The Philadelphia 76ers' development was expedited this season. While many predicted a playoff appearance last fall, few would've picked Philly to win 52 games and finish third in the East.

That all came after a rough start to the season, which prompted shooting guard J.J. Redick to register for a GMAT exam in April, figuring his team wouldn't be in the playoffs.

"We were really bad in December up until Christmas," Redick told Howard Beck on Bleacher Report's "The Full 48" podcast. "And I signed up to take the GMAT on April 21, which was the first Saturday after the regular season ended ... obviously, I had to cancel that because I was in Miami for Game 4."

The Sixers beat the Heat in five games, and will face the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal Thursday, trailing 1-0.

Redick signed a one-year, $23-million contract with Philadelphia last summer, and has been a key player for them. Providing outside shooting and a veteran presence for a young team, he ranked second on the 76ers in scoring at 17.1 points per game and is averaging 20 in the playoffs.