Philadelphia 76ers: Is it NBA Finals or bust for the star-studded Sixers?

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for a potentially deep playoff run, is it NBA Finals or bust for the star-studded East contender?

The Philadelphia 76ers made two of the biggest in-season transactions that we’ve seen in quite some time in the NBA. Just a few weeks into the season, the Sixers acquired Jimmy Butler from the Wolves and then a couple months later traded for Tobias Harris from the Clippers.

Couple those two big moves with the fact that team was already littered with young talent, namely Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and it’s easy to see why expectations might be sky high for the Sixers heading into the playoffs.

The Sixers will finish as the third seed heading into the playoffs, winning more than 50 games in back-to-back season for the first time since the mid-1980’s.

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However, with the playoffs quickly approaching, is it fair to say that this season for the Sixers will be largely determined a success or failure depending on what they do in the playoffs? The Sixers exited in the second round of the playoffs last season, after an underwhelming five-game series against the Celtics.

This season, though, you can’t blame the team’s playoff inexperience. Even less so considering this team added Jimmy Butler for this very moment. And in a wide open Eastern Conference, the pressure is going to be even higher this post-season.

Add in the fact that the Bucks, who many consider one of the other favorites to come out of the East, are dealing with a handful of injuries to three rotation players and it’s easy to see why many will choose the Sixers to make it out of the East.

The big question, though, is whether or not this season could still be considered a success if the team falls short of qualifying for the NBA Finals?

Before we answer that question, we have to quantify that the Sixers have to get to the second round in order to escape falling into utter failure. I believe it’s safe to say that they will. After that, I believe who they face in the second round is very important. And it’s looking more and more likely that they’ll face the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Raptors have been another one of the NBA’s most impressive teams in the East this season, after adding Kawhi Leonard during the summer. However, would losing to the Raptors be a disappointment considering it’s the same spot where they lost last season?

In order to answer that, we have to dig a bit further on the Sixers. Since acquiring Harris, the Sixers are 15-7. Good enough for the fourth-best record in the NBA during that stretch, and second-best in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors, though, have been pretty steady all season long and have gone 14-7 during that same stretch. Toronto has faired well against the Sixers too, having beat Philly in three of their four meetings this season.

In a series, you’d think that these two teams would be pretty even. Which leaves me to believe that there’s a very real chance that the Sixers could fall short of even qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals again this season.

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Would that be considered a failure? Probably not, but you can’t help but think it would be a deflating blow considering the two big moves that this team made during the season.