Philadelphia 76ers Aftermath: Trust The Process? By Brody Sorbera

For the past seven years, the Philidelphia 76ers have always been a potential threat in the Eastern Conference but have yet to make it past the second round. They last advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, when Allen Iverson led them to the NBA Finals but eventually got stomped by the Kobe Bryant and Shaq Laker machine. 

Yes, you read that right. A team that likes to brand itself as a title contender has yet to make it to the semifinals since before I was born. 

Thursday was another postseason failure as they lost a hard-fought series with their rival, the New York Knicks, a series that, at some points, the Sixers looked like they could claw their way from a 3-1 series deficit but fell short, losing the series in six games. 

This was despite the Sixers looking like they were way more accurate shooters and the bench making three after three. However, some late mistakes caused the Knicks' offense and ferocious defense to finally click back on. It was over, and the Knicks advanced, leaving the Sixers eliminated for the seventh year in a row without even an ECF appearance to show for it. 

With all of this in mind, this offseason is critical for the Sixers. Joel Embiid is beginning to show signs of decline after coming back from knee surgery, and most of the role players, like Tyrese Maxey (who single-handedly saved the Sixers in Game 5), Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, and Buddy Hield, are free agents and going to demand massive paydays. 

The good news for them is that they have a projected $110 million in cap space without crossing the Luxury Tax threshold, which means they have some breathing room to pay their player enough to prevent them from walking and maybe grab someone on the market that could pair with Embiid. 

It’s not that the Sixers were playing badly this series; it's that their star player had to come back from surgery in February. If they had one or two more superstars, they could be a dangerous team, but more postseason failures could have led to the final death of this 11-year-long process.