Sixers Cruise Into Round 2, But Questions Loom Against Atlanta

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The opening round of the NBA playoffs went as close to script for the Philadelphia 76ers as possible. Through three and a half games, that is.

The top-seeded Sixers appeared to be on the way to sweeping the Washington Wizards in game four when league MVP finalist Joel Embiid tumbled awkwardly to the court following a breakaway.

Embiid left the game with what turned out to be a torn meniscus in his right knee. It's unclear how long he'll be out. The Sixers lost the game, although they came back and won Game 5 in decisive fashion to send the Wizards packing and move on to round two.

This semifinal round has been where the most carefully laid plans of the Process have come to die over the last several years. Several strong iterations of the Embiid-Ben Simmons-led core, complemented by Jimmy Butler or Al Horford or Robert Covington or JJ Redick depending on the year, have made it this far, only to come just short of the Conference Finals.

This year's team is different, however; a new coach and a new front office are in place, and the Sixers dominated the regular season, with a new roster of pieces that seem to perfectly complement Embiid and Simmons. They're the favorite to win the East, and among the favorites to win the Finals.

But without Embiid, the Sixers are a different team. They were 9-10 this year without their star center, and despite carefully monitoring his playing time in the final weeks of the season, were unable to get through the first round without a potentially devastating injury.

The Sixers seem to truly not know when he'll be back. Head coach Doc Rivers would only say some version of "as soon as possible" when pressed for answers in recent days. For a team with its eyes on the ultimate prize, the ideal situation would see the team defeat the Atlanta Hawks in round two without Embiid, allowing him to potentially rest up and return for later rounds.

They'll move forward with some combination of Simmons at center, with veteran Dwight Howard offering minutes off the bench. Without Embiid in the fold, Simmons played 39 of Game 5's 48 minutes, racking up yet another triple double. If the Sixers are to dispatch the Hawks without Embiid, they'll need Simmons, one of the NBA's most versatile all around players, to continue to step up.

There is good news, however: Embiid's injury continues to be listed as "day to day." For something declaratively more serious, he'd probably be out for the remainder of the playoffs. And Game 1 against the Hawks isn't until Sunday, giving the team a little more breathing room and recovery time.

The Hawks have been led by superb performances from guard Trae Young in their opening round destruction of the New York Knicks. The fifth-seed defeated the fourth-seeded Knickerbockers 4-1, and have a strong roster that should not be underestimated. The Sixers did win the regular season series against Atlanta, 2-1.

The winner of this series will face the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets in the Conference Finals.

The full schedule for round two has not yet been announced, but the Sixers will host the Hawks for Game 1 at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.