Tim Legler Thinks The Sixers Can Make It To The Eastern Conference Finals
The mood around the Sixers is as low as it can get. Since Joel Embiid went down, they have been a complete disaster. Their record without the big man is the 8th worst in the entire league. But we got some good news this week that he is close to a return. One National NBA Analyst, Tim Legler, likes their chances with him back. He went on First Take this morning, and was asked what their ceiling is with Joel Embiid back. He said he likes their chances against any team apart from the Celtics.
Here is What Tim Legler Said About the Sixers:
“If they can win a play-in game, and get the 7th spot, then it is Conference Finals. You’ve got to avoid the Celtics, that is the bottom line. If you draw the 8 spot and play Boston off the bat, it will be the first round. But if they have the chance to play Milwaukee in the 1st round, absolutely they can win that series.
There is no matchup for (Embiid). No scheme you can come up with, no personnel that affects him. He is the most dominant offensive player in the Eastern Conference. That is what you are getting back. And you are getting back a guy with fresh legs…
You inject that into the Eastern Conference Playoffs? There is only 1 team like that and it is Boston. Milwaukee is not on that level, they have basically been a .500 team for the past two months. The 76ers getting back an energized Embiid, going into a best of 7 series with the Bucks. Yes they can win that series.”
He Has a Point
It is hard to argue with Tim Legler here. We saw how good this team can be with Embiid out there. When Embiid plays, they have the 2nd best record in the entire NBA. Only the Celtics are better. He is that special of a player when healthy.
Will he be 100%? There will surely be rust. But he will have a few games to shake that rust off at least. But if he can find 75% of the form he had this season, they can be a dangerous team. This is a guy who scored 40 points 9 times this season in only 34 games. He averaged over a point per minute, while seeing his Rebounds and Assists per game go up as well. Not to mention his elite defense.
If he stayed healthy and reached that 65-game minimum, he’d be the runaway favorite for his 2nd straight MVP. No one else can touch what he was doing on a basketball court. If they get that guy back for the playoffs, the sky is the limit.
Beating the Celtics would be tough because they look like a well-oiled machine. You certainly want to avoid them in the 1st round while Embiid is still shaking off the rust. But the rest of the East is not that scary. Tim Legler is right, just get the 7 seed, and this team can make some noise.
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