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The Philadelphia 76ers’ late surge in the regular season concluded with a commanding victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Still, it wasn’t enough to avoid the play-in tournament and a fiery showdown with the eighth-seed Miami Heat for a place in the playoffs.
The loser of the clash will then face the winner of the match between the ninth and the 10th seed, which means that both teams will still have a way of reaching the first round of the playoffs.
Regardless, with the Miami Heat now facing the prospect of a fully-fit 76ers in the Play-in Tournament, fans have already lost hope in Jimmy Butler and company. Butler, who has led the Heat to two NBA Finals in the last few years (2020 and 2023), is widely nicknamed ‘Playoff Jimmy’ due to his ability to come good when it matters.
However, this time around, facing a rejuvenated Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid fully rested and back to his best, fans seem to be convinced of the Heat's defeat.
One fan talked about how Butler’s fluke playoff runs will come to an end, while another backed Embiid to drop 50 points on the Heat.
One user in particular claimed that Embiid was going to end ‘Jimmy Butler,’ as NBA Twitter seemed united in its support for the 76ers.
Some Heat fans, however, saw things differently:
"Heat putting belt to ass💀💀💀"
However, the overall sentiment was clearly optimistic for one team:
"embiid 40 bomb for my bread no “playoff jimmy” i’ll be there fasho"
"Philly," another wrote in 76ers support.
Philadelphia 76ers only manage the Play-In despite recent surge
Joel Embiid's team completed the season with good momentum. In the All-Star center's absence, several stars took on offensive responsibilities and helped the club stay on track despite initially appearing to be out of playoff contention.
The 76ers dominated until the final game after strong performances from Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. They entered the Nets game on a seven-game winning streak.
Against the Nets, Philadelphia was again without Embiid. However, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey contributed 21 and 26 points, respectively, to get the final win of their regular season.
Due to the reigning MVP's long-term injury, the 76ers were in a rough patch. However, Embiid returned late in the season and has looked nearly as dominant as he did before. As a result, while Philadelphia is not where it was intended to be, the situation might have been far worse.
They have an extra game to win before the playoffs begin, and they are only in this position because the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic both won important games on the last day.
Guess the Lakers players!
