The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most highly anticipated teams in the NBA next season, and right from the get-go, they will be on deck for a lofty challenge –– the NBA Cup. The team is part of Group B in the Eastern Conference, which is now widely reckoned as the Group of Death. After all, they are in a pool filled with dangerous squads, giving them a massive test at the early part of their campaign.
Aside from the 76ers, the Knicks, Cavaliers, Heat, and Pacers are also part of the pool. That is a very strong quintet, as all of those teams have their respective cases to be deemed contenders in the conference. As such, Philly will face a tough road ahead in their quest to make an early statement and go to Vegas.
The 76ers will face an early test next season with the NBA Cup
The NBA recently announced the schedule for the NBA Cup. For Philadelphia, their slate will be as follows:
10/30, 7:30 p.m. ET vs. New York
11/06, 7:30 p.m. ET @ Cleveland
11/25, 5 p.m. ET vs. Miami
11/27, 7:30 p.m. @ Indiana
Well, that schedule cannot get any more daunting. They will be kicking off their NBA Cup journey against the Knicks, the reigning NBA champs, so that immediately makes it a highly critical matchup that could very well decide their fate early on given how tight East Pool B can get, and everyone knows how important the margin of victory will be.
A road game against the Cavaliers, another Eastern Conference Finalist this past season, is another tall challenge awaiting the 76ers. Cleveland is desperate to prove that it can win high-stakes games, and their similarly star-studded lineup could be very difficult to deal with, especially if Philly's team defense is not yet cohesive at that point.
Of course, the Heat will not be an easy opponent. Now that they have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 76ers' relative lack of size will be put to the test, although Philly easily has an advantage when it comes to depth. Still, Erik Spoelstra is a heady coach and will always find a way to make his opponents wary of what he has in store, adjustments-wise.
Lastly, the Pacers are going to be much healthier this time, possibly with an even better core than the one that made the Finals just a calendar year ago. As long as Tyrese Haliburton is playing at least 85 percent of his peak form, they are going to be a pesky squad to put away, even at home.
Clearly, the 76ers have their work cut out for them in the NBA Cup. And given that the group stage games actually count in the standings, they cannot just gloss over this tournament. Philly needs to take this seriously, as this might just be the best measuring stick they can get early in the season to test their mettle as title hopefuls.
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