Despite dropping their last two games, the Philadelphia 76ers are back to looking like a competent basketball team, and it’s certainly a very welcoming development for the franchise after casuing a lot of confusion, if not derision, for the first two months of the season.
Now, the 76ers have a much stronger bid to make the playoffs and actually make some noise therein, but to maximize their chances, getting into an ideal position is imperative. Put simply, Philly needs to shoot for a higher seed before April if they want to maximize their chances of making a deep playoff run as expected by many.
The Eastern Conference is pretty top-heavy at the moment with the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Knicks separating themselves from the pack. However, a big run from the 76ers to inch closer to that echelon should not be entirely ruled out, especially with one major obstacle already looking like it’s bound to be out of commission.
The 76ers did not even have to do anything to surpass a key rival
Heading into the season, the usual suspects were expected to contend for the crown in the East, heeding little attention to Miami, which repped the conference in two of the last four seasons. A perennial wildcard, Jimmy Butler and company have also flown under the radar, only to shcok everyone with rock-solid basketball come playoff time.
However, that seems to be an unlikely scenario to be reprised this season. Butler, who catapulted the Heat to Finals appearances and runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2023, has basically demanded for a trade out of Miami in public, forcing the Heat to take matters into their own hands with the All-Star moving forward.
While Miami is still in a respectable position thanks to Tyler Herro, who is having an All-Star caliber season, and Bam Adebayo, the Heat undeniably have a lower ceiling without Butler (or with him, but the disentwined variant). For teams like the 76ers, that is a good thing, as it rids them of one playoff contender to worry about for the most part.
Philadelphia has had troubles with Miami with Butler at the helm, and absent him, the 76ers should have a much easier time matching up with them, especially if they come into contact in the playoffs.
And while the 76ers have bigger fish to fry than to worry about another team, there is clearly vested interest in rooting for a major rival’s collapse, at least on the hardwood.
For now, the Philadelphia 76ers need to buckle down as they shoot for a more sterling record than what they are currently parading, though a keeping an eye on the situation in Miami should also play to their best interests.