NBA Playoffs: The Dangerous Philadelphia 76ers?
By on March 15, 2008
866 reads
It looks as if Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets will be watching the 76ers in the playoffs from the comfort of their sofas.
While many of the postseason spots in the Western Conference are still up for grabs, the East is mostly settled. Many observers believe Boston is a virtual lock to get to the Eastern Conference Finals—and I won't disagree with that.
But what team would want to face the red-hot 76ers, who've beaten the likes of Phoenix, Detroit, Orlando, and San Antonio in recent games?
As it stands, the Sixers are slated to play the Pistons in the first round. Many experts would probably predict a Detroit sweep—having never seen the Sixers play, because they haven't had a single game on national television this season.
Truth be told, the Sixers haven't even gotten much attention from their own fans this year. But the club's success has started to turn heads.
They mix of young talent and a blue-collar worker in Reggie Evans has proven to be an entertaining one, with the team thriving off fast breaks. Andre Miller has been a leader throughout the season, and a catalyst of the recent surge.
Miller's 30+ point performance against the Spurs propelled the Sixers to a win, and he now has the longest active consecutive-games streak in the NBA after Bruce Bowen was suspended.
Not bad for a guy who bruised his back two games ago at Boston.
Looking ahead, I don't see the Sixers staying put in the standings. The Wizards seem to be a catchable team, especially after almost losing to the Clippers on Saturday night. We'll have have to wait and see what happens when Gilbert Arenas comes back.
The Raptors have also been sliding, losing seven of their last 10.
All told, the Sixers have proved that they can consistently beat some of the top teams in the league (except Boston), and could make a run to the Conference Finals.
Did I want the Sixers to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year? No—I was hoping for a high draft pick.
But the dearth of good teams in the East makes a deep postseason run a real possibility. The draft is off our minds now. Let the Heat worry about ping-pong balls.
Note: The second to last game the Rockets lost was to Philly.
Advice to Mo Cheeks: Sit Willie Green for the rest of the season.
While many of the postseason spots in the Western Conference are still up for grabs, the East is mostly settled. Many observers believe Boston is a virtual lock to get to the Eastern Conference Finals—and I won't disagree with that.
But what team would want to face the red-hot 76ers, who've beaten the likes of Phoenix, Detroit, Orlando, and San Antonio in recent games?
As it stands, the Sixers are slated to play the Pistons in the first round. Many experts would probably predict a Detroit sweep—having never seen the Sixers play, because they haven't had a single game on national television this season.
Truth be told, the Sixers haven't even gotten much attention from their own fans this year. But the club's success has started to turn heads.
They mix of young talent and a blue-collar worker in Reggie Evans has proven to be an entertaining one, with the team thriving off fast breaks. Andre Miller has been a leader throughout the season, and a catalyst of the recent surge.
Miller's 30+ point performance against the Spurs propelled the Sixers to a win, and he now has the longest active consecutive-games streak in the NBA after Bruce Bowen was suspended.
Not bad for a guy who bruised his back two games ago at Boston.
Looking ahead, I don't see the Sixers staying put in the standings. The Wizards seem to be a catchable team, especially after almost losing to the Clippers on Saturday night. We'll have have to wait and see what happens when Gilbert Arenas comes back.
The Raptors have also been sliding, losing seven of their last 10.
All told, the Sixers have proved that they can consistently beat some of the top teams in the league (except Boston), and could make a run to the Conference Finals.
Did I want the Sixers to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year? No—I was hoping for a high draft pick.
But the dearth of good teams in the East makes a deep postseason run a real possibility. The draft is off our minds now. Let the Heat worry about ping-pong balls.
Note: The second to last game the Rockets lost was to Philly.
Advice to Mo Cheeks: Sit Willie Green for the rest of the season.
Flag
Props (0)
This article is
What is the duplicate article?
Why is this article offensive?
Where is this article plagiarized from?
Why is this article poorly edited?
Philadelphia 76ers: Like this team?
0 Comments
Loading comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete