When the concept of this article was pitched to me halfway through the season, it was with this part of the season in mind. Not only are we gauging how much confidence we have in the Sixers’ bench, but how much confidence we have in a high-stakes playoff matchup.
The Sixers had their best regular season in over 20 years, but they still have to make it out of the second round (and go further than that) to truly be taken seriously.
Getting out of the second round would exorcise several demons, as they will once again match up with their biggest rivals: the Boston Celtics.