The Sixers have just 14 games left to play in the regular season, and soon all of the debates about MVP, their legitimacy as a contender, and the future of the franchise will be put to the test. No better time than the present to dive into a mailbag.
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My confidence in this team heading into the playoffs is certainly higher than it was to start the year. How couldn t it be? They ve sustained a No. 1 seed pace behind an MVP candidate at center, and all their changes have been wildly successful. The team fits together, the coaching staff has (mostly) pressed the right buttons, and important players have taken steps forward.
Philadelphia has taken a big step on defense, which is their most important trait as a contender aside from Embiid s evolution into an MVP-caliber player. They were very good but stopped short of great there in past years, and Dan Burke s tweaks to the system have made them tougher to solve in the halfcourt. Embiid shows higher against pick-and-rolls, the team toggles in and out of different looks, Ben Simmons is playing at a DPOY level, and Matisse Thybulle is madness personified coming off of the bench. When they are locked in, they are a sphinx-like problem to solve.