Philadelphia 76ers Guide To A Successfully Concluded Schedule

After what has been another extensive season littered with losses for the Philadelphia 76ers, the end is now in sight with only 15 games left to play over the final month of action. It’s expected that the Sixers – who have compiled the laughable record of 15-52 – are going to struggle to surpass last season’s win total of 19

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But just as Sixers’ general manager Sam Hinkie has become famous for being able to do during his brief, two-year tenure in Philadelphia, his Sixers have a variety of hands that could be played in the offseason.

But in order for the likelihood of those hands being ones that serve the greatest benefit to the Sixers this offseason, Philly needs to handle its final 15 games in a way that increase their chances to add the most assets, primarily through the NBA Draft.

When assessing the Sixers’ final 15 games of the season and how they should attempt to handle them in terms of wins and losses, there’s three key teams to keep an eye on that make up for a third of Philly’s final games: the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat.

the way each of these clubs finish their season will have an effect on which draft picks the Sixers may or may not get in the coming months.

Mar 15, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher argues a call during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns won 102-89. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

I’ll begin with New York, which currently owns the crown as the NBA’s worst team with a 14-53 record and the greatest chance (25 percent) of landing the coveted No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

The Sixers will see their division rival two more time before the season concludes and just as they did in the first two meetings, they need to lose to gain some ground on one of the teams that has seemingly out-tanked them this season by one game.

Of course, it’s key for the Sixers to get one of the top three picks in the draft and they’ve got a 46 percent chance of doing so with their current standing in the NBA, but that also means there’s a 54 percent chance they fall and get stuck with the fourth, fifth or sixth pick in the draft, which would potentially be a tremendously harmful drop for the Sixers who are in need of an elite talent with their top pick.

At the end of the day, it’s all a numbers game that is decided by some ping pong balls with the team logo on it, but the Sixers are just on the outside looking in of that infamous “worst in the NBA” title and they need to reach that point before the NBA season concludes, which would guarantee them a top-four draft pick.

The Knicks only make up for two of their final 15 games, but with such a close race to finish the season with the worst record, these are two games the Sixers would greatly benefit from losing.

Mar 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott (center) reacts against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. The Mavericks defeated the Lakers 100-93. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Then there are the Lakers, who Philly will also see twice. At this point, Los Angeles’ 17-49 record has turned the once prominent program into the laughing stock of the Western Conference and if the ping pong balls bounce just right, the Sixers will walk away from the draft with what is guaranteed to be another lottery selection.

The Lakers currently boast the fourth-worst record in the entire NBA, which would give them a 90 percent chance of drafting in the top-five in the upcoming draft. This isn’t good news for the Sixers, who are due the Lakers’ draft pick if it lands outside of the top five.

With the Lakers currently being three games ahead of the Orlando Magic for the fifth-worst record in the NBA, Philly dropping two more to L.A. would not only increase the likelihood that those few extra wins under the Lakers’ belt becomes the reason their drat pick ends up being a No. 6 or No. 7, where it would then belong to the Sixers, but the added losses also aid Philly in their pursuit of catching the Knicks for the NBA’s poorest record.

Finally, there’s the Heat, who also owe the Sixers their first-round draft pick this year if it lands outside of the top 10 (which it will). Philly gets Miami one more time this season in the finale after going 1-2 against the Heat this season, but unlike their matchups with the Knicks and Lakers, the Sixers would benefit from winning this one.

Miami is currently sitting in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt at 30-36, owning the tiebreaker over the Boston Celtics. Should the Heat drop a few games and miss the playoffs (fall to ninth in the East, for example), they would be expected to land their draft pick anywhere between No. 11 and No. 14.

This would work out perfectly for the Sixers, who would then be getting what could be their third lottery pick in one draft. If you’re looking for ways to escape the horrors of being a consistent NBA bottom-feeder, getting lottery picks in bulk certainly helps.

As for the remainder of the schedule, well all the Sixers can do is lose what they can and pray the rest of the NBA does it’s part against the Lakers, Knicks, Heat and even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will have to hand their first-round pick to Philly this year if it lands outside of the top 18.

For the most optimistic outcome for the Sixers, Dan McQuade of Phillymag.com provided some insight:

"If things fall right, the Sixers could end up with the first, sixth, 11th and 19th picks in this year’s draft. More likely, they’ll get the Heat’s and Oklahoma City’s picks and will get the Lakers’ pick at some point in the future."

Here’s to hoping things fall into place for the Sixers and potentially seeing a team that’s competitive on the hardwood next season.

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