4 Bold predictions for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024-25

1. The 76ers make the Conference Finals and unseat the defending champs

Before we shoehorn Philly into Finals conversations, though, they must first clear an unyielding hurdle — the Conference Semifinals. The 76ers have been booted out of the second round a staggering five times in the last seven editions of the NBA playoffs and have never sniffed the Conference Finals since Allen Iverson’s MVP year.

That should change this season. While the East still touts the likes of Boston, New York, and Milwaukee not to mention last year’s Conference Finalists in Indiana and prennial challengers in Miami, Cleveland, and Orlando, Philadelphia is stronger than nearly all of those teams on paper. At best, the team dominates and barges into the league’s Final Four.

In the spirit of daring propositions, though, let’s put out one more attendant wrinkle to this otherwise bold prediction, at least context-wise — the 76ers, in poetic fashion, will be the ones to unseat the defending champions as they head to the NBA Finals against the Western Conference’s representative.