76ers: Round 1 Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs Bracket

The 2023 NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday afternoon. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will do the honors and tip off the postseason with a 1 PM matchup in South Philly.

All week long, the Sixers and the Nets prepared for their matchup while the NBA had its third-straight Play-In Tournament for each conference’s seventh and eighth seeds.

In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Toronto Raptors battled for the final seeds in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

During the battle for the seventh seed, the Hawks upset the Heat on the road and punched their ticket to the playoffs on Tuesday.

The Bulls and the Raptors faced off for an opportunity to potentially crack the eighth seed. Despite being up by double-digits, the Raptors came up short against the Bulls and found themselves eliminated from the playoffs.

With that win, the Bulls gave themselves a final shot to compete for a playoff berth against the Heat. While it was a tight matchup throughout the outing, Miami pulled away at the right time. With a 102-91 victory, the Heat became the eighth and final Eastern Conference team to punch their ticket to the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Now, the bracket is set officially.

The Final Standings

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Boston Celtics

3. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. New York Knicks

6. Brooklyn Nets

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Miami Heat

Eliminated: Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons.

Matchups

Bucks vs. Heat

Game 1: April 16, 5:30 PM ET.

2022-2023 Head-to-Head Record: Tied 2-2

Cavaliers vs. Knicks

Game 1: April 15, 6:00 PM ET.

2022-2023 Head-to-Heat Record: Knicks 3-1

Sixers vs. Nets

Game 1: April 15, 1:00 PM ET.

2022-2023 Head-to-Heat Record: Sixers 4-0

Celtics vs. Hawks

Game 1: April 15, 3:00 PM ET.

2022-2023 Head-to-Heat Record: Celtics 3-0

SIXERS VS. NETS PREVIEW

76ers vs. Nets Schedule: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced the full series schedule, which begins on Saturday. READ MORE

James Harden’s Health: Before the regular season concluded, Sixers star guard James Harden was battling Achilles soreness, which forced him to miss a handful of games down the stretch of the year. Since preparation for the playoffs began, Doc Rivers addressed how Harden has looked. READ MORE

Complimenting the Enemy: The MVP race is a hot topic. As Joel Embiid could potentially win the award, Nets forward Mikal Bridges dished his thoughts on the state of the MVP race, claiming that Embiid should be the one to win it this season. READ MORE