Now it’s time to see if the 76ers are for real
Red-hot Philadelphia heads into the NBA postseason on a record 16-game winning streak.
The Process has arrived.
In big, bold letters. Philadelphia is The Team Nobody Wants to Play in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Sixers, who finished the NBA regular season with a franchise-record
16-game winning streak, are not just happy to be in the postseason. They are capable of a deep playoff run despite their overall lack of playoff experience.
“Our season to date has been exceptional,” Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters last week.
Since Jan. 1, Philadelphia has:
❚ The best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference and second overall behind Houston.
❚ The second-best defensive rating, allowing 100.6 points per 100 possessions.
❚ The sixth-best offensive rating, scoring 110.2 points per 100 possessions.
❚ The best net rating at +9.5. “There is a toughness in our group,” Brown said. “There is a defensive pur-
pose to our group. We’re going to play fast. We hope to make our threes. But there is a belief that nothing else matters unless we guard and we have sung that song. I’ve tried to sing it since I’ve been here. We continue to sing it.”
From 19 wins in 2013-14 to 18 in 2014
15 to 10 in 2015-16 to 28 last season to 52 this season, the Sixers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and for the first time since former general manager Sam Hinkie embarked on a “process” to turn high draft picks into a contender.
Trusting a process that yielded a 75
253 record in four seasons was trying and painful for ownership, players, coaches, the front office and fans.
“Our fans have been with us for four years of a tough stretch and have been extremely supportive, which is fun. To see the fans rewarded is one of my true joys in my 25 years in this business,” CEO Scott O’Neil told USA TODAY.
No player embodies The Process more than Sixers center Joel Embiid, the third pick in the 2014 draft. He missed his first two seasons with foot injuries. A knee injury limited him to 31 games last season.
Trust the Process is a mantra for himself — as he dealt with and rehabbed injuries — and for the franchise. His presence on the court for 61 games this season is a major reason for Philadelphia’s success. The Sixers are 41-22 when he plays, and his individual stats and team stats reinforce his value.
Ben Simmons had an incredible roo- kie year and will continue to grow. Robert Covington is a valuable two-way player, and Dario Saric is underrated. The Sixers get production out of a versatile bench that includes Jerryd Bayless, T.J. McConnell, Richaun Holmes. J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson brought veteran presence, and Redick is Philadelphia’s second-leading scorer.
This is also Brown’s reward for guiding a team through losing seasons while developing players and making sure players focused on the right way to play. His experience as Gregg Popovich’s assistant coach on San Antonio’s championships teams will help in the playoffs.
President of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo helped change the cul- ture, moving in a direction where expectations are met. He also brought in more productive veterans in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova after the trade deadline.
And while rookie guard Markelle Fultz’s shoulder injury was handled oddly by both sides, he had a triple-double in Philadelphia’s regular-season finale Wednesday.
The Sixers are talented and deep, built for now and the future, and the rest of the league knows it.
“You get a sense that we’re part of something that’s longer lasting than a season or a blip,” O’Neil said.
On Wednesday, the Sixers launched a new campaign, “Phila Unite,” channeling Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 cartoon of a segmented snake. Franklin wanted to unite the colonies, and the Sixers, who have done a masterful job incorporating the city’s significant history into their marketing, want fans and the city to unite for the playoffs.
That won’t be a problem. Philadelphia is the epicenter of sports right now. The Eagles are the Super Bowl champions, Villanova just won the NCAA men’s basketball championship, and the Sixers are the hottest ticket in town.
They have sold out every game this season; season ticket renewals are at 95%, and there is a 10,000-person waiting list for season tickets, O’Neil said.
“Sports is a way to fire up a city, and this city has quite a lot to be happy and proud about,” said O’Neil, who graduated from Villanova and worked for the Eagles.
“It’s special. I feel thankful and appreciative. I work in a great place. People are happy here.”