Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks: 3 matchups that will decide the series

Three matchups that will decide the NBA Playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks. 

While the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks hog the majority of the conference semifinals headlines, there is another highly intriguing matchup in the Eastern Conference second round. A battle between the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, which begins Sunday.

The ton of this series will be set by Game 1 and, largely, based on how much of Joel Embiid we shall see. He’s battling a partially torn meniscus and his status remains uncertain for the start of the series.

Even though that’s been a dark cloud over the Sixers’ playoff chances recently, it’s almost certain that we’re going to see at least Embiid at some point. Whether that’s in Game 1 or not remains to be seen, however.

Still, despite what happens with Embiid, this series is still slated to be one of the most intriguing matchups of the playoffs thus far. Not only will we get a closer look at the upstart Sixers, with head coach Doc Rivers calling the shots, but we’ll also get a second dosage of Trae Young, who impressed during the first round against the New York Knicks.

As we inch closer to Game 1 between these two teams, we explore three matchups that will almost certainly have a huge hand in deciding this series.