Many know what Philadelphia looks like on paper. ESPN believes they have a good chance to win the ECF and go on to the Finals.
Everyone is already putting the Philadelphia 76ers in playoff contention, and that was before Jaylen Brown and LeBron James were on the team. Now with those star players added to the lineup, the team has been catapulted from just playoff contenders to Finals contenders.
ESPN has released their rankings for who they believe will come out of the Eastern Conference. Surprisingly, the 76ers are ranked second, right behind the defending NBA champions, the New York Knicks. It’s not a bad place for the 76ers to be and it makes sense to keep the Knicks above them out of respect for their title, it just feels a little insulting.
The Knicks have every right to be put above the rest, but what has their offseason looked like for them to still be ranked as number one? Meanwhile, you have the 76ers who bolstered not only their starting lineup, but also their bench. If we’re talking about tenacity and relentlessness, then yes, you can put them above the 76ers. But, if the discussion is about the most talented, then the 76ers clears the Knicks.
Now the team has proven nothing to deserve such a high placement, but how could they not be this high? As many would say it’s “boom or bust” and it’s just the Eastern Conference Finals, not the championship round. Then you have to look at the competition. At the top, one can assume that it’s a toss up between the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and the Cavaliers, all also named in the rankings to win the ECF. The odd choice is the Pacers as another option, which is hard to see as they seem to be one-hit wonders.
The Pistons may be the biggest culprit standing in the 76ers way as they had everything they needed to make it all the way to the Finals last year. Each one of these teams could be a tough opponent but none of them have the kind of offense Philadelphia does. Matchups are the key when it comes to this kind of thing and no team has what it takes to go up against them head to head. On top of that, these teams don’t have the kind of veteran leadership like that of the 76ers. James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Brown have championship experience that would make a huge difference no matter who they face.
The 76ers are starting to get some respect as the truth of what they could become may be a reality. It’s hard to believe but at least on paper, this team is going to be hard to escape as championship contenders.
