2021 NBA playoffs power rankings — 4. Philadelphia 76ers
The top four, in my book, are the real real contenders. The teams with more than a slim chance. The teams who, if things break right, can absolutely come away with Larry O’B. I still have my concerns about Doc Rivers and this Sixers team. Is there enough shot creation around Joel Embiid? How badly with Brooklyn murder the bench units? And yet, those concerns are often washed away by the mere presence of Joel Embiid, who rocks hard.
Embiid has battled through a torn meniscus to give the Hawks the business in three straight games. The amount of guts he has shown thus far is inspiring. He so clearly wants to win, and he’s so clearly inspired to win by the city he plays for. The fanbase’s connection to Embiid has been special from the very jump, but this postseason has strengthened that bond even further.
Despite his knee injury, Embiid has been statistically the best player on the floor this postseason. He is scoring at every level and punishing the defense in every way — as a face-up scorer, as a post-up scorer, as a playmaker out of double teams, as an offensive rebounder, as a rim runner. You name it, Embiid has done. He has also been locked in defensively, making Atlanta work for everything and more around the rim.
Embiid’s two-way dominance is absurd and this postseason has cemented his status as one of the NBA’s most valuable players. The Sixers are not better than Brooklyn offensively, and the Nets may have the best player in the world when push comes to shove, but the Sixers have a lot of heart and one heck of a soul. If Embiid is on the floor, I would not write them off.