Anthony Pasciolla and Anthony Aguirre discuss the odds the Philadelphia 76ers can take down the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons in the NBA playoffs.
On Episode 4 of the 76ersRoundtable Podcast with Anthony Pasciolla and Anthony Aguirre, the co-hosts discussed the Philadelphia 76ers' potential first-round postseason opponents.
With the 76ers likely to end up in the Play-In Tournament, their most likely opponent is either the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons or the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics.
Here's a look at the conversation with Pasciolla and Aguirre:
"Let's take this conversation a step further and say they do get out of the Play-In Tournament, their likely opponents are either the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons," Pasciolla said. "In terms of if they can make noise against one of those teams, my answer is yes if they're healthy. When I say "make noise," I mean take a couple of games. I do not foresee them beating Detroit or Boston in a seven-game series.
Pasciolla continued, "Could they take them to six games? I believe so. Seven? That's pushing it, but against either of those teams, I could see a six-game series putting a little fear into either one of those contenders."
Aguirre chimed in, "It always comes down to this: what version of Embiid are you going to get? Because if he is going to play at an MVP level, that will shift your entire defense because then they're going to send doubles, and then Embiid can dish it out because he is a pretty good passer for a center. He has a bunch of really good shooters to throw it out to."
Aguirre continued, "Now historically you guys have not had great battles against the Celtics... but this time around if Embiid can give you at least 75%, I will give you a good shot to win that series only because of the centers on Boston's side. On the Detroit side, I think they would dominate just because Jalen Duren is going off for a great year, and there are just so many dogs on this roster that anyone can step up."
The 76ers' next game is on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings.
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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.