The 76ers are getting ready for their second-round series with the Atlanta Hawks, but the second round hasn't been kind to the Sixers in recent years.
The Sixers have not advanced past the second round since 2001, the last year they reached the finals. In the era of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Sixers have fallen short of the conference finals. They lost to the Celtics in Round 2 in 2018. In 2019, the Sixers lost a heartbreaking Game 7 in the second round in Toronto.
Now, they get another chance. For coach Doc Rivers, the second round is simply another step towards the team's ultimate goal.
"That's not just my goal," said Rivers. "If that happened and that's all you get, that's not successful for me or hopefully our team or hopefully our city. We want more. We want the entire cake."
Even with Joel Embiid's status up in the air due to a knee injury, many believe the Sixers will overcome their recent second-round troubles. However, the Hawks are anything but a pushover. Atlanta rolled past the Knicks in Round 1 and Tobias Harris knows he and his teammates will have his hands full.
"We know what we're going against," Harris said. "At the same time, we also understand what we have to bring to the table night in and night out. I think the beauty of it. It is just another opportunity."
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That opportunity could work well for the Sixers if they get off to a fast start. The team won the first three games of their opening series with Washington. A fast start is even more critical against the Hawks with Embiid's status still in question. A win in Game 1 could set the tone for the series.
"Every game we play will be really important," said Harris. "Game 1, of course, being at home on our court is going to be something we want to come out with, and that's the right energy. We want to be locked in."
The Sixers will once again be hoping for some help from the home crowd. For the second straight game, full capacity is being allowed at the Wells Fargo Center. It is expected to remain that way for the rest of the team's playoff run, and Furkan Korkmaz is ready to feed of the energy of the fans in the stands.
"Everybody knows they're crazy," Korkmaz said. "All my four years, they show a lot of support to us and every game was packed, almost, you know, sold out every season. I think our fans really support us."