The goal for the 2023 NBA playoffs is simple for the Philadelphia 76ers: go for it all. Decades of playoff heartbreak that the Sixers franchise has continued to endure into the Joel Embiid era provide a backdrop for the stakes at hand. He leads the way for Philly, along with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, in a postseason stuffed to the brim with expectations of a deep run.

The Sixers' urgency to win a championship is clear to everyone, especially those on the team. On his “Maxey on the Mic” podcast (at the 19:45 mark), Maxey that they have to win it all for this season to count for something.

“Title or bust,” the Sixers guard said bluntly. “I think it is title or bust for us, honestly. With the talent that we have on this team — the talent that we have, the camaraderie that we have, the timetable that we have — we want to win now. We want to win now. I know myself, I'm young, [De'Anthony Melton]'s young, [Jalen McDaniels], we have some young pieces. But we also have some vets who are ready to do this thing right now.

“Like y'all been saying, we have Joel Embiid, who will probably win MVP this season. We have James Harden who has won an MVP in his past,” Maxey continued. “Both of their guys are hungry for their first title…We're putting the pressure on ourselves. There's other teams that's gonna put the pressure on themselves. It's a toss-up. Who wants it more? We're gonna go out there and fight our tails off and put our best effort into the situation.”

As it pertains to the Brooklyn Nets — their opponent in the first round of the playoffs whom they should be able to defeat — Maxey is looking to put ball pressure on Spencer Dinwiddie and make him tired. He said that the Sixers have to slow down Mikal Bridges and be watchful of the array of three-point shooters Brooklyn has.

The Sixers have won the most games (54) since the 2000-01 season, the last time they made the Finals. Is it an omen, or just a fact that makes any pre-conference finals exit even tougher to swallow? Maxey and the squad are eager to make the 2023 playoffs memorable in a good way for Philly.

“We have a really talented team. We have a really good chance to do something special,” Maxey said. “But we have to go get it.”