NBA 2K20: Philadelphia 76ers Get Past Round One in Playoff Simulation

Recently, NBA 2K20 ran a simulation on the NBA Playoffs and the Philadelphia 76ers made it past their first round opponent.

Justin Grasso | Apr 25, 2020

NBA 2K20: Philadelphia 76ers Get Past Round One in Playoff Simulation /

The current state of sports is something we could've never imagined. At the moment, every major sport in America is shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had the coronavirus never spread the way it did, the NBA would be on its 2020 playoff schedule.

But now, we're left with nothing but imagination and simulations at the moment. While there's a chance the NBA could come back sometime in June or July, the league still won't be the same. The possibilities are that the regular season is canceled out, while we fast forward to an altered playoff format.

What would've happened if the NBA season never had a stoppage, and went on as usual? We can't say for sure -- so we're all left with NBA 2K20 simulations for the time being. Recently, the team at NBA 2K simulated the rest of the season and the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs as well.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, they actually finished higher in the Eastern Conference bracket than expected. If the actual NBA Playoffs started today, the 76ers would own the sixth seed, dealing with a matchup against the third-seed Boston Celtics.

In this scenario, however, the 76ers went on a late-season run to obtain the four-seed. That left the 76ers with a matchup against the fifth-seed Miami Heat. Throughout the real NBA season, the 76ers struggled against Miami in three games after issuing a beatdown on the Heat during their first meeting early on in the year.

So as you could expect, the 2K simulation between the 76ers and the Heat was a close series. While they needed seven games to settle the series, the Philadelphia 76ers came out victorious and will now face off against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Will the 76ers' virtual squad get over the hump? Soon enough, we will see.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

Published Apr 25, 2020

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA