#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. #6 Miami Heat
Ryan Aston: Word is that Joel Embiid is an unlikely go for Game 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat. If he’s out, it may be the Heat’s best shot at stealing a game in Philly. That aside, I think it will be hard for Dwyane Wade and Co. to win away from South Beach.
Kudos to the underrated Coach Spo and his scrappy squad for what they’ve done, but this is the Sixers’ time. The 16-game win streak was for real. 76ers in 5
Zack Padmore: Philadelphia may be the hottest team entering the playoffs this season, but I’m going with Miami to win this series. The Heat have experience, they are well-coached and they may not have to deal with Joel Embiid, who is currently out after suffering a fractured orbital bone. Can the young Sixers stay calm, cool and collected on the biggest stage? That remains to be seen. Heat in 6
Jared Barker: I think without Embiid, the Sixers may be vulnerable to a very motivated Heat team. Sixers probably still win. Let’s see how these young guns Dario Saric and Ben Simmons do carrying their team in the playoffs. Spoiler alert – probably well enough to win. 76ers in 6
Tyler Thorpe: This Philadelphia team is so far ahead of schedule that if they lost this series, in many aspects, this season should still be considered a success. I don’t, however, see that happening. The 76ers defense has been surprisingly dominant and with Joel Embiid expected to return in the first round, the Sixers should easily take care of business against this Miami team. I wouldn’t be surprised if this series only lasted five games, however, Philly’s playoff inexperience could lead to a few unforced errors and a surprising loss or two along the way.
Philly’s lineup combined with Ben Simmons’ ability to distribute the ball to an army of pure shooters is a dangerous combo. As long as the moment isn’t too big for the “rookie”, Philly should find themselves in the second round. 76ers in 6
John Keeffer: The health of Joel Embiid is going to be the main discussion of this series. As of today, he is listed as unlikely to play in Game 1. With Embiid out, Ben Simmons will be the main focal point for the Sixers. I like Simmons (as a player), and believe that he is a generational talent. For now though, he is still a “rookie,” who has never played in the playoffs. Erik Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the league at exploiting matchups. Simmons cannot shoot, and I fully expect Spoelstra to make this a long series for him.
During the regular season, they split the series 2-2, with the home team winning each time. If Embiid misses multiple games, I am going to go with Miami pulling off the upset. If Embiid only misses the one game, I think the Sixers have what it takes to win. 76ers in 6
Austin Leonard: Will the absence of Philadelphia’s best player, Joel Embiid, for part of the first round allow Miami to pull off the upset? Probably not. Even with Embiid out, the 76ers still have second year pro Ben Simmons who is hands down better than any player on the Heat alongside last summer’s #1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.
The Heat are nothing special. I’d wager money that casual NBA fans can’t even name a single player on the Heat besides shadow-of-his-former-self Dwyane Wade. With or without Embiid, the 76ers should win this comfortably. 76ers in 6
Tyler Crandall: The Sixers are hot, even without Embiid. When he comes back into the lineup, things will get really ugly for the Heat. They are a young and playoff inexperienced team, but they are deadly. I’m not quite ready to say they will make the Finals this year, but they may be close. There are some weaknesses that Miami can try to take advantage of with an incredible coach in Spoelstra, but Miami won’t be able to stop Ben Simmons with Dragic. On top of that, I suspect Simmons will hold a grudge on Dragic for getting the All-Star spot he felt he deserved. 76ers in 6
Hayden Van de Maat: Without Joel Embiid in the lineup for the 76ers, Ben Simmons will be tested as the primary option in Philly’s offense. The Sixers have been the subject of a lot of talk around the NBA in these past few weeks as they ended the season on a 16-game win streak. The streak isn’t quite as impressive as it first appears because only three of the 16 are playoff teams. But as the saying goes, you can only beat who they put out in front of you.
The first two games in Philadelphia will show whether the win-streak was an illusion or if Philadelphia is truly able to blow out a team in the playoffs. If Philadelphia plays at the level the national media think they’re capable of, they’ll have no problem getting through the Heat in the first round. 76ers in 5
Jared Woodcox: The 76ers are playing with a lot of confidence, and rightfully so after ending the year winning 16 straight. However, they’re also largely inexperienced in the playoffs and that confidence could easily turn into over-confidence if they sleep on a gritty Miami Heat squad that plays well as a team and is well-coached. At the end of the day, though, especially if Joel Embiid comes back in time, I think the Sixers will edge out the Heat in a hard-fought series. 76ers in 7
General Consensus: 76ers in 6