2011 NBA Playoff Predictions: Do Philadelphia 76ers Stand Chance to Beat Heat?
By on April 11, 2011
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The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in possession of the No. 7 seed, but they could still conceivably catch the New York Knicks for the No. 6 seed. Either way, whatever happens toward the bottom, and the top for that matter, the 76ers are staring at a first round matchup with either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.
As of now, it would be the Heat who would host a first round matchup with the Sixers. If that were to be the case at the start of the postseason, Philadelphia could be in a bit of trouble, as they lost all three meetings with Miami this past season.
Granted, they did not fare much better against Boston either, so their first round opponent is more or less irrelevant. They stand the best chance to beat either one of those teams.
Unfortunately, the odds are highly against them upsetting either team.
Mike Dougherty of Yahoo! Sports says that while Miami may not have the best track record of defeating the top teams this season, they have more than gotten the job done against the teams they are expected to defeat.
"Of course, there are still extreme doubts on whether LeBron James,Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh can win the title together right now," says Dougherty. "Their last losing streak showed how difficult it is for the Heat to beat contenders - however, Philadelphia isn't a contender right now. For all of their flaws, Miami always seems to defeat the teams they are supposed to, and they are certainly supposed to defeat the Sixers in a playoff series."
That is exactly right. The Heat would certainly be expected to beat the 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Playing the Celtics would be no different.
Philadelphia has had a very good season, considering where they were expected to finish at the beginning of the season. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala continue to lead the team, and Jrue Holiday has had a huge breakout season. Losing Lou Williams will certainly hurt, and Evan Turner has not stepped up like the team would have liked at this point.
It was a season to build upon with an eye toward the future for Philadelphia, but it should be a very short postseason. It would be quite surprising if the 76ers were to win more than one game against either the Heat or the Celtics.
For a look back at some of the greater moments in the team's storied history, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Asher Brooks Chancey, who takes a look at The Top Playoff Upsets in Philadelphia 76ers Franchise History.
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