The Sixer Sense
Fansided

5 reasons why Philadelphia 76ers compete for 2018-19 NBA Championship

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA,PA - FEBRUARY 12 : T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers is interviewed by Molly Sullivan while Joel Embiid #21 and Robert Covington #33 pours water over him in congratulations after a fantastic game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA,PA - FEBRUARY 12 : T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers is interviewed by Molly Sullivan while Joel Embiid #21 and Robert Covington #33 pours water over him in congratulations after a fantastic game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Playoff experience

The fact remains that you don’t know what you don’t know. So until the Philadelphia 76ers get into post season play, the organization simply does not know what works or doesn’t work.  But from the moment the Sixers earn that experience, the front office will learn immediately where the team works, and where the team needs reinforcements.

This is a young team. Neither Joel Embiid nor Ben Simmons have experienced the NBA playoffs. It’s no longer a wave of good teams and bad teams, each night a new set of faces, skills and cities. In the NBA playoffs, it’s two teams competing until one team wins four games. That’s a new dynamic for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philly is a team no NBA team wants to face

But it’s not a bad dynamic. This is a team with an incredible number of talented players. And with their height, and the team focus through the front court, there are bound to be mismatches which favor the 76ers. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric are three skyscrapers on the court. Toss in the artillery of J.J. Redick and the 3-and-D Robert Covington, and there is good reason why the starting lineup is so sound.

But the team has some unspoken advantages. This team does not quit in a game nor in a series. And there is that matter of Joel Embiid seeing videos and then replicating the moves on the basketball court. That talent showed up early in Embiid’s career as he revenged a nationally televised loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season with a hard fought win. And that is the very nature of this team. They can be beaten yes. But do not believe for a minute that one win means more wins. This team is resilient.  Thanks to head coach Brett Brown, there is a passion in this team for the city and her fans. And that passion is hard to overcome.