The weekend was quintessential Sixers: a two-game stretch that gave you every reason to think they can compete in a playoff against the best the NBA can offer, and several reasons to wonder whether they can actually win four times in seven games.
Which of these matters more might depend upon your prior convictions. The lightning rods are as they were before: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Doc Rivers. If Thursday’s come-from-behind win over the Grizzlies and Saturday’s last-second loss to the Celtics proved anything, it’s that the Sixers fate lies with those three men.
When Embiid plays with the energy he showed against Al Horford and the Celtics on Saturday, the Sixers are a legitimate NBA Finals threat.
