Regardless of what happens in their series against the New York Knicks, this season has been a big win for the Philadelphia 76ers, and fans should be thrilled with what they're doing right now.
Not only is Philadelphia fresh off a first-round series win against the Boston Celtics (when they were dealing with a 3-1 series deficit, no less), but the team has been resilient all year.
76ers are showing life at the right time
Even with injuries to Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. (and Tyrese Maxey for a chunk of March), the suspension of Paul George, the concerns about their depth, and the questionable Jared McCain trade, the 76ers are not only still standing, but they have exceeded everybody's expectations and may actually be able to make some noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
And to top all of that off, VJ Edgecombe had a stellar rookie campaign and is looking like he will be a real contributor in Philadelphia for years to come.
Things are looking good for the 76ers right now, and there is a lot to look forward to for the long haul (particularly the Maxey-Edgecombe pairing). A trip to the conference finals would be fantastic for Philadelphia (not only for basketball reasons, but also because those "____ happened before a Joel Embiid conference finals appearance" memes would finally go away), but the team wasn't supposed to be here anyway.
And for all intents and purposes, this season has already been a huge win for them.
The 76ers can build on their successful season
A lot of Philadelphia's long-term success will depend on how Maxey and Edgecombe develop from here on out, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
He may not be the same guy he was even a few years ago, but Embiid is still a crucial part of the 76ers' success, largely because of his work in the mid-range and improved playmaking. If he hadn't returned from his appendectomy in the first round of the playoffs, they'd be in Cancun at this very moment.
But not only did he return, but he made a legitimate impact and will be a crucial long-term asset to the team.
And, like Embiid, it seems like George is finally yielding to the 76ers' young guards and has taken a backseat, which is exactly what he needed to do. They don't need him to put up 20 shots a game. They need him to essentially be a super 3-and-D guy and help fill in the margins. This is what he did against Boston, and it paid immediate dividends.
The 76ers still have some concerns, and they should have a busy offseason (Quentin Grimes' and Oubre's unrestricted free agencies, needing to get an actual backup to Embiid, and bolstering their depth). But there's a lot to like about their outlook in the East, no matter the result of their series against New York.
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