Philadelphia 76ers Could Improve Playoff Seed During NBA's Restart

If the NBA were to restart the 2019-2020 season by going straight to playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers would enter the postseason as the sixth-seed. And no matter which format is chosen, whether it's the standard playoff format or the recently discussed 16-team non-conference seeding, the Sixers were set to play the Boston Celtics during the first round of the postseason.

However, that could now change as the NBA doesn't intend on skipping straight to the postseason. According to a report from ESPN, all NBA teams that join the league's restart next month will play eight regular-season games. The idea to enforce more regular-season games helps teams that are within a few games of making the playoffs.

While the 76ers are already a lock for a seed within the Eastern Conference playoffs, the final eight games of the regular season could help them improve their seeding. Initially, the sixth-seed was very unfortunate because the Sixers were fighting for home-court advantage as they were the NBA's best team when playing at home.

With the bubble city scenario that doesn't include fans in attendance, having 'home court' doesn't precisely issue much of an advantage this year. Playing Boston, a team, the Sixers, defeated three out of four times this year, doesn't seem like the worst-case scenario, despite the Celtics having a much-higher seed.

But if the 76ers believe they have a better chance of advancing past the first round against a team like the Miami Heat, then the Sixers will have eight games to improve their spot in the Eastern Conference potentially. 

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