Ben Simmons had an intriguing interview with GQ magazine recently. The Sixers star thinks Philly have a real chance at this year’s NBA title.
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The Sixers completed their 4-year tanking process in 2016-17 and have been considered dark horses ever since. But this year, they definitely feel a lot different from before.
Joel Embiid is in MVP form, Ben Simmons is a DPOY candidate and Tobias Harris is a legitimate star. Seth Curry and Danny Green have proved themselves to be reliable.
Matisse Thybulle, Dwight Howard and Furkan Korkmaz round out an intriguing supporting cast. Above all, the Sixers have an excellent head coach in Doc Rivers and an even better President in Daryl Morey.
This team looks fated to go deep in the playoffs as currently constructed. Most people would give them the edge over other Eastern powerhouses like Miami and Milwaukee, judging from their form this year.
Ben Simmons opens up about how his Sixers really feel about this year’s title race
Tyler Tynes propped Ben up a good bit for his performances in their interview. He then ventured onto the question that’s on every basketball fan’s mind – are the Sixers for real this year?
Simmons obliged with an answer that gives us a sneak peek at his team’s mentality:
“If we get that No. 1 seed, we keep our hopes up in terms of the energy. Knowing we’d have home-court advantage would be big for us, especially if we get the fans all back.”
“I feel like there’s been years where guys would’ve said it on the Sixers, but I don’t think we really believed it. But, I genuinely think this is the year.”
The great thing for the Sixers is that they are built for the future. Simmons and Embiid are both under contract for at least 2 seasons after this one. Embiid is showing all the signs of cementing his legacy as a Sixers lifer, and Simmons hopes to do the same.
