Eight Reasons for the 76ers to take their foot off the gas!
by John Kincade
The 76ers disastrous weekend in San Francisco and Phoenix have made the playoff picture actually come into better focus. It’s not all good news, but it just might be the best news in the long run.
I present to you the eight reasons the 76ers can take their foot off the gas!
THE 76ers ARE HAVING ONE OF THEIR BEST REGULAR SEASONS
– If the 76ers win just 4 of their final 8 games and get to 53 wins they will have their best regular season record they have compiled in 22 seasons.
– The 76ers 23 road wins are one behind the Bucks for the best record in the NBA
YOU ARE NOT CATCHING THE CELTICS FOR THE 2 SEED
It’s not “officially over” but catching the Celtics with 8 games left to play isn’t very logical. The 76ers can’t tie the Celtics for the 2 seed, they must be one win ahead of them. The Celtics Magic Number over the 76ers is 7 to secure the 2 seed. The 2 teams do have one game left to play in Philadelphia on Tuesday, 4/4.
THE CAVALIERS AREN’T GRABBING THE 3 SEED FROM YOU
The 76ers Magic Number is 6 vs Cleveland to secure the 3 seed. Grab a few more wins and it will all be over.
THE 76ers HAVING THE TOP SEED BEFORE MEANT NOTHING
Do you forget the 2021 Playoffs? The 76ers had the easiest path to the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference. They had to beat Washington, Atlanta and then Milwaukee all with home court advantage. They never got to the Bucks. Blame Ben Simmons all you want to, but the team collapsed over and over under the pressure. This time around they can not have the top seed riding on their shoulders.
JAMES HARDEN NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN IN CASE HE CAN RECOVER FOR THE PLAYOFFS
James Harden is limping to the finish line and hasn’t even been available in what was termed by the 76ers as a “minor foot injury”. I don’t believe them. The only chance this team has to advance to a title is with a healthy Harden. Do everything you can to TRY and get to that point.
GIVE JOEL EMBIID EXTRA REST
How many times have we talked about “if only Joel was healthy come playoff time?” Go secure the 3 seed and then make sure he gets plenty of time to rest the sore foot. Don’t let another injury be the excuse that this team doesn’t realize expectations.
THE BATTLE FOR THE 6 SEED IS GOING TO EXHAUST WHOEVER WINS IT
Brooklyn and Miami are separated by just a half game to capture the 6 seed this morning. Whoever finishes in the 7 seed will have to compete in the play-in tourney. These teams are going to go down to the wire attempting to get the 5 days off before the real playoffs begin. They may over exert themselves getting the 6 seed which could benefit the 76ers down the line.
THE LAST TWO NBA CHAMPIONS WERE 3 SEEDS
Golden State was the 3 seed last season and Milwaukee was the 3 seed the season before. They both held parades and nobody will ever care that over the course of the season they were just third best in their conference. Maybe THREE is the charm once again in 2023!
