The Philadelphia 76ers have been a dominant force all season, racking up an Eastern Conference-leading 38-17 record heading into Friday night's showdown against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sixers president Daryl Morey dramatically reshaped the roster around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in his first offseason with the club, giving them a balanced attack on both ends of the court.
There are still questions about how far this team can go in the playoffs. Simmons' offensive flaws are a bigger issue in the postseason than the regular season, and one has to wonder whether or not Morey will wind up kicking himself for not pulling the trigger on a Kyle Lowry trade.
Still, as loaded as the Brooklyn Nets are, Doc Rivers' Sixers are a force to be reckoned with. Here are three reasons why Philly should be the favorite in the East.
3. Dominant starting lineup
After last season's debacle in Philly, Daryl Morey knew he needed to balance out the roster when he got hired. Morey made moves to acquire Danny Green and Seth Curry, providing more shooting around the team's two All-Stars and Tobias Harris. The ploy has worked to perfection thus far.
The Sixers' starting lineup is one of the best in the NBA. In 481 minutes together, they boast an offensive rating a few ticks over 119 and a defensive rating of 105.6, good for a net rating of plus-13.7, according to NBA.com. That's the best mark in the league among lineups with at least 300 minutes played. Even if you bring that filter down to 250 minutes played, it's still the best in the East.
This group brings it on both ends of the floor and offers versatility inside and out. Once George Hill is healthy, Doc Rivers could plug the veteran in for Green or Curry at times and not really lose anything.
2. Defense
While the Brooklyn Nets are an overpowering offensive juggernaut thanks to their ridiculous talent level, they still are rather weak on the defensive end of the court. The lack of playing time together due to injuries could further exacerbate this problem come the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Sixers are second in defensive rating and have two Defensive Player of the Year candidates in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid has the paint locked down, while Simmons can guard 1-5.
In addition, Philly has some quality defenders in reserve. Dwight Howard isn't the dominant presence he once was, but he's a capable defensive backup for Embiid in the middle. Matisse Thybulle is a defensive menace who's averaging 1.5 steals and a block in just over 19 minutes per game while racking up the most deflections per 36 minutes among NBA rotation players.
The Sixers having a number of bodies they can throw at the star power on the Nets (and other contenders) will be extremely helpful in the playoffs.
1. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is having a career season and is a legitimate MVP candidate. Some even consider him the frontrunner, though the fact that he has missed 18 games is a ding on his resume.
Regardless, Embiid has taken another step this season. He's averaging 29.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and a steal in 32.1 minutes per game. The big man is shooting a career-high 51.6% overall, 38.9% from 3-point range and 85.3% from the foul line on 11.6 attempts per game.
Embiid can score inside and outside. His improved jumper has helped him become a mid-range assassin and above-average 3-point shooter, as well as a sniper at the line. Being able to knock down outside shots only opens up his inside game even more, and he has a variety of moves he can pull off down low.
The Sixers have outscored their opponents by a whopping 12.5 points per 100 possessions in Embiid's 1,189 minutes this season. As long as the Sixers stay healthy, they're going to be extremely tough to beat with Embiid playing at such a high level.
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