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At the trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers pushed all-in on making a run at the NBA title. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey parted ways with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to land James Harden and Paul Millsap.
With Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level, Morey is looking to strike while the iron is hot. Along with putting an end to the Ben Simmons saga, he brought in a legitimate second option to pair with Embiid.
During their rebuild, 76ers fans coined the phrase "trust the process." After years of being a bottom of the barrel team, the pieces are in place to be a finals contender.
While there are multiple teams who could represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, rapper Fat Joe has his mind made up. Since the arrival of Harden, he is picking the Sixers to be the last team standing in these playoffs:
"I believe the 76ers will win the championship, and it's not changing. That boy Joel Embiid is letting you know this ain't no more process. This is the time."
The Philadelphia 76ers still have a long way to go
Through their opening playoff games, it looked like the Sixers could be a real finals threat. Now, opinions might be starting to change. After running away with a 3-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors, Toronto has won two-straight and forced a Game 6 back on their home floor on Thursday.
While Philly is still expected to advance to round two, this is not a good look for a team with finals aspirations. Coughing up a potential series-ending win on your home floor is not something typically done by a true contender.
Seeing how Toronto has made the Philadelphia 76ers sweat, it doesn't bode well for later rounds. Their next opponent will likely be the Miami Heat, a group that cannot be taken lightly. If Embiid and company are struggling to put away an injured Raptors team, how can they expect to best a well-oiled machine like the Heat?
Fat Joe isn't wrong to have confidence in this Sixers team. Despite their recent struggles, they have all the proper pieces to make a deep playoff run. Between an All-Star duo in Embiid and Harden and a supporting cast led by Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey, there is no shortage of talent.
That being said, the Sixers need to get back on track in a hurry if they want to battle with some of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Guess the Lakers players!
