The Sixers’ Path Is Getting Clearer By The Day
The Philadelphia 76ers have been sitting at home since Saturday, April 22nd, waiting for the rest of the Eastern Conference to take care of their 1st round business. They were the only team in the NBA Playoffs to sweep their opponent in the opening round, and since they have, the league has unfolded perfectly for them. Boston has been pushed to a 6th game in their opening series with Atlanta, and they’ll have to win a game on the road against the Hawks to avoid playing in a nerve-wracking game 7. That’s a huge benefit for the Sixers, who will face the winner of that series in the 2nd round, but it’s not all that’s gone their way. Wednesday night, after most of us had already gone to bed for the evening, the Miami Heat finished up game 5 of their opening round series against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. It was not the 5 game result that ANYONE predicted. The 8th seeded Heat took down the Bucks in 5 games, and the top team in the NBA by regular season record will now spend the rest of the playoffs sitting on their hindquarters at home.
Shoutout to Jimmy Butler, who was an absolute monster for Miami in that series. I guess, in fairness, he should probably be referred to as James Butler after that type of performance.
“This was James Butler. That was the adult in the gym. … He was a stud.”
—Brett Brown on how Butler willed the 76ers to a Game 2 victory pic.twitter.com/NIwCXDB42P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2019
The former Sixer played a huge hand in knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks, and clearing the path more for Philly further down the road. Now, of course, the Sixers still have to take care of Boston, if the Celtics do indeed end up taking down the Hawks, but they have a very open path the rest of the way. A team of the Sixers’ caliber shouldn’t be overly worried about the New York Knicks or Miami Heat, and they’re better than every team out West by record. Could Golden State or Phoenix be a formidable opponent in the Finals? Absolutely. Is there a juggernaut team out there that the Sixers should have a side-eye on? Absolutely not. Boston is arguably the best team they’ll face the rest of the way, and if the Sixers can exorcise the demons of the Celtics and the 2nd round exits all in the same go, that might be the confidence boost they need to go all the way.
The West is still interesting, and if a couple of those top teams can fall to upsets in the conference semifinals out there, it could make the path even easier, but 2 of the top 3 teams not named the Philadelphia 76ers in the East are already out. You could not have asked for a better start to the postseason if you’re rooting for Philly. Again, the work still has to be done, and we know historically that opportunities aren’t always cashed in, especially when the only acceptable tender to cash is a Larry O’Brien trophy. It’s not going to be EASY, but it certainly looks to be EASIER than what we all originally anticipated for the Sixers.