CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers don’t have an opponent for the Eastern Conference semifinals. After they finished a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on April 22, they have been waiting.
That opponent will either be the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks. Many assumed the Celtics would finish the Hawks on Tuesday, but Atlanta star Trae Young had other ideas. He drilled a deep 3 with 1.8 seconds left to lift the Hawks to a Game 5 win. That win kept the Hawks alive and it afforded the Sixers more days off to rest.
If Boston had won Game 5, the semifinals would have begun on April 29 for Philadelphia. Now, the semifinals will begin on May 1 no matter if it’s the Celtics or the Hawks. That gives Joel Embiid more time to rest, so Young did a favor for the Sixers with that shot.
At practice on Wednesday, the Sixers gave their thoughts on Young’s shot.