid in February. Philly was able to salvage a win with a 103-101 victory in April thanks to 52 points by Embiid.
There’s plenty of recent playoff history with both teams for the Sixers, which hasn’t reached the Eastern Conference Finals since Allen Iverson led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001.
The Sixers last played the Celtics in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, when they were swept after being without an injured Ben Simmons. Embiid and the Sixers also lost to the Celtics in the conference semifinals in 2018.
The Sixers and Celtics have a long playoff history, with the C’s having a 14-7 series lead.
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NBA playoff schedule
After more than a week off waiting to see who they’ll play, the Sixers can now prepare to play Boston.
Since Trae Young and Atlanta were able to extend the series with a Game 6 win, the Sixers’ schedule against the Celtics will look like this:
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Game 1: Monday, May 1
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Game 2: Wednesday, May 3
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Game 3: Friday, May 5
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Game 4: Sunday, May 7
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Game 5*: Tuesday, May 9
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Game 6*: Thursday, May 11
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Game 7*: Saturday, May 14
*If necessary
Sixers Joel Embiid hobbled with LCL sprain
Other than the opponent, the only uncertainty surrounding the next round is whether Embiid will be ready after sustaining a right knee sprain in Game 3 against the Nets.
Following the Game 4 victory, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said he was unsure as to when the likely MVP would return after an MRI on Embiid’s knee “did not turn out well.” Embiid being ready for the conference semifinals was “50% at best,” Rivers said.
When Embiid does return, he will likely play with a brace due to the LCL sprain, according to reports.
History is repeating for Sixers fans and Embiid, with the star center injured again in the playoffs.
Last season, he suffered a fractured orbital bone in the final minutes of a Game 6 clinching, first-round game against the Toronto Raptors while playing with a thumb injury. The facial fracture forced Embiid to miss the first two games against the Miami Heat in round two, torpedoing the team’s chances of a long playoff run.
Embiid gutted through much of the 2021 playoffs with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
Stomach issues plagued him during the 2019 conference semifinals against the Raptors, and another facial fracture limited him against the Celtics in 2018.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: NBA playoffs: Who do the Sixers play next in the second round?