If you're one of those "eh this team stinks, they're not good enough" Sixers fans, then whatever. I'm not talking to you, anyway. I ain't got time for those fans.
The Sixers are certainly not the favorites to win the Finals and they're not the favorites to win the East either (they're 4-1, third lowest odds behind Milwaukee and Toronto). But they've got a shot and as a fan, that's all you really want. That's what makes sports fun. This isn't supposed to be easy!
Process Avengers ---- (-- @DidTheSixersWin) pic.twitter.com/lRZiQqcgrE
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 12, 2019Here are five reasons why the Sixers will reach the NBA Finals.
5. Brett Brown
Get off his back, will you? Brett Brown has had 26 players suit up for him this season, the most of any season since he's been here. He's had three different starting lineups and dealt with Joel Embiid coming in and out of the lineup in the second half, loads of unfair criticism, a new general manager, a thin bench, the Zhaire Smith injury + allergic reaction (must read that story), the Markelle Fultz saga, and Jimmy Butler's—demanding at times—personality.
And still the Sixers won 50 games for the second straight year (first time they've done that in over 30 years) and earned the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Brown will prove himself in this year's postseason to whoever needs it and get the Sixers over the hump.
4. The starting lineup
You'll often hear how terrible the Sixers' bench is, which is fair, but it's the playoffs. Deep lineups do not matter as much because the starters will play close to, or more, than 40 minutes a night. And you can make a viable case, other than the Golden State Warriors, the best starting lineup in the NBA belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, the current Sixers' starting lineup is 8-2 in games they've started together. The losses were a three-point loss to the Celtics and a one-point loss during the second half of a back-to-back at Chicago.
Ben Simmons played 36.9 minutes per game in the playoffs last season. I expect that number to creep towards 39, 40 minutes this season, as Simmons has been shooting 65.5-percent from the line since March 1st.
Jimmy Butler has played in 43 NBA playoff games and he's averaging 37.8 minutes per game in the postseason for his career. Butler is going to play a lot of playoff minutes for Philly.
Tobias Harris has played 35.0 minutes a night for the Sixers in 27 games. He'll also get close to 40 minutes per game in the postseason.
Joel Embiid played 34.8 minutes per game in last year's playoffs. If healthy, Embiid will also creep toward the upper 30's in minutes per game this postseason.
JJ Redick will probably be on the lower end of the spectrum, around 35 minutes per night in the playoffs, as Brown will use James Ennis (when healthy) or Mike Scott (or maybe even Zhaire Smith?) to spell Redick for defensive purposes in certain situations.
Mike Scott will get significant minutes off of the bench, but that may be it on a consistent basis. Don't expect to see too much of anyone else.
3. Defense
Defensively, the Sixers have not shown their true potential with this current lineup, but they can be an elite defensive team. It's in them somewhere. While Harris and Redick may be below average defenders, the Sixers make up for it with Simmons, Butler, and especially Embiid.
Simmons is probably the NBA's most versatile defender, as he's the only player in the NBA to guard each position at least 10-percent of the time and hold the opposing player under their normal production (points per 100 poss) at all five positions, per Krisha Narsu of Vantage Sports. Butler, when engaged (and he should be in the playoffs), is one of the game's best wing defenders, unafraid of any matchup and capable of shadowing the opposing team's best ball handler. And Joel Embiid could be the most impactful defensive player in the league.
2. Home court
The Sixers have one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA. I don't know how much this matters, but it can't hurt. Philly finished the regular season 31-10 at home.
1. Joel Embiid
It's his time. If Embiid wants to solidify himself as a perennial MVP candidate and one of the game's best players, he has to make his mark on this postseason. His prime years won't be as long as people think, so at 25 years old, his time is now. He may be the best player on the court in any Eastern Conference series (although Giannis and/or Kawhi will have something to say about it), and if Embiid can take over a few games here and there, the Sixers can make a run.
Bonus: The other teams in the East aren't anything special
Yes, Milwaukee is a really good regular season team. But they're not necessarily a scary team. They're young without much playoff experience and success. Toronto isn't the scariest team either. Kyle Lowry is a suspect playoff player, Kawhi Leonard's future is still up in the air, and is Pascal Siakam ready to be that guy? And Boston, they have plenty of issues of their own.
Why not us?
