Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are making HISTORY

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are making HISTORY

Who would have thought it, but the Philadelphia 76ers are the most dominant team in the NBA. The numbers indicate that no other team is tearing up the league like the Sixers are. They have played nearly 30 games already, so we have a large enough sample size to evaluate the teams properly.

There is reason to believe that the Sixers should be seriously considered title contenders. But what has impressed me tremendously is their advanced numbers. They currently rank first in offensive rating, and margin of victory. They are also second in simple rating system. If that’s not impressive enough, they are currently producing historic numbers.

Keep in mind that these rankings are as of Christmas of 2023 in case you’re watching this way down the line. They currently have the fifth-highest margin of victory and the eighth-highest simple rating system for a single season in league history.

As of right now, they are in the company of some truly legendary teams. There are only 10 teams that have ended the season with a double-digit margin of victory and simple rating system. Those teams are the 1996 Chicago Bulls, the 2017 Golden State Warriors, the 1972 Lakers,

The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, the 1997 Chicago Bulls, the 1992 Chicago Bulls, the 2015 Warriors, the 2016 Warriors, and the 2016 San Antonio Spurs. Only the last two teams mentioned didn’t finish the season with a championship. What the 76ers are doing right now is truly special and it should warrant the proper respect.

It’s fair to say that we shouldn’t expect them to keep up this pace, but those numbers aren’t going to go down by much. Barring any injuries, they are going to end up producing one of the most dominant seasons in league history. The reason behind their success is, of course, Joel Embiid.

He is currently averaging over 35 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. No one has ever come close to recording that stat line. He is on pace to have one of the greatest seasons ever, and he should easily be the favorite to win the MVP. But he’s not doing it alone.

He has Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers have the luxury of having the best second-scoring option in the league. He’s 12th in scoring, and he’s just above Damian Lillard for the best scoring costar in the NBA. What Joel and Tyrese are doing is special.

We are witnessing the best scoring duo since Elgin Baylor and Jerry West combined to average 69.1 points per game in 1962. Then you have Tobias Harris who is the perfect third star to have. He knows his role and he can be productive without having to dominate the ball.

Getting rid of James Harden unleashed so many possibilities for them on offense, and they are starting to figure things out. That’s why it’s not surprising to me that they are arguably the best offensive team in the league. But what puts them in such a historic company is not just their greatness on offense.

What those 10 teams have in common is that they were all great on the defensive end. The Sixers have that box checked as well. They currently rank 5th in defensive rating and 6th in opponents’ points per game.

Because they are so great on both ends of the floor, they have the best net rating in the NBA. They have an impressive 11.3 net rating, which is such an insanely high number. They have all the signs of a great team.

But they’re not getting the attention they deserve because of their past history. They are questions that won’t get answered till the playoffs arrive. We have seen them be great in the regular season before. We have seen Joel Embiid play like the MVP of the league more than once.

I get that we don’t want to fall for this again. Joel needs to show us that he can impose his will in the playoffs. We don’t know if Tyrese can maintain this level of play in the postseason. These are all legitimate question marks.

So the best thing they can do is set themselves up for the easiest road to the Finals. Here’s why I say this. The team that’s having just as dominant of a season is the Boston Celtics. They’re also on pace to finish with one of the greatest single seasons ever.

This is the same team that eliminated the Sixers in the playoffs, and they have only gotten better. The Milwaukee Bucks are also hungry to win another championship and they have gotten better with the addition of Damian Lillard. The Eastern Conference title is up for grabs for those three teams.

So having the number one seed in that conference is going to be so important. They can avoid potentially playing both teams in the playoffs by simply having the best record. They are currently only a couple of games behind the Boston Celtics, and the number-one seed is certainly within their reach.

If I were them, I would do whatever is possible to have home-court advantage for the playoffs. That way if one of those series goes to a 7th game, they won’t have to play on the road as they did the previous year.

As an author of two books, I know the history of the NBA very well. I ranked the top 50 teams of all time in my first book, and I know it would be foolish to dismiss what the Sixers are accomplishing right now.

What they’re doing is not an accident at this point of the season. History indicates that they will have a long playoff run. I truly hope the Sixers realize what they have and they don’t give away key pieces just to acquire a player like Zach Lavine. That could be a mistake.

I would instead try to add more depth to this team to build on what they have. As far as Joel Embiid, I don’t think it’s too late for him to change his ways in the playoffs. He wouldn’t be the first one to win his first title this late in his career.

Don’t forget that Hakeem Olajuwon and Wilt Chamberlain won their first title in their 30s. He could be in a similar trajectory. He could be on a similar trajectory. Maybe you have given up on him, but I haven’t. His talent is too good for him to be consistently bad in the playoffs.

I think this is the year where he figures it out and starts a dominant playoff run. I’m not saying they’re going to win the title, just yet. All I’m saying is watch out for the 76ers because they’re coming. What about you all?

Do you also have high hopes for this team or do you think they’ll break your heart in the playoffs once again? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching.

Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and the Philadelphia 76ers are dominating the NBA at a historic level. The author of “The All-Time Greatest NBA Book” series discusses the numbers behind their dominance and the reasons why they should be considered serious championship contenders.

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Here are the links to purchase “The All-Time Greatest NBA Book: Counting Down the 50 Greatest Teams, the 50 Greatest Playoff Runs by a Player, the 50 Greatest Playoff Moments, and the 100 Greatest Players” and “The All-Time Greatest NBA Regular Season Book: Counting Down the 300 Greatest Seasons by a Player”. Enjoy the two books that contain the most extensive list of the greatest seasons, teams, and players. If you enjoy reading about the history of the NBA, then those two books are a must-have to add to your collection.

The All-Time Greatest NBA Book: Counting Down the 50 Greatest Teams, the 50 Greatest Playoff Runs by a Player, the 50 Greatest Playoff Moments, and the 100 Greatest Players: https://www.amazon.com/All-Time-Greatest-NBA-Book-Counting-ebook/dp/B09SKVKFGR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid&sr

The All-Time Greatest NBA Regular Season Book: Counting Down the 300 Greatest Seasons by a Player: https://www.amazon.com/All-Time-Greatest-Regular-Season-Book/dp/B0C6BQM25P/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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