Where have we heard this before? An underdog team playing in the City of Brotherly Love who have learned to never say die and prove every single doubter wrong. Ladies and gentlemen, your Philadelphia 76ers are headed for their first postseason berth since the 2011-2012 season. It’s been a long road and there have been many lumps, bumps, twists and turns. But when all is said and done, there’s just one statement left echoing around the Wells Fargo Center after each and every win.
Trust the process.
We all know the narrative by now. From the rise and fall of Sam Hinkie, to the breakouts of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, the ‘process’ has become something that has embodied everything Philadelphia stands for. Grinding through the harshest of storms in the faith that it will be worth it in the end. For the Sixers, that was something that was just as important behind the scenes too.
“We’ve really tried to establish the best in-class, professional organization that we could.” GM Bryan Colangelo told me during a practice session ahead of the NBA London game. “We went out and hired a few people on personnel and operations standpoint, one from the league office, one from another NBA team, bringing the best in class together. I feel like we’ve got a great professional team and that’s something that I felt needed to be addressed more than anything.”
That newly found, analytically focused, professionalized direction has led the Sixers down an exciting path. With a balance of experienced veteran sharpshooters and passionate Youngblood, Philadelphia has become one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA. They may not have the most talent and there may well have been All-Star snubs, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t electrify the home court day in and day out. Again, much like a Swan where the beauty of its gliding on water lies on the surface, while the hard work lies beneath, the Sixers have worked tirelessly to follow an example led by none other than Rookie of The Year candidate, Ben Simmons.
“He’s always the first guy on the court.” Dario Saric explained while in England. “Sometimes he’s hard, but a positive hard. Before you’re there, he’s already in the office. I got a couple open shots for me more during the game and his court vision is really nice, one of the top in the league. He’s a big big motor of our machine.”
This season has had rises and falls, injury scares and ‘Markelle Mysteries’, but the team have found their identity again. No more complacency, no more setbacks. Regardless of the inevitable teething problems and the turnover issues that saw ginormous leads become nail-biting finishes, Philadelphia has accumulated that experienced and pushed it into a style of play that Brett Brown has molded.
“They just compete.” Said Aron Baynes of the Celtics, a player who knows the Sixers head coach very well. “Brett Brown has them competing every time they step on the floor. It doesn’t matter if they’re down by 20, they’re gonna go out and play the entire time and make you work for every single possession. They don’t take any plays off and that’s what we need to work on as well, staying consistent. That’s what helps you play late into the season.”
The tail end of the regular season is upon us and the Sixers will be storming into the playoffs with every hope of making some noise and why can’t they? What’s stopping Philadelphia from springing a surprise in the Eastern Conference playoffs other than themselves? Embracing the underdog mentality has been a staple of their unrelenting play of late, with the Sixers responding to national criticism with some dominant victories.
We could argue statistics, efficiency, ‘star-power’ and so much more until the day turns tonight but the truth is that in a seven-game series, all of that goes out of the window. There have been some scintillating upsets and ridiculously close series’ in recent memory and the Sixers have every chance of at least staking their claim for the Throne which they wish to inherit in the year’s to come. Will they make the finals? Probably not. But if they can make some noise and turn heads along the way, then it’s safe to say that a new phase of ‘The Process’ is just beginning.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
