Philadelphia 76ers Beat the Chicago Bulls in Race to Lose Later

Well, this dud of a series has certainly swung wildly in Philadelphia's favor. With key injuries to Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and most recently to Luol Deng, Chicago looks to be a crumbling edifice.

On Sunday, the Sixers went up 3-1 in the series, with their 89-82 eking-out of the  Chicago Bulls. 

While it is too early to just hand the series over to the Philadelphia 76ers, it is not too early to speculate on how they match up against the Boston Celtics or  Atlanta Hawks. (Side note: A Hawks vs. Sixers Round 2 would be ratings cyanide.)

Intriguingly, Philly has won all but one game against both foes (the loss came to Boston), and has a great theoretical shot at making the Eastern Conference finals.

Against the Hawks, the 76ers have the gnashing perimeter defense to stymie Joe Johnson's isolationist attack. Jrue Holiday's incredible defensive lateral mobility also poses a problem for Rajon Rondo and the Celtics. 

So Philly can near the promised land, but do the Sixers stand a chance to go beyond the conference finals? Likely not. It is wholly shocking that they could conceivably make it there now, but let's not get ahead of getting ahead of ourselves.