The Philadelphia 76ers are on the verge of missing the playoffs

Everyone knew that the Philadelphia 76ers were about to enter a tough stretch of games when they lost Joel Embiid. When their frontrunner for MVP was injured, the team had a 29-13 record. Today, their record stands at 39-32. And that means they are running the very big risk of barely making the Play-In Tournament, or possibly missing the playoffs altogether.

The Eastern Conference is very competitive this year, which means that the Sixers could rise - or fall - in the weeks ahead before the playoffs get started. Of course, if they land in seed seven through 10, they will be forced to face off against other teams to get through the Play-In Tournament.

If they win those games, they can secure the seventh or eighth seed, which would mean they'd have to face the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the postseason. That would give them a very tough opponent.

The big question is if Embiid will be back before the playoffs begin. If he does return and looks like his regular self, he could help the Sixers sail past their opponents and reach the playoffs. But if he doesn't come back, or his readjustment period takes a long time, the team could be in very serious trouble.

When the season began and the 76ers started their first year without James Harden, the conventional wisdom said that they would have to go far in the playoffs in order for this season to be considered a success. Obviously, they didn't plan on Embiid being injured but there is now a growing chance that his team could miss out on their one, singular goal: the playoffs.