The Philadelphia 76ers are now at the spotlight, albeit in the most negative way, after being on the receiving end of a clean sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks. Game 4 saw them crumble in the most deflating way possible, and now, they no longer have any choice but to look forward to what is next in the coming offseason and the following campaign.
Be that as it may, it is certainly amusing –– if not startling –– to see the goalposts suddenly move when it comes to the 76ers. While there is nothing good that comes out of a clean sweep, it is a reach to indulge in the idea that this team fell short of the expectations which people imbued on them.
Nobody had this group making any kind of noise in the playoffs or even getting out of the first round given that they were the seventh seed, yet they managed to outdo themselves and advance to the semis despite all the injuries they faced.
The 76ers exceeded expectations this season, but people simply refuse to admit it
As Joel Embiid said, this season is ultimately a success for the 76ers as a team. Not only did they get past the first round of the playoffs despite the heavy odds stacked against them, but for the first time in quite a while, they finished their campaign with a relatively healthy deck of players, which includes the former MVP himself.
"I know we lost. ... But for me, this was a success."
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2026
Although the Sixers got swept, Joel Embiid is grateful to finish the season in good health đź’Ż pic.twitter.com/h6Lc1em4I9
Finishing the year with Embiid concluding his campaign in one piece alone is already a huge win that redounds to the 76ers. The fact that they were even able to make it to the semis despite going down 3-1, their stars getting injured at the latter stages of the regular season, and facing a definitive title contender in Boston should also not get glossed over that easily.
For those reasons, Philly does not deserve to brandish the "disappointment" tag, unlike in years past. There were genuinely modest expectations for them entering the playoffs, a platform which was not even a guarantee for them given that they had to go through the play-in tournament just to get to the real stage.
The 76ers turned in a relatively successful campaign. While there is an arguable case in that think piece, this team was built to break this season. Instead, they were able to finish it together without anyone going down to the injury bug. At the very least, this group will have something to build with for the following season.
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