Did anyone think that the Philadelphia 76ers would look this good in the playoffs? Sure, they are a very young team, with barely any playoff experience, but I think that the 76ers are title contenders.
Going into the playoffs, the 76ers finished the regular season on a 16-game winning streak, before they played the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. And even though the 76ers were the favorite to beat the Heat, this was still a very tough matchup for this team. Also, their star center Joel Embiid was still recovering from a facial fracture, so he did not even play in the entire series. However, despite his injury, the 76ers still proved to the rest of the NBA that they are serious title contenders, and this team should definitely be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
Of course, if LeBron James and the Cavaliers somehow manage to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they will most likely be playing the 76ers. And in most cases, I would not bet against LeBron James unless he is facing the Golden State Warriors, or even the Houston Rockets, but since this year’s Cavaliers team is looking like the 2007 Cavaliers team that LeBron James somehow took the NBA Finals, I’m not sure if they can beat the 76ers. LeBron James has to do too much on this team, with very little help. He is almost averaging a triple-double in the playoffs so far, and he is playing too many minutes. The 76ers might get lucky and play against a worn-out LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals, because with the way that the Cavaliers are playing right now, it’s hard for me to see LeBron James being able to sustain this level of play, especially since he is not as young as he used to be.
Additionally, the 76ers have a better roster than the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it is clear that their team is going to be title contenders for many years to come. Ben Simmons looks like he is going to be as good as Magic Johnson, or perhaps even better, and Joel Embiid has already solidified himself as one of the best big men in the league. The only problem with the 76ers is the health of Embiid because right now, it is hard for him to stay on the court, due to his injuries. The 76ers need Embiid if they want to have a serious chance of winning the title, and as long as he is playing, they can beat anyone.
Even though the 76ers are clearly the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, I would not pick them to beat the Warriors or the Rockets, simply due to their lack of playoff experience. I think that it would be a very competitive series, and it will not be easy for the Warriors or the Rockets to beat this team, but it’s hard for me to see the 76ers as NBA champions.
However, it would be awesome if this team is able to prove me wrong and somehow win the NBA Finals. I think that this would be good for basketball, and it would definitely show the world that everyone should trust the process. But before I get carried away, we still have a lot of playoff basketball left to play, and despite what many critics are saying, LeBron James is not going to just let the 76ers walk into the NBA Finals. After all, he is the best player in the world for a reason. But things seem to be looking bright for the 76ers right now. Markelle Fultz is looking like he is going to be a solid NBA player, J.J. Redick is playing lights out, Ben Simmons is only getting better, and Meek Mill just got out of prison. Only positive things seem to be happening for the 76ers right now, and it’ll be interesting to see how far this young team will go.
The 76ers will continue their magical playoff run this week.
