Exclusive: Philly favorite Ike Reese questions Philadelphia 76ers' playoff pedigree - "Regular season for us is whatever"
After making an array of upgrades this summer, the Philadelphia 76ers headed into this season with championship expectations. Unfortunately for them, things have gone off the rails.
They currently sit at a record of 8-8 while dealing with countless injuries. James Harden has been out for weeks, and now the team is also without Tyrese Maxey. With two of their top three options out, it has been on Joel Embiid to lead the charge alone.
Over the past few years, the Philadelphia 76ers have been a common fixture at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. However, their regular season success has never translated into the playoffs. In the Joel Embiid era, they never got past the second round.
While speaking with Reggie Roberts on Sportskeeda's exclusive BallFather podcast, Philadelphia Eagles legend Ike Reese opened up on the 76ers. He is over all the dominating in the regular season and wants to see his team elevate their game on the biggest stage:
"As fans we feeling like for the last five years we've had a good enough team at a minimum to be a eastern conference finals, possibly NBA finals, not necessarily win the championship, they should've at least advanced to an eastern conference finals...
the regular season for us is, okay, whatever. Wake me up when April gets here. when April gets here, I want to see what you guys do in the playoffs."
"Love the sixers but it's like until you guys get past the second round, playoffs aren't not good enough we know you're gonna make the playoffs but what are you gonna do when you get in the playoffs."
Now is the time for the Philadelphia 76ers to make a deep run
Excuses have been made in the past for the Philadelphia 76ers, but now is the time for them to rise the occassion. With their current roster, there is no reason they can't make a run at the NBA title.
When fully healthy, Philly is one of the deepest teams in the league. Joel Embiid and James Harden are still high-impact players, and Tyrese Maxey is an emerging star. Plus, Daryl Morey went and got guys like P.J. Tucker and De'Anthony Melton to round out the supporting cast.
Doc Rivers is viewed as one of the top coaches in history and has a roster littered with talent. Even with the Eastern Conference having multiple threats this season, Philly should be in the mix to make it to the finals.
Ike Reese said it best. At this point, making the playoffs isn't enough. Given all that's gone into building this current roster, the pressure is on for the 76ers to deliver big results come playoff time.