76ers owner: Early postseason exit would be 'problematic'

If the NBA playoffs started today, the Philadelphia 76ers would be paired in the opening round with a Boston Celtics squad they've struggled against recently.

Sixers owner Josh Harris is well aware of the high expectations surrounding his star-studded roster, and he knows a first-round exit would be received poorly.

"It would be problematic," Harris answered during a panel discussion at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference on Friday, according to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan. "Very problematic. It would not be what we're playing for.

"We'd be unhappy. I'd be unhappy. The city would be unhappy. We're going to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen. We have enough talent on our roster that if we play the way we're capable of playing, we can beat any team in the East."

Philadelphia was bounced out in the second round courtesy of Boston in last year's playoffs, and the team owns a 2-9 record against its Atlantic Division rivals over the last three regular seasons.

How deep the 76ers go could determine whether marquee acquisitions Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris stick around this summer. Butler has a $19.8 million player option he'll likely turn down, while Harris' deal comes off the books after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of February's trade deadline.

"We gave up a lot to get Tobias and Jimmy on our team," Harris told ESPN. "We think they're exceptional talents. We're going to try to keep them. We know we are going to have to pay these guys in an appropriate way.

"We get it. It's expensive."

Entering play on Friday, the Sixers sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 40-22 record, three games ahead of the 37-25 Celtics, and just a half game back of the Indiana Pacers.