The Sixers return to action after the All Star break at 37-21 (Now 38-21 after Thursday night’s win against Miami Heat) and 4th in the Eastern Conference. This team is obviously not the same team that tipped the season off in October but still endure the same issues that plagued them last season. Some games they look like the best team in the Eastern Conference and some games they look like a middle of the pack team committing 25 turnovers. There has been a total roster makeover orchestrated by GM Elton Brand netting them Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris to go along with All Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers have sharpshooter J.J. Reddick to go along with some valuable bench pieces that will come in handy when the playoffs begin. They are now ALL IN.

Now that we are caught up to how we got here, lets look ahead at the final 24 games. Out of the final 24 games, the Sixers only play 9 team with winning records (Portland, OKC, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, Sacramento, Boston, Milwaukee (twice)). That should play in the Sixers’ favor when looking at the Eastern Conference standings going forward. They are only .5 game behind the 3rd seeded Indiana Pacers with the current tie-breaker (leading season series 2-1). They can position themselves for the 3rd seed by taking care of business and winning at least 5 of the games against above .500 teams. If the Sixers were able to get to the 3rd seed, they would more than likely face the Brooklyn Nets or Charlotte Hornets. On paper, those match ups seem like a first round sweep but for some reason Kemba Walker, D’Angelo Russell (1- time all star), and Spencer Dinwiddie are all Sixer killers. They average 42.3 ppg, 23.6 ppg, 27.3 ppg respectively against the Sixers this season. With that being said, I believe the Sixers would still take care of business in a 7 game series against these teams. If the Sixers stay at 4, they could face either Indiana or Boston in the first round with both being tough outs. Boston has had the Sixers’ number the last two years even though it seems as though the Sixers have a late game lead and fold in the final two mins of the 4th quarter. Indiana on the other hand does not have its best player, All Star Victor Oladipo, but they play hard every night.

Now on to the players. Flat out, the Sixers have the second best starting line up in the NBA next to the Golden State Warriors. Simmons, Reddick, Butler, Harris and Embiid are a plus 27 and an offensive rating of 112.8, top 10 in the NBA. With Joel Embiid having a monster MVP type year, he can lead this group down the stretch to more than enough victories to position themselves where they feel necessary. We also need to see how Brett Brown integrates Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris even more. More PG mins for Jimmy in the 4th quarter? More Point forward minutes for Tobias? More Ben Simmons at the 4? All these things need to be experimented and worked out before the playoffs arrive. The Sixers lacked depth all year finally have some with the pick ups of Boban, Mike Scott, James Ennis and Jonathon Simmons. Important because the latter three being switchable wing defenders that can help alleviate what killed them during the Boston series last year. We also have TJ, a stall worth for this Sixers team whether you like it or not. TJ bring defense and energy the team needs most nights and will definitely be playing some clutch minutes during the final 24 games. If this team stays healthy (Embiid out for at least a week with knee soreness) down the stretch, they can really make some noise and position themselves for a postseason run. I expect them to give it their all and more, remember WE ARE ALL IN.