April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
-T.S. Elliot, The Waste Land
Back in early April...those were the halcyon days. The Sixers sat atop the Eastern Conference Standings. Well, at least they were tied with the Nets for the honor with a home game looming in Philadelphia without James Harden or Kevin Durant. At the time Sixer fans were dreaming of ways to push to maintain the top seed, while also load managing Joel Embiid’s at times bothersome knee, and also experimenting with lineups that were more playoff viable than some they’ve used throughout the season.