With James Harden and Joel Embiid, the 76ers looked poised to make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference.
Already, countless fans and analysts have raved about the duo, claiming they are a lock to make the Finals this season.
For ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, however, the success of the NBA’s newest powerhouse is fully dependent on the health of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. According to Smith, Philly has “no chance” of beating a healthy Nets team in a 7-game series.
”Here’s the bottom line. I’m writing the epitaph on the Philadelphia 76ers right now. As long as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are healthy on the court together, book it! It’s a wrap! Philly ain’t going anywhere.”
It’s a bold take, to say the least. James Harden is one of the best scorers in basketball right now and is averaging 22.5 points per game in his 6 games with Philly so far. Joel Embiid is the MVP frontrunner with a scoring average of 29.7 points per game.
Add those guys with players like Tobias Harris, Mattise Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey, and it’s hard to see how anyone can write them off so easily.
To be fair to Stephen A., the Nets are no joke either, and he has been a believer in their squad since day one, even if he has also bashed them for some of the things that have transpired this season.
“What does Golden State have? Culture. They do have leaders. They have culture, they have coaching, they have leadership. What I’m saying is, when you depart from that what you’re saying is ‘I ain’t worried about that cause I got that covered.’ Well if you got that covered, why is Kyrie doing what he wants to do, why is Ben Simmons running from challenges, and why are you leaving Kevin Durant hanging?”
Needless to say, the 76ers still have a lot to prove. James Harden has even more to prove.
Together, this season, they will do everything they can to rise to the occasion, prove the haters wrong, and reward Philly fans for all they have had to endure over the years.
The road will be long, but it just makes it all the more rewarding.
