Philadelphia 76ers: Would a First-Round Exit From the Playoffs Be a Letdown?
As the NBA season winds down, it looks to be a safe bet that the Philadelphia 76ers will at least make the playoffs.
Currently, they'd be the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and they still have a shot at moving up to the No. 6 seed. Accomplishing that feat may be a little harder now that the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, but it's still a possibility.
The real question I'm pondering is whether or not a first-round exit from the playoffs would be looked at as a disappointment or if the season could still be considered a success.
Going into the season, there wasn't much hope that this squad could compete with the top teams in the east like the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. Even though the fan base was excited to finally have its first quality coach since Larry Brown in Doug Collins, the expectations were still limited.
Starting off the season with a 3-13 record didn't help to change those pessimistic views, but as the season progressed, the 76ers began to show signs of life. A recent stretch in which they went 10-3, including a victory over the league leading San Antonio Spurs, went a long way in proving that this team can compete with anybody.
At this point, you can pretty much narrow it down to four different teams that the 76ers could see in the playoffs, but whichever of the four it is, the Sixers won't be given much of a shot at beating them in a series.
While the Celtics are 2-0 against Philly and have three likely Hall of Famers in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and a fourth All-Star in Rajon Rondo, the Sixers have played them tough in both loses. If it's the Heat, they're also 2-0 against Philadelphia and, in my opinion, are the toughest matchup for the 76ers.
It's also possible that the Sixers could see the Chicago Bulls or the Orlando Magic in the first round. Early in the season, the Bulls beat the 76ers by 45 points, but more recently, the Bulls lost a game in Philadelphia.
The Magic are 2-1 against the Sixers, and that's mostly due to Dwight Howard consistently dominating them because of their lack of a real center.
The prospects of seeing the Philadelphia 76ers make a real run in this years playoff may be unlikely, but that won't stop me from rooting and believing that they could pull of an upset. The last time I was able to say that, Allen Iverson still played in this country.
So that's why, no matter what happens this year, I see it as a step in the right direction, and an early exit would not be a disappointment.
