As we near another NBA postseason, the Sixers are likely going to be one of the teams participating in the Eastern Conference half of the bracket, either being the sixth seed or via the play-in. But it feels like the noise around the franchise entering the playoffs is sounding much quieter than previous postseasons. Of course, that’s probably a good thing for Philadelphia as the franchise has been known to let its fans down in the early rounds of the playoffs for the majority of the previous 10 years.
But we want to look forward not backwards here. With Jayson Tatum back in the fold, the Boston Celtics are certainly going to be the popular choice to get out of the Eastern Conference and make a run at their second NBA title in three years. But after that, who does anyone really feel confident in atop the East? The Detroit Pistons have not won a playoff series in nearly two decades. New York and Cleveland seem to regularly have second-round ceilings. Is anyone really afraid of the Atlanta Hawks?
That leaves your Philadelphia 76ers in an interesting position heading into the playoffs. Philly hasn’t really garnered a lot of national attention this season as most of the talking heads believe the Sixers have missed their window in the Joel Embiid era. The fanbase has certainly felt a bit apathetic this season. That’s not to say any of those assertions are incorrect, but it does lessen the pressure on the Sixers during the next month — and potentially longer.
The landscape of the Eastern Conference really hasn’t changed much in recent years too. Boston won the conference in 2022 and 2024, got to the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023 and was upset largely due to Tatum’s injury last year in the second round against New York. In that time, we’ve seen Miami make it to the Finals out of the play-in tournament, and an Indiana team that was not seeded in the top three of the conference in either of the past two seasons make the conference finals both years.
Maybe Paul George’s resurgence is real and a player who most Sixers fans wrote off and most NBA media members probably thought was one of the worst contracts in the NBA has a revenge tour planned in these playoffs. Could Embiid find a way to stay healthy for most of the postseason for once? How hungry will VJ Edgecombe be for his first dose of playoff action? Tyrese Maxey could certainly be the best player on the floor in almost any playoff game.
None of this is to argue that the Sixers are destined to play until Memorial Day. Monday night’s game in San Antonio was just the latest reminder that this team isn’t a serious contender. However, segments of the NBA playoffs are starting to feel a bit less predictable as evidenced by some of the other deep runs aforementioned Eastern Conference teams have made in recent years.
Sure, “Why not us?” might not be the most encouraging slogan for Sixers fans this spring. But for a franchise that has been understandably ripped time and time again around this time of year, expect the Sixers to be a looser bunch when the second season commences. Does that mean they’ll be a better bunch? Well, you’re guess is as good as mine on that one.
