Philadelphia 76ers Will Take on Toronto Raptors for Round 2

An ugly start ended up with a glorious finish for the Philadelphia 76ers, who are set to advance to the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. After falling 0-1 to the Brooklyn Nets at home to open the series, the Sixers went on an absolute tear and proved to Brooklyn why they are the third seed. Although the Sixers went on a four-game win streak to take down the Nets, the road doesn't get any easier - that's for sure.

After defeating the Orlando Magic 4-1 in round one, the Toronto Raptors have advanced as well just a couple of hours before the Sixers closed out their series. Now, the two teams will meet once again for the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. With the Eastern Conference bracket officially set for the second round, The Bucks will play the Celtics, while the Sixers will play the second-seeded Raptors.

During the regular season, the Sixers and the Raptors met on four different occasions. Unfortunately, the Sixers weren't very competitive throughout the series of games as they have been defeated three times, and only one once. And the single win that the Sixers did have, the Raptors were without their star forward, Kawhi Leonard.

Going 1-3 against the Raptors doesn't make the series seem too promising for Philly, but the good news for the Sixers is that they have an entirely different team this time around. The last time Toronto and Philly matched up was back in February when the Sixers were without Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott.

Could the Sixers makeover from the trade deadline be the difference-maker in this series? Only time will tell. But to say the Sixers are going to fall to the Raptors based off of the regular season results would be foolish. It won't be easy for Philly, but they are much better off this time around. Get ready for an intense series for Round 2.

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