Reasons the Sixers Win a Title and Reasons They Won’t
5 Reasons They Will Win an NBA Title This Year
1: They have the best starting big three in the NBA with likely 2021 NBA MVP Center Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris. Harris is underrated and while he should score a bit more in the playoffs when the starters will not get that many minutes to rest. He is a talented defender as well. Simmons is an elite defender that can score at will when his team needs him to. Embiid is simply a beast who can drop over 45 points and 10 rebounds, with several blocked shots against anyone he plays against. Joel is the heart and soul of this team. the terms other two starters are very good as well in the criminally underrated Seph Curry and they should be rookie defensive player of the year Matisse Tybule.
2: They have the best defense in the NBA. They can shut any offense down especially with less bench play in the postseason. The team has 7 elite defenders and arguably 8 or 9 damn good ones off the bench. Did anyone expect the Eagles to sign Dwight Howard to be the team’s backup Center? no, but I’m glad they did. He has been a beast especially on defense off the bench. Simmons, Tybule, Harris, and even Fukan Korkmaz are excellent defenders. When this defense is in synch they have the ability to take away the 3 balls and dominate. Embiid averages 2 blocked shots per game. That’s crazy.
3: They can shoot with the best teams in the NBA, bully any opponent down low in the paint, and shut down any team’s offensive flow. Embiid, Seth Curry, and Tobias Haris are the team’s most consistent shooters and Curry has really come alive in the playoffs. Not many Centers can post up, play elite defense and knock down the 3 like Joel Embiid. There has not been a player as dominant as him in the NBA in some time.
4: They create turnovers like no other Philadelphia 76ers team before them. Sorry, Allen Iverson. They usually average double the amount of turnovers as the teams they play due to coach Doc Rivers’s emphasis on defense and creating turnovers. This isn’t just a group of talented players. This is a team with a strong starting 5 and a very good bench.
5: Despite a few rough outings late in the season the 76ers have one of the deepest and talented benches in the NBA and they have home-court advantage throughout the NBA Playoffs which obviously helps. Tybulle, Maxey and Kormaz are the guys who come to mind first and foremost, but Dwight Howard when he is focused in can score in the paint and block shots easily on defense. He is also willing to foul when the team has fouls to give. He adds an extra element of toughness that makes opponents think twice about trying to score from the paint.
5 Reasons They Won’t Win a Title this Year
1: Despite always being the superior team they can play down to their opponents at times. They should have swept the Washington Wizards 4 games to none rather than winning that series 4 games to 1. They should have already eliminated the Atlanta Hawks but instead are tied up 3 apiece as they look to close out the series back in Philly on Sunday. It may have been a fluke when Atlanta came soaring back in game 5 but it shouldn’t have happened period.
2: I believe that the 76ers will easily win game 7 after redeeming themselves in game 6 with a 104 to 99 victory in a touch place to play in Atlanta. Don’t expect Doc to take the starters out much other than Simmons if Atlanta gets a chance to attempt to hack a Ben yet again. That’s one reason they may not win The Eastern Conference Finals. They should and quite frankly they should win it all this year, but Ben Simmons needs to really up his game at the free-throw line. That’s an understatement. He’s a star, but he must improve quickly in that area.
3: Ben Simmons can only score in the paint via easy layups and dunks. Yes, that’s true. The man has no jump shot. I will say he does so much else that it doesn’t bother me but if the team’s star shooters struggle and he struggles to get to the paint or find his vintage open looks via assists Rivers may be forced to play the rookie Tybulle a bit more than he’d like. They are both star players.
4: If Matisse Tybulle the rookie out of Kentucky is forced to play say 39 minutes in a game can he constantly live up to the hype? He has in the playoffs thus far but nerves could get the best of the rookie in The Eastern Conference Finals and should they make it to The NBA Championship. We shall see. He’s looked like a vested vet so far.
5: This last one is very simple. The team cannot afford to rely solely on Joel Embiid, Seth Curry, and Tobias Harris as the team’s primary 3 point shooters. They need to get Fukan Kormaz more involved. In the few minutes that he’s played he’s been hitting the bottom of the net and his defense isn’t a liability. Dare I say even give Mike Scott a few more minutes off the bench? This really goes without saying but ill say it anyway. If Joel Embiid gets hurt again the season’s over and the team must do more to protect him which is easier said than done but look for Rivers to get more creative offensively.
This is the best Philadelphia 76ers team since 1983 when my oldest sister was born. I was born close to a decade later. This team is even better than the first 76ers team that i started to watch as a kid in 2001 with Allen Iverson. They have the best team in the NBA this year and they should win the NBA championship. The question is will they? We will see. I’ll say this in closing. If they don’t win it all this year I disagree strongly with Jimmy Kempski (sorry pal) that Doc Rivers should be replaced as the team’s head coach. He is a great coach for this team and is far better than the coach that came before him. Nobody misses coach Brett Brown.
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