Almost time for a final answer on where the Sixers will wind up at the end of this regular season.<\/p>\n
With three games left, below are the Eastern Conference standings from fifth through 10th. The top six avoid the play-in tournament<\/a>:<\/p>\n 5. Hawks 45-35\u00a0<\/p>\n 6. Raptors 44-35<\/p>\n 7. Magic 44-36<\/p>\n 8. Sixers 43-36\u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Hornets 43-37<\/p>\n 10. Heat 41-38\u00a0<\/p>\n And here\u2019s a rundown of the Sixers\u2019 potential seeding scenarios:\u00a0<\/p>\n If Sixers go 3-0\u00a0<\/p>\n To finish at 46-36, the Sixers first need to beat the 50-win Rockets on Thursday night in Houston. Then they must handle business against the Pacers and Bucks, two teams out of the East playoff picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n To come out ahead of the Raptors in a two-way tie situation, the Sixers would only need Toronto to lose at least one of its last three games. The Sixers would win a two-way tiebreaker over the Raptors because they have the superior record vs. opponents in the Atlantic division.<\/a><\/p>\n In order to rise to fifth in the East, the Sixers would require the following results:<\/p>\n Hawks go 0-2, losing to the Cavs and Heat\u00a0<\/p>\n Raptors go 2-1 or worse against the Heat, Knicks and Nets<\/p>\n No other team around the Sixers\u2019 region of the standings could catch them. The Magic could reach 46 wins by ending 2-0 against the Bulls and Celtics, but the Sixers won the regular-season series over Orlando.<\/a><\/p>\n If Sixers go 2-1\u00a0<\/p>\n If they lose in Houston and\/or trip up against the Pacers and Bucks, the Sixers would need more factors to break their way to avoid the play-in.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 45-37, the Sixers would be guaranteed to finish below Atlanta. Even if the Hawks ended 0-2, they\u2019d be above the Sixers because they swept the regular-season series.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n So, to be sixth at the end of the season, the 45-37 Sixers would at a minimum need:<\/p>\n Raptors go 1-2 or 0-3\u00a0<\/p>\n Magic go 1-1 or 0-2<\/p>\n The potential tiebreakers with three or four teams at 45-37 get convoluted, to the point that it seemingly might matter which of their three games the Sixers lost (to the Western Conference\u2019s Rockets or East\u2019s Pacers or Bucks). For now, suffice it to say that they\u2019d be scoreboard watching and hoping several dominoes fell in their favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Hornets could throw themselves into the 45-37 mix by beating the Pistons and Knicks. If only the Sixers and Charlotte are 45-37, the Sixers would have the edge. They earned a comeback win over the Hornets on March 28 <\/a>to take that season series.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Sixers go 1-2\u00a0<\/p>\n Two losses in their last three games would obviously leave the Sixers with poor odds of a top-six finish.<\/p>\n At 44-38, here\u2019s the only way that could happen:<\/p>\n Raptors go 0-3\u00a0<\/p>\n Magic go 0-2\u00a0<\/p>\n Hornets go 1-1 or 0-2\u00a0<\/p>\n In that world, the Sixers, Raptors, Magic and Hornets would all be 44-38 (with Charlotte going 1-1).\u00a0<\/p>\n