Reflections on the 76ers

You might like them because they are bold, they have swagger, their ownership knows how to market with "Trust the Process" and "Welcome to the Moment."  For us oldtimers, these are echos of either "We Owe You One" or "Come Buy the Seat You'll Never Sit In," with the latter accompanied by images of great plays by the likes of Dr. J that would have you jumping out of your seat. 


But swagger, sizzle, whatever you call it, only gets you so far.  The teams in the late 70's and early 80's were more mature, more formed, more ready for the big time.  This amalgamation of all sorts of parts has been compelling to watch -- at times -- and frustrating at others.  The bottom line is that if you had told an average 76ers' fan that the team would win 50 games and get to the second round of the playoffs, he would have taken it -- at the season's outset.


But the publicity machine, the hype machine, the huckster machine, could not leave well enough alone, could not be humble, got too big for its britches.  The Boston Celtics have been around for a while, they have an apparently transcending coach and a philosophy for attracting talent that says everyone must be able to handle the rock and shoot it -- inside and outside.  Brad Stevens is the new Greg Popovich, the Celtics the new Spurs -- perhaps.  Suffice it to say that the 76ers are not as good as some thought they were during the 16-game winning streak or as bad as some are saying now.


It would have been nice to see some humility from the organization, more respect for the league and the Celtics and even for the intelligence of the fans.  The owners -- led by Josh Harris -- owe the fans a debt of gratitude for staying with the team during a miserable process and for signing up for tickets when, qujte frankly, there was much more hope involved than a track record of excellence.  Series expose flaws, especially in young teams, and the gap between a 3 seed and a 2 seed seems great.  Pick positive adjectives and then the opposite and assign them to the Celtics and 76ers respectively, and you'll sum up the series, the 76ers' solid game last night notwithstanding.


This is a key off-season for the following people:  GM Bryan Colangelo, head coach Brett Brown, point-something Ben Simmons, swingman Robert Covington, center Joel Embiid and guard Markell Fultz.  Colangelo needs to make the right decisions on the trade and free-agent market, Brown needs to find his coaching voice, align it with those who select the talent, and adapt.  Simmons needs to build a reliable shot.  Covington needs to find the tonic for his disappearing acts.  Embiid needs to get in better shape.  Fultz needs to find his shot as well.


Those are a lot of variables for a team on the rise, a team that some have hyped should be a repeat visitor to the NBA finals. 


They also should tone down the hype machine, manage expectations, add a dose of humility to their cocktail and work their tails off to become more consistent and develop a consistent ability to finish off opponents and to step up and tangle with and defeat the best teams. 


This past season was a good start.


But to get to the elite level, there remains a significant amount of work to do.