PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Monday night marks the start of a major roadblock that has haunted the Philadelphia 76ers for 3 ½ decades: the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The Sixers have lost 11 of their last 12 second-playoff series dating back to 1986. Since the Sixers won their last NBA Championship in 1983, the only times they advanced to at least the conference finals were in 1985 and 2001.
And unfortunately, the beginning of this upcoming series against the Celtics isn’t sounding very promising.
Here are four things to know about the matchup.
When will Joel Embiid return to the lineup?
Sixers MVP candidate Joel Embiid hasn’t played a game in nearly two weeks because of a right knee sprain he suffered in Game 3 of the first round against the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers still clinched the series without him, and they have been much better this season than in previous ones when Embiid hasn’t played.
That will likely be the case again for Game 1 of the second round, which kicks off Monday at 7:30 p.m. As of Monday morning, Embiid is listed as “doubtful.” Head coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is progressing, but he hasn’t been able to do much with the team during practice, especially when it comes to running.
And, how effective will Embiid be if he does play? Will he need to wear a brace? Will he be able to dominate as he’s done all season?
Unfortunately for Embiid and the Sixers, it is yet another postseason in which he is dealing with some sort of injury. If he is unable to go or not performing at his best, it remains up to James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and the rest of the Sixers.
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Is this finally the year Embiid wins MVP?
While we don’t know if Embiid is going to be ready for Game 1, we do know that the regular season’s MVP award will be announced Tuesday. The “NBA on TNT” crew will make the announcement at 7:30 p.m.
Embiid, Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are the finalists. Embiid has been the runner-up to Jokić the last two seasons.
Breaking an Embiid-era trend?
The Sixers are the three-seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Celtics are two-seed. Games 1 and 2 are in Boston Monday and Wednesday, while Games 3 and 4 are in Philadelphia Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
If Game 5 is necessary for this best-of-seven series, it will shift back to Boston on Tuesday, May 9. Game 6, if necessary, would be held on Thursday, May 11 at the Wells Fargo Center. And if a decisive Game 7 is needed, it will be in Boston on Mother’s Day.
The Sixers have not won a playoff series as the lower seed since the 2012 playoffs, meaning this has never happened during Embiid’s tenure. In fact, two of the five series they lost have been against the Celtics.
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Celtics have dominated this rivalry
From Wilt Chamberlain against Bill Russell to Julius Erving against Larry Bird, Sixers vs. Celtics is one of the storied rivalries in NBA history. But it has been heavily in favor of Boston, especially throughout this generation.
The last time the Sixers won a playoff series against the Celtics was May 23, 1982 — Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, in which Andrew “The Boston Strangler” Toney scored 34 points at Boston Garden to lead the Sixers to the NBA Finals.
In the postseason matchups that followed, Boston won all five, including a first-round sweep in 2020 and a five-game victory in 2018.
This season, the Celtics won three of the four regular-season matchups, with the Sixers taking the most recent one at Wells Fargo Center. Of course, Embiid was phenomenal that night, scoring 52 points with 13 rebounds and six assists. If he is able to play, it would be incredible if he could pull off a performance of anything close to that, given the condition of his knee.
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