NBA 2K20: Philadelphia 76ers Get Past Round One in Playoff Simulation

The current state of sports is something we could've never imagined. At the moment, every major sport in America is shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had the coronavirus never spread the way it did, the NBA would be on its 2020 playoff schedule.

But now, we're left with nothing but imagination and simulations at the moment. While there's a chance the NBA could come back sometime in June or July, the league still won't be the same. The possibilities are that the regular season is canceled out, while we fast forward to an altered playoff format.

What would've happened if the NBA season never had a stoppage, and went on as usual? We can't say for sure -- so we're all left with NBA 2K20 simulations for the time being. Recently, the team at NBA 2K simulated the rest of the season and the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs as well. 

For the Philadelphia 76ers, they actually finished higher in the Eastern Conference bracket than expected. If the actual NBA Playoffs started today, the 76ers would own the sixth seed, dealing with a matchup against the third-seed Boston Celtics.

In this scenario, however, the 76ers went on a late-season run to obtain the four-seed. That left the 76ers with a matchup against the fifth-seed Miami Heat. Throughout the real NBA season, the 76ers struggled against Miami in three games after issuing a beatdown on the Heat during their first meeting early on in the year.

So as you could expect, the 2K simulation between the 76ers and the Heat was a close series. While they needed seven games to settle the series, the Philadelphia 76ers came out victorious and will now face off against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Will the 76ers' virtual squad get over the hump? Soon enough, we will see. 

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