SergioNYK wrote:As we get closer to finding out who are going to have to play on Saturday, I'm getting more and more frustrated. Usually a 50 win 2nd seed season means a cake walk in the first round. It just doesn't seem right we have to play the equivalent of a ECF difficulty in round one. If Embiid played 70 games, Philly would have had that 2nd seed. They are AWFUL with him. They wouldn't even have made the play in without him. And he's back. He's not 100% as we know but even at 75% he is a problem. And we all know about Miami. That franchise has owned us the last few decades. Even as recently as earlier this month at the Garden. And last year in the playoffs they could have easily and probably should have swept us. Do not get fooled by their lackluster regular season. They don't care about it. Playoff Butler is a real thing. We have the best defender in the league in OG but Playoff Butler cannot be stopped. And Spoelstra just figures things out on the fly. Look, I hate this franchise and want revenge but I'm not sure we have the squad and this is the right time for it to happen.
Personally hoping it's Philly. Although we'll be underdogs against either team. We're really going to have to play our A game.
4 games separated the 2nd seed from the 8th seed. Thats it.
2nd seed was a nice accomplishment based on our 5 game win streak down the end. We finished the last 10 6-4. Miami 7-3. Your right to be worried but "does not seem right" implies unfair practice.
Welcome to the new age of parity. Only one team won 60 games. Out west, 4 thru 8 seeds were divided by two games. GSW was only 5 games behind LAC. Rockets finished .500 and missed it by 5 games. ATL is 10 games under .500 and they got the last seed. Shit happens.
So we got the 2nd seed and if we get bounced don't get too bent out of shape. 4 games separated us from Miami and just 3 from Philly. No doubt if that happens we can find a team that we could have beaten and do some hindsight whining.
Maybe we would have been "better off" with a lower seed vs. a slightly lower opponent. Then we get Boston in second round? Maybe.
League got some really good first round games to consider. Remember when top seeds rolled thru first round? It was boring. Now there are 4-5 teams that legit make past.
Sure we might not make it past Miami, but we might an then perhaps to the ECF.