After a pretty unbelievable run over the past month, the Sixers have found themselves second in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics.
The Sixers are playing their best basketball by far since the 2020-2021 season. James Harden has been a walking triple double, Joel Embiid has planted himself right back in the MVP conversation and they are getting solid production from other key pieces like Tyrese Maxey, DeAnthony Melton, and Tobias Harris.
With that being said, do the Sixers legitimately stand a chance against the other big players in the East? The argument can be made for the Celtics, Bucks, Cavaliers, and Nets have just as good if not better talent than the 76ers, but somehow the Sixers (30-16) are looking up at only one of these teams in the standings.
There is no doubt that the Sixers have the talent to compete in the East and maybe even beyond, but they will need to continue this type of dominance as we get later into the season. The NBA season is a little over half way done and year after year it seems that the teams that make deep runs into the postseason are not just playing their best basketball in January but in the months of March and April.
What the Sixers have going for them is experience. Not only has Doc Rivers been in this position before, but James Harden and Joel Embiid are no strangers to playing late into the season. The Sixers duo is at the top of the list in experience compared to other stars in the East.
The Sixers still have plenty of games left against the top teams in the East but the games that are going to matter toward the end of the season are games like Saturday night’s win over the Kings. The 76ers must continue beating the teams that they should beat and keeping pace with these heavy hitters should be no problem after this month long run.
Photo via AP Photo – Frank Franklin
