The Philadelphia 76ers could be the “most dangerous” or “most disappointing” team in the NBA playoffs, former NBA coach Sam Mitchell said Thursday on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
On Christmas Day, the Sixers beat the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, 118-114, behind a combined 60 points from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. The win proved that when the Sixers have their “Big 3″ of Embiid, Maxey and Paul George on the floor, they can beat anyone on a given night.
“Philly could be the most scary team in the playoffs,” Mitchell said. “They could also be the most disappointing team.”
The Sixers built the “Big 3″ in an attempt to compete for the NBA championship that has eluded them during Embiid’s career, but that trio had played a total of 71 minutes together entering the game.
The Sixers, who will be without prized rookie Jared McCain for the rest of the season due to a meniscus tear, are currently 11-17 and in the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference. Teams in the 7-10 spots compete in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Embiid twisted his ankle when he stepped on a security guard’s foot during warmups before the Celtics game but finished with 27 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes.
“The rest of the Eastern Conference…you do not want Philly to fall into that Play-In and Joel Embiid is playing,” Mitchell said. “That’s gonna be scary.”
He added: “The problem is, you don’t know his availability and you don’t know how long you gonna have him. If he plays, he can beat you.”
The former NBA MVP has played just nine games this season due to “left knee injury management.” He also suffered a sinus fracture in mid-December and is now wearing a mask.
His goal with the knee management was to be healthy for the postseason. The Sixers have never been past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure.
But this latest win showed they could be a dangerous out depending on their playoff position.
“We got a high ceiling,” Embiid told reporters. “It’s all about us putting it together.
“I don’t think that was close to our best basketball, but we got a pretty good chance. So it’s all about looking for some luck, and staying healthy.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
