Now that the dust has settled on yet another second-round playoff exit for the Philadelphia 76ers, their overexceeding of expectations this year should not be fully forgotten, even after so many hopeless bites at the apple have made it harder and harder to forgive them. Most did not think this team was making the playoffs, let alone give them any shot to beat the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics once they got there.
Getting swept out by the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals took away some of the shine that beating Boston created. Still, the Sixers have been good enough to find themselves in the NBA's final eight teams six times in the past nine seasons, but it was not exactly a Murderer's Row of teams they beat to get there. But they can only play the players in front of them, so here is a ranking of all six teams the Sixers have beaten in the Process Era by quality of opponent.
The Nets were one of the weirdest ensembles of misfitting parts to grace the playoff stage. They actually stole Game 1 in Philadelphia before the Sixers went on to win the next four.
D'Angelo Russell had a great year leading his squad, but unfortunately, they just did not have much else to them. Jarrett Allen has turned into a pretty good player, but he was not nearly as refined all those years ago. Caris LeVert has hung around the league too, but has never been relied upon on a nightly basis to contribute to a winning team.
Looking at the roster of this Wizards team, it is a miracle they made the playoffs, even with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook on the last legs of their prime. If some of the young guys were a few more years along, however, they actually could have amounted to a decent team.
Daniel Gafford and Rui Hachimura were both in their second year in the league, and Deni Avdija was a rookie. It is safe to say that if all three of those guys were the players they were five years ago, this Wizards team would rank higher on the list.
Oddly enough, the Heat of eight years ago is a microcosm of the large-scale issues they have faced to the present day. They have made two NBA Finals in that span, and still have felt like there is something missing the entire time, even when they had Jimmy Butler on the roster.
Dwyane Wade was on his last legs. Goran Dragic was a solid player, but not one to instill fear in a playoff series. The Heat had some gutsy performers on the team with Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr., but overall they were underwhelming even though they were deep.
These Brooklyn Nets were the only team the Sixers swept during the Process Era, but they still rank third on this list because of their talent. Mikal Bridges had a case to be considered the best player in the series, even though his team did not win a game.
The Nets had great shooting threats across the board in Cam Johnson, Seth Curry, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale, and Joe Harris. Nic Claxton has always been game to take on the Joel Embiid challenge on defense. They did not have anyone to tie it all together, but they had the bones of a good team.
This Raptors series looms large for Sixers fans for a few reasons. They went up 3-0 on an epic turn-around jumper from Joel Embiid in Toronto. They would go on to lose the next two games before winning Game 6 on the road in a game that Embiid, who should have been removed from the game at the time it happened, broke his face on an inadvertent elbow from Pascal Siakam.
Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet were the remaining pieces from the Raptors' championship team from three years prior. All are great players, but they could never fill the void left behind by Kawhi Leonard after their championship. Since Pascal Siakam came one win away from winning his second title as a member of the Indiana Pacers, OG Anunoby could well be on his way to the NBA Finals this year with the Knicks, and their old coach in Toronto, Nick Nurse, and his Sixers have not come even close to that level of success.
There's not even a debate.
The Celtics could have rolled out a lineup of middle schoolers, and Sixers fans still might claim it to be the best playoff series win of the era just because the jersey is green and says Celtics. Now factor in all the other real basketball reasons as to why this is the best team the Sixers have beaten in a playoff series during this era, and it becomes unassailable.
The Sixers overcame many demons by winning their series against the Celtics. It was their first comeback down 3-1 in franchise history, and it was the Celtics' first time losing a series in which they led 3-1. The same Celtics core has been the ultimate thorn in the side of the Sixers throughout the past decade, sending them home from the playoffs in their three previous meetings before this year.
Jaylen Brown, a former NBA Finals MVP, was coming off the best individual year of his career. Jayson Tatum had returned admirably from a torn Achilles tendon and was playing winning basketball. Just those two guys alone make the Celtics the best team the Sixers have beaten in a playoff series in the Process Era.
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