For the Philadelphia 76ers to reach the NBA Finals in 2020, they will have to go through some elite competition to do so. For example, like the Milwaukee Bucks who they beat fairly easily on Christmas Day 121-109 leading by as many as 29.
Joel Embiid had 31 points and 11 rebounds in a statement game for him, Tobias Harris had 22 points, Josh Richardson had 18, and Ben Simmons had 15 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds in a solid all-around game for Philadelphia. They used a big defensive effort against Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and it showed off just how good the Sixers can be as they picked up another win against an elite opponent.
“I think this team is designed for the playoffs,” said coach Brett Brown. “I believe that the road we have traveled so far has been erratic at times. Whether it’s the infrequency of our five players playing together, whether it’s navigating through some zone, at times some lost leads, and it’s like you’re under a microscope trying to move this team forward and trying to get it whole. I think that the landing spot is exciting.”
The Sixers are an oddly constructed roster led by two bigger players down low in Embiid and Al Horford, but the talent is undeniably there. This team now possesses wins over the other top teams in the East such as the Bucks, the Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors, the Indiana Pacers, and the Miami Heat so this team can play with anybody.
“We knew that already,” said Harris. “We can play with the best of them, but we’ve also fooled around a couple of games with some of the worst teams. I think it’s just that level of us knowing what we can do, especially when we’re locked in tuned and focused as a team. We have to play with that same type of energy whenever we’re on the road.”
The Sixers are on their way to becoming that special team that the front office believed they can be. This Christmas Day win can be a win that spurs a team forward. They just have to continue to grow as a team as they progress as a team.
“Can we keep the boys in the boat, continue to develop, improve, execute, stay healthy, I can feel this,” Brown added. “We just ended, in my world, our first third, we take it through the start of the year through Christmas and Christmas to the All-Star break, then All-Star break run home. So we will critically assess what we do in this middle third and try to move us forward, but to date, I like some of the things I’ve seen against the best teams.”
Philadelphia will now hit the road on Friday to face the Orlando Magic and start a four-game road trip. [lawrence-related id=22105,22082,22067]