The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the 2020 NBA Playoffs as the underdog. They will not have the services of Ben Simmons who is one of the elite players in the game and they will be taking on an explosive Boston Celtics in Round 1.
Not a lot of people are believing in this Sixers team and it’s fair. From the outside, it does not appear that they have much of a chance. However, the feeling is different inside the locker room.
“To be honest, we don’t care about anybody else’s opinion but ours,” said veteran Tobias Harris. “We’re confident internally in our group. We know what we bring to the table and we expect a lot from one another. At the end of the day, we’re just focused on us. Everybody can have noise coming from any different parts, but at the end of the day it‘s all about what we do in our locker room and that’s what we focus on.”
Despite not having Simmons, Harris believes the Sixers are a talented bunch. They do possess one of the more dominant big men in the game in Joel Embiid and Al Horford has a reputation of stepping up when the playoffs roll around. Therefore, the confidence in himself and his team is there heading into this series.
“First, our depth. On top of that, everybody coming together,” he added. “We got a great vibe to how we’ve been playing. The competitiveness, our focus is there, and our talent. Our talent level is still at an all-time high on this team and we’re ready. As a unit coming down here to Orlando, this is our goal to get into the playoffs and do what we have to do and we’re excited about that.”
Philadelphia has always been focusing on the so-called “spirit” of the group. That ability to stick together and play hard no matter what is going on around them is what coach Brett Brown is banking on.
“I think if you look at where we were when we all got together to where we are now, there’s little doubt that we’re in a better spot,” Brown stated. “Now to be able to have a chance to take it further, the goal is you win a championship or you don’t, I believe that we have even without Ben, I believe we have a team that’s capable of doing that. I’m excited to go play the Boston Celtics.”
Game 1 of this anticipated series is slated for a 6:30 p.m. EST start time on Monday. [lawrence-related id=36862,36859,36838]