The Sixers closed out the Raptors in emphatic fashion on Thursday night, right as some of you were probably jumping for joy about the Eagles drafting a mountain of a defensive lineman and trading for a stud wide receiver. And since I can only assume Philly sports fans are deliriously celebrating all of the good news, we have the Sixers' second-round schedule ready and waiting for you.
Here's how their second-round series against the Miami Heat looks (bold are Sixers home games, italics for games that may or may not be necessary):
Game 1: Monday, May 2nd @ Miami
Game 2: Wednesday, May 4th @ Miami
Game 3: Friday, May 6th @ Philadelphia
Game 4: Sunday, May 8th @ Philadelphia
Game 5: Tuesday, May 10th @ Miami
Game 6: Thursday, May 12th @ Philadelphia
Game 7: Sunday, May 15th @ Miami
What immediately jumps out is the increased tempo of the schedule after a fairly rest-heavy first-round series. Up until a potential Game 7 at FTX Arena, the Sixers and Heat will play every other day for the entire series, leaving very little time for either team to catch their breath over the following two weeks.
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On first glance, that would appear to benefit Miami more than Philadelphia, with James Harden's ever-present need to "ramp up" and work on his hamstring looming large in these playoffs. There's also the Joel Embiid factor to consider — if Embiid's hand gets beaten and bruised in one game, there's minimal time between contests for him to recover, putting his mitt to the test just two nights later.
But Miami isn't coming into this series in perfect physical condition themselves. The Heat were forced to close out the Atlanta Hawks in round one without the services of Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler, the former missing two games due to a hamstring strain and the latter dealing with inflammation in his knee. Though Miami was able to buy themselves six days of rest heading into round two by closing out Miami, they are relying on a pair of older vets with plenty of milage on their legs and current issues to work through, each of which could loom large in the upcoming series.
(Funny enough, both teams were able to shake off absences and issues throughout the season series, with the teams ending up at what felt like a fitting 2-2 split. A shorthanded Heat team beat the Sixers early in the season, and the Sixers were able to pick up a surprise win over Miami in the final meeting between the two teams, Tyrese Maxey carrying a Sixers team that sat both Embiid and Harden.)
Based on both the regular season and the current form of the two teams, Miami figures to be a pretty firm favorite in this one, nursing homecourt advantage and measurables that outrank the Sixers on the year, not to mention a more comprehensive round 1 performance to boot. The Heat boasted a top-five defense all season along with an offense equal to Philadelphia's in terms of points per possession, though the Sixers have obviously increased their ceiling on that end with James Harden on board.
If nothing else, the Sixers got a soft launch in the first round against Toronto, facing a tough, athletic team who offered a less imposing version of the challenge Miami poses in this go-around. They're more banged up than they were to start the playoffs, but the Sixers are slightly more battle-tested than they were two weeks ago.
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