ESPN Removes Sixers vs. Pistons Matchup From National TV for Next Week

Well, it seems that Philadelphia 76ers games are not always must-see television after all. This year, the Sixers have garnered a lot of national television slots because of all the preseason hype surrounding the team.

Despite losing one of their superstars from last season as Jimmy Butler took his talents to South Beach, the Sixers still have two rising stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Mix those two in with a coach who said he's gunning for the first seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Sixers became the talk of the NBA -- for better or for worse.

Lately, the Sixers have been enjoying their nationally televised matchups. One that was scheduled for next week will be taken away, though. After appearing on national TV for the last two matchups against the Clippers and the Lakers at the Staples Center, the Sixers have been taken off ESPN's primetime spot on March 11th.

When the NBA released the Sixers' schedule, the 11th of March had a 7:30 pm eastern time tip-off. But after some consideration, the network has decided to throw a more intriguing matchup into the mix, switching the Sixers versus Pistons match up to a regular seven o'clock time.

This shouldn't come as a surprise considering the current circumstances. While the Sixers, who are 37-25 on the year, are playoff contenders in the East, they don't carry as much appeal to the national viewer's eye if they are without Embiid or Simmons, which is a possibility. As for the 20-42 Pistons, they are far from contenders. So instead of showing Philly versus Detroit, ESPN has elected to take up the Denver versus Dallas matchup for 7:30.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_