The highest-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks meet within the Jap Convention semifinals. The Sixers and Hawks respectively beat the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks within the opening spherical of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The 2 franchises final met within the playoffs in 2015.

How they acquired right here

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers needed to end off their sequence with the Washington Wizards with out MVP candidate Joel Embiid, and his well being shifting ahead might imply the distinction between coasting to the Jap Convention finals and shedding within the second spherical. Embiid suffered a small tear in his proper meniscus 11 minutes right into a slim Sport 4 loss to the Wizards and missed Philadelphia’s series-clinching Sport 5 blowout victory.

Embiid is listed as day-to-day with an damage the Sixers hope to deal with non-surgically throughout the playoffs. No matter whether or not he performs or not, the meniscus tear will nearly absolutely hinder him from being 100%.

“I’ve no expectation aside from I hope for him to be again,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers informed reporters on Wednesday. “I am unable to offer you a timeline. I can simply let you know he is prepared to undergo no matter it takes to get again on the ground. He is a warrior. And if there is a approach for him to get again on the ground, he’ll discover his approach.”

With Embiid within the lineup for 51 of their 72 video games, the Sixers had been the East’s prime staff within the common season, beating opponents by 12 factors per 100 possessions with him on the ground. Philadelphia outscored the Wizards by 70 factors in his 95 playoff minutes and solely performed Washington even with him sidelined.

Ben Simmons was what Ben Simmons is — an All-NBA and All-Defensive expertise whose incapacity to shoot is a legal responsibility at occasions — and Tobias Harris loved the most effective playoff sequence of his profession reverse an terrible Washington protection. In opposition to these Wizards, the retooled roster across the star Sixers, particularly Seth Curry and Danny Inexperienced, performed the roles they had been introduced into carry out completely to start out their title chase.

Story continues

Atlanta Hawks

Trae Younger proved his offense interprets to the playoffs, ending off his 29-3-10 on 44/34/92 capturing splits in a five-game first-round victory towards the New York Knicks with a bow at Madison Sq. Backyard.

The depth Atlanta has constructed round Younger over the previous two seasons confirmed its worth, because the Hawks almost put seven gamers in double figures towards the Knicks. Clint Capela continues to be a rim-running and -protecting monster. De’Andre Hunter is regaining his footing after a superb begin to his second season was interrupted by a knee damage. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a talented secondary playmaker, and each John Collins and Danilo Gallinari provide differing seems to be as tertiary choices. There could also be no deeper rotation within the playoffs.

Since Nate McMillan assumed the teaching reins from Lloyd Pierce in early March, the Hawks completed the common season with the East’s finest document (27-11), house owners of a top-10 offense and protection, and waxed the Knicks on each ends of the ground. Granted, their schedule wasn’t precisely ominous in that span, and New York was a featherweight No. 4 seed, however Atlanta took care of enterprise and hit their playoff floor operating.

Face to face

The 76ers received their season sequence with the Hawks, 2-1.

Atlanta’s sole win got here in mid-January towards a Philadelphia staff beginning Tyrese Maxey, Mike Scott and the immortal Dakota Mathias. Simmons was injured, and 4 extra rotational gamers had been in COVID-19 well being and security protocols for the Sixers, together with Harris and Curry. It is protected to throw these outcomes out.

Philadelphia received consecutive video games towards Atlanta on April 28 and 30 at full power, however the Hawks had been lacking key gamers in each matchups. Atlanta was lacking Younger, Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter in a 44-point loss within the first assembly. Younger returned to chop that deficit in half in one other blowout loss two nights later, however the Hawks had been nonetheless with out Bogdanovic and Huerter. Toss these, too, possibly to a lesser diploma. 

Closing lineups

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers largely performed their beginning lineup of Embiid, Simmons, Harris, Inexperienced and Curry in crunch time. They bested opponents by 16 factors per 100 possessions in non-garbage minutes, per Cleansing the Glass.

With out Embiid down the stretch of their lone loss to the Wizards, Sixers coach Doc Rivers alternated Furkan Korkmaz on offense and Matisse Thybulle on protection, using Simmons at heart. Which will show harder towards Capela than it was reverse Washington’s much less proficient bigs, but it surely’s additionally exhausting to think about Rivers trusting backup heart Dwight Howard on the finish of shut video games. There actually is not any good resolution when a staff loses its MVP candidate, and Embiid at 60% remains to be a greater choice than some other.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks began Younger, Bogdanovic, Hunter, Collins and Capela towards the Knicks, a lineup that began all of 1 recreation collectively throughout the common season. Outdoors a smattering of Huerter, that group additionally closed Atlanta’s two shut video games towards New York. That group completed +29 in 98 minutes throughout the first spherical.

Matchup to observe

Embiid dealing with his well being is the matchup to observe. If he’s something near himself, the Sixers ought to roll to the convention finals. Missed video games or any vital limitation makes this a much more aggressive sequence.

Regardless, it is going to be fascinating to see how the Sixers defend Younger. Inexperienced performed probably the most minutes towards him throughout the common season, however Philadelphia has lots extra long-armed high quality choices to frustrate the undersized level guard, together with Simmons and Thybulle. Younger will hunt Curry and Korkmaz at any time when attainable, however Philadelphia’s size will certainly make life harder for him than New York did.

The Knicks additionally didn’t goal Younger defensively almost as a lot as they may have. The Sixers must make him work on that finish, both chasing Curry and Inexperienced round screens or orchestrating switches onto greater playmaking choices. That is speculated to be Atlanta’s weakest hyperlink, and if Philadelphia additionally can’t benefit from Younger’s protection, it should converse volumes about Atlanta’s potential this 12 months and past. 

76ers (-200)

Hawks (+160)

Prediction

Sixers in six (assuming Embiid can contribute).

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Ben Rohrbach is a workers author for Yahoo Sports activities. Have a tip? Electronic mail him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or comply with him on Twitter! Comply with @brohrbach

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