Exploring whether the Philadelphia 76ers should really be considered the favorites in the Eastern Conference
Through the first full week of the NBA Playoffs, I’m not sure there’s been a more impressive team in the Eastern Conference than the Philadelphia 76ers. But it goes beyond simply having a 3-1 series lead over their first-round opponent (Miami Heat).
The Sixers have not been impressive just because they’ve won three out of their first four playoff games, it’s have they’ve won such games.
In two of their wins, the Sixers blew past Miami in the fourth quarter. In Game 1, they routed Miami by 27 points. In Game 3, they won by 20. Their Game 2 loss was as close as it could get, and if it hadn’t been for Dwyane Wade turning back the clock, the young Sixers probably win that game too.
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But perhaps their most impressive win was in arguably their most disastrous showing. The Sixers won Game 4 despite committing 26 turnovers and shooting a putrid 22 percent from 3-point range. They trailed for the majority of the game and Joel Embiid (2-11 shooting) had a night to forget, but rallied back in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 3-1 series lead (and both games in Miami).
For such a young team, especially considering the majority of the talk entering this series about its youth, the Sixers haven’t looked like an inexperienced team at all. In fact, Ben Simmons has been arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference (not including LeBron James) during the playoffs.
Simmons is averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 2.5 steals on 52 percent shooting from the field. He’s even shooting a modest 68 percent from the free throw line. Oh, and this is the version of him without a jump shot.
Joel Embiid has only played in two games, but his presence has changed the series already.
Embiid's presence has in a lot of ways played Olynyk out of the series -- or at least limited his minutes. Bam's post defense was tremendous. Two great play calls by Brett Brown in last 90 seconds after Embiid posts didn't work.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) April 21, 2018
The Heat have shot 3-for-14 at the rim when Joel Embiid has been there to protect it: https://t.co/bj9mmcKy3M
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) April 22, 2018
All to say, Embiid hasn’t even had one of his prototypal Embiid type games yet, and the Sixers are still cruising. He’s rusty, and still making a huge impact on this series.
But the reason why this Sixers team is so dangerous is because it’s not just Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. This team is deep and a well-balanced machine. For instance, J.J. Redick hit a number of timely buckets, including a huge one in the waning seconds of Game 4. He finished with 24 points, and is averaging 18 points in this series.
Overall, the Sixers have six players averaging double-figures in scoring against the Miami Heat. Ersay Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli have also been huge in this series. Dario Saric, who we haven’t even touched out, has arguably been the team’s second-best player in this series, averaging 19 points and seven rebounds on 44 percent shooting from deep.
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As the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors continue to struggle with inferior competition, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to view the Philadelphia 76ers as the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference.
It’s only been one week, but is there really any argument against the Sixers at this point?