Oh Sh*t! The Sixers

I know good basketball teams when I see them.  For instance, when I predicted that the Timberwolves would be the best team in the NBA this season, it ain't like I ever actually saw them play with Gobert beforehand.  And even now, you know what I mean?  Everybody's on D'Angelo Russell's ass as usual, but the bigger concern should be the KAT problem.

The Sixers are a good basketball team.  When the Harden/Simmons trade first happened, I felt the Nets got the best of that deal.  That wasn't me underestimating the Beard.  That was me acknowledging that he's lost at least two steps from his prime, and his mind hadn't caught up yet.  But lo and behold, catching up it has, thanks primarily I would say to Doc Rivers, a guru respectable enough to even get underneath the beard.

Doc Rivers has that kind of head that if he tells you to do something on the basketball court, you're going to do it.  He just looks like he knows how to play basketball, and he's always had that face, like he could just bite you or some shit.  You don't hire former superstar guards to be head coaches; you hire guys like Doc Rivers.  Rivers played a whopping 15 years and descended from the 15pt/10ast per game range in his prime all the way down to like 4pts/1ast before he retired, but still he was a 'respected vet' in terms of being able to run an offense.  Melo deadass averaged 13pts last season, and he's not even in the NBA at the moment.

And even before getting Harden, the Sixers were just a damn formidable team.  Unlike every other contender in the NBA, it doesn't matter who on their roster is injured, because they can still win.  Tobias Harris is one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, which is like WTF?!  But even when Embiid's out, the Sixers be winning and shit.

Also, Tyrese Maxey is a young beast.  The reason I call him a beast is because he can probably score efficiently in more different ways than other small guard in the NBA, sorta like Tony Parker and shit.  And the reason I'm saying he's young is despite being that good, he still conceded to James Harden.  You know what I mean?  It's like he respected the coach and the vet type shit and was willing to take a step back.  At one point I was even like 'nah', you know what I mean.  But now it's like oh shit, it's working.

One last thing I must say is a couple of years ago when the Sixers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Hawks, I believe the NBA favored Atlanta in that series.  And right now, I'm not sleeping on the Nuggets or the Cavs or even the Grizzlies.  But dudes really have to look out for Philly, because air and square there's like no reason they can't win the championship.

CONCLUSION

Speaking of the Hawks, they're one of a few teams right now with so much talent that it could only be coached by a guru.  So as much as I love the Beard and Maxey and Melton and Milton and the entire gang, I think Rivers is the ex-factor.  You don't hear Embiid's name being mentioned in the MVP race these days.  But maybe, since he's like easily distracted and shit, that'll prove for the best.