Here's an interesting first-round playoff series. Maybe not interesting in a “this could be a barnburner” sort of way — the third-seeded 76ers are -900 favorites on DraftKings to win the series — but interesting in that James Harden was supposed to been one of the cornerstones of a Nets superteam, but then Harden forced his way out of Brooklyn, and he'll now face a Nets organization that burned down the superteam to start anew.
But this series is about more than James Harden. Let's take a closer look.
Philadelphia 76ers Overview/Playoff Outlook
Joel Embiid has been nothing short of fabulous this year. The Sixers center is a mortal lock to win the MVP award, having averaged 33.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks, while shooting 54.8% from the floor and 85.7% from the line. The question is whether Embiid can finally lead the 76ers on a deep playoff run. The Sixers are 4-5 in playoff series with Embiid and have never made it as far as the Conference Finals with him. Harden is 33 now but remains a dangerous scorer/distributor who averaged 21.0 points and a league-high 10.7 assists per game this season. Guard Tyrese Maxey averaged 20.3 points per game, and the 76ers' supporting cast also features solid forward Tobias Harris and defensive ace P.J. Tucker. The 76ers opened the season 12-12 but have gone 42-16 since a Dec. 9 overtime victory over the Lakers that launched an eight-game winning streak. Philly's offense has been humming. Since the All-Star break, the 76ers have ranked third in offen sive rating (120.1) and first in true shooting percentage (62%). This series is supposed to be a warm-up for the Sixers in advanced of a probable second-round matchup against the Celtics.