As the Philadelphia 76ers approach the final lap of the regular season, all eyes are on the playoff picture. The Sixers have seven games left before the bright lights of the 2022 NBA Playoffs turn on.
This late in the year, teams typically have a good idea of how their playoff fate will unfold. In the Eastern Conference, that is far from the case right now. There are still multiple variations of how the standings could play out over these next two weeks.
Between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks surging over the last month, the top of the East is tight. Currently, only one and a half games separate the top-seeded Miami Heat and No. 4 Sixers.
Given how bunched-up things are, Tuesday's matchup between the Sixers and Bucks had major playoff implications. Before the two Eastern Conference heavyweights squared off, Doc Rivers was asked his thoughts on the close seeding race to close out the year. For the Sixers, the primary goal is to continue getting better before the playoffs.
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“For us, it's just trying to get better, and all the other stuff will happen. I look at Milwaukee and Phoenix, in particular, and I think those two teams are ready. If the playoffs started now, those two teams know exactly who they are, they know exactly what to do, they've been through the fire. No one else has,” said Rivers.
With things being so tight, some teams might use this jockeying for position as a chance to create the best playoff path for themselves. That is not the case for the Sixers. Since the East has gotten so much better this season, Rivers feels there is no avoiding a tough matchup at any stage.
“This is going to be a tough sledding for everyone. We all see it. The East is stacked. Who do you want to play? None of them, they're all good. It's just the way it is, and you just have to be ready to play any of them,” Rivers said pregame.
For the first time in a while, the Eastern Conference Playoffs are going to be a bloodbath for all three rounds. Top to bottom there are teams capable of making life miserable for anyone with championship aspirations.
Rivers has a point to not worry about the standings, but he should still keep a close on them. With the Brooklyn Nets hovering in the play-in tournament, finishing with a lower seed might prove to be beneficial.
No matter how things play out in these final games, the road to the NBA Finals through the East will be hard-fought no matter what. Because of this, the Sixers are much better off using this time to best prepare themselves instead of worrying about the standings.
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