Breaking Down the 76ers Eight Game Schedule

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1919 days ago

This is not a drill! NBA basketball is back! According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA has approved a 22-team return to NBA action.

So the NBA's inviting 22 teams to Orlando: 13 Western Conference, 9 Eastern Conference. Eight-regular season games per team. Play-in for the 8th seeds. July 31-October 12. Vote tomorrow to ratify.
The NBA's back.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 3, 2020

As part of this plan, each of these 22 teams plays eight more regular-season games to determine the seeding for the playoffs. Below, are the eight games that the 76ers will play, and how that will affect their seeding. (Keep in mind these are still unofficial)

Re-doing because I goofed.

Sixers next 8 in this format:
Indiana, Washington, Toronto, Phoenix, Portland, Houston, Washington, Orlando

Though it seems they would need more layers to schedule changes because there are going to be multiple teams whose schedules don't sync https://t.co/c6hQ0tj4sr

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 3, 2020

Instant Analysis:

Read through that list of projected games once again. It’s pretty favorable for the 76ers, especially considering the bottom eight teams are not going to be playing. Five out of their eight games are against six of the 22 teams not currently in playoff position. That includes two games against the Wizards and one against Phoenix, who are arguably the two worst teams remaining. Orlando and Portland are each below .500 this season and are favorable games for Philly as well.

Besides the one game against Toronto, the 76ers also won’t play any other games against the top nine teams in the NBA by winning percentage. Philadelphia’s other two games are against the Pacers and the Rockets. Will Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook re-ignite their rivalry after nearly three months off? Only time will tell.

Record and Seeding:

While the 76ers have dropped several games they should have won throughout this season, their eight-game schedule is very favorable. As of today, Philadelphia is sixth in the East but tied with the Pacers and only two games behind the Heat. The Heat have one of the toughest remaining schedules, leaving the door wide open for the 76ers to jump up in seeding.

If the 76ers can take care of business against the teams under .500, and win at least one other game, that would leave them at 6-2 in their return, and 45-28 overall. Miami would have to go 3-5 or worse for the 76ers to pass them. If the 76ers win their game against the Pacers and go 6-2 overall, they would pass Indiana unless the Pacers win every other game.

Keep in mind, all information regarding seeding needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Given that all games are being played at Disney World, the element of home court advantage does not have any effect. However, winning games before the playoffs and gaining some momentum should help the 76ers. Overall, the 76ers have a very favorable remaining schedule, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

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