Former Sixers Guard Believes Miami Heat Would Defeat Philly in NBA Playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers are one win away from advancing to the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The Eastern Conference's top seed, the Miami Heat, are in

The Philadelphia 76ers are one win away from advancing to the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The Eastern Conference's top seed, the Miami Heat, are in the same position in their series against the Atlanta Hawks.

If the Sixers and the Heat both pick up one win in their next three possible games, they'll meet for a seven-game series in the second round of the playoffs.

In that case, former Sixers guard JJ Redick believes that Philadelphia's postseason would end in the second round for the second-straight postseason as he believes that the 76ers have little to no chance of beating Miami in the postseason.

"No, they cannot," said Redick on ESPN when asked if the Sixers could beat the Heat. "Look, I do think the 76ers have the best player in that series in Joel Embiid, but we were talking earlier about the Celtics and the Kevin Durant matchup, those same issues, the Sixers have that with Miami. You can tell [Embiid's hand] was bothering him. He needs to get the MRI they need to know what is going on."

Not too long after Redick expressed doubt in the Sixers' ability to take down the Heat in the next round if all goes as expected, it was reported that Embiid indeed has a torn ligament in his thumb and will require surgery to repair.

While Embiid doesn't intend to get surgery anytime soon, as he won't take any time off until the offseason, he will more than likely have limitations as the postseason progresses. Considering Embiid is the most important player on the Sixers' roster, any limitation is far from ideal -- especially against a battle-tested Miami squad.

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