The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to finally make a deep playoff run in the 2023-24 season. So far, the Sixers look pretty good and have the assets to improve their roster. But they know they have work to do and that they still have to go through good teams like the Boston Celtics, who have beaten them in the playoffs thrice in the Joel Embiid era.

So far this regular season, Celtics have two wins over the Sixers and the Sixers have one over them. Philly won the only matchup where both teams were close to full strength. Boston's wins came in a game with no Jaylen Brown or Kristaps Porzingis and another game with no Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey. From what Daryl Morey has seen so far, he believes his squad can hang.

In an interview with The John Kincade Show on 97.5 The Fanatic, Morey said that the Sixers believe that they can defeat the Celtics in a playoff series. He doesn’t see them as a team on its own level like the prime Golden State Warriors.

“When we watch them — and we played them quite a few times as well — we see a team that we can beat,” Morey said. “Obviously, they're very good. They’re going to be a very tough series if we get the chance to face them. But we do see them as a team that we can beat. We don't see them as Golden State circa 2017 or whatever.”

Morey mentioned that he sees the Milwaukee Bucks as another very good team that the Sixers are capable of beating. The Bucks came out victoriously in their first meeting but have yet to face the newer, post-James-Harden-trade iteration of Philly. If Morey is able to strike the right trade, the Sixers will have an even better shot at making their long-anticipated run deeper in the playoffs.

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“We feel very good where we're at. We're not complacent,” Morey said. “We know we need to keep playing better, keep improving, hopefully add someone that's maybe significant as well with all the draft picks we have now.”

Before the season began, Morey asked Sixers fans to let the team have the chance to prove it can compete at a high level. Right now, Philly has indeed been one of the best teams in the NBA, as its win over Boston helps show. But the Sixers still have to prove it when it really counts.