As Philadelphia 76ers improve, Cleveland Cavaliers falter

The Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the NBA Eastern Conference. The team is hot on the heels of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 3-seed

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid does not get much credit for his incredible use of social media. His ability to make future predictions which create scorn and controversy have other characteristics.  When he claimed the Philadelphia 76ers were a playoff team in 2016, everyone laughed. Then the team put on a 10-5 streak in January 2017, and suddenly the Philadelphia 76ers had that “potential” for post season. Joel Embiid’s season ended after 31 games. Rookie sensation Ben Simmons‘ season never starter.

The proclamation

While injured, Embiid made another bold prediction. Once more, the entrenched NBA pundits turned on the rookie center.

“How dare he even suggest such a thing!” was the standard NBA reaction. Ah, for most.  But The Sixer Sense has made it a point to give credit where credit is due. And we recognized the move as a genius move.

Motivation takes guts

Why so genius? Well, the Philadelphia 76ers have lots of moving parts. And they must all synchronize to make good things happen. The team does not compete for a playoff spot if the coaching staff starts all rookies. And for the early part of the season, injuries forced the team to do just that. Well, players still in development stage.

The team does not improve the bench without signing Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova, and then getting Markelle Fultz to give the entire bench a spark. It is a series of moves needed with a unified goal in mind. This team began aiming at a playoff run in October 2017. A young team on a course for greatness starts slowly. But the trajectory was predictable.

Here They Come

Nobody is welcoming the Philadelphia 76ers to the upper echelons of the NBA. Nobody is talking about Coach Brown as NBA Coach of the Year. But he should be. The Philadelphia 76ers have played hard for Coach Brown no matter what the roster held.  As such, no head coach deserves a playoff appearance more than Brown. But getting there means the team must win.

The team is winning, not by accident, but because Joel Embiid said they should be. That lightning rod effect of social media did not just attract attention from opposing forces. It became a rallying cry from within the organization.  People began to ask “Why can’t we?”  as they lined up to contribute to the team which existed in Joel Embiid’s vision.

NBA’s balance

Like every professional sport, what one team wins, another team must lose. For the Philadelphia 76ers to earn a respectable spot in the NBA, they must replace another team. While many saw the Cleveland Cavaliers as the epitome of the NBA Eastern Conference,  some saw future weakness.

After all, the team was engineered from the free agent return of LeBron James, the trade of Andrew Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love, and the 2011 first round pick Kyrie Irving. That formed their NBA Championship triad.  But the team was made up of dissimilar parts. Bot LeBron and Irving excel best with the ball in their hands. And despite the team drafting Irving in 2011, the team became LeBron’s from the moment he returned to the Cavaliers in 2014. That same year, the Philadelphia 76ers had a very important draft.

That 2014 NBA Draft

The 2017 Philadelphia 76ers needed that 2014 NBA Draft to get it all started. An NBA lottery which seemed to set the Philadelphia 76ers behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, set the wheels in motion. That lottery placed the Cavs  on course to get Wiggins, and in turn, Love. But that same draft placed the Philadelphia 76ers on course.

https://youtu.be/na1UNluuPEs

Now, those forces kick in.

Next: Dario Saric leads Philadelphia 76ers over NY Knicks 118-101

That 2014 NBA Draft delivered both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. And that Saric selection began with the team drafting point guard Elfrid Payton, and then trading him for the right to get Saric at 12, the 2017 first round pick returned, and the second round pick which delivered Richaun Holmes. The pieces which now power the Philadelphia 76ers, had origins in 2014. And the players now driving the Philadelphia 76ers arrived to the team four years ago. Four years is time enough for the NBA changing of the guard.