Philadelphia 76ers: The true test will come in the postseason

Despite finding themselves 11 games above .500, the true progress of the Philadelphia 76ers won’t be fully realized until the arrival of the postseason.

Following their latest win, a 118-98 thumping of the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves holding a five-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the Eastern Conference. This represents not only their fourth five-game-plus winning streak of the season, but also shows just how far the Sixers have come after posting a 75-253 record over the previous four seasons.

However, for as much progress as the Sixers have made in reaching a 41-30 record, the true test of their ascension will not arrive until the commencement of the postseason. While being 11 games above .500 is an enormous achievement considering their struggles over recent seasons, this record needs to further broken down in order to ascertain the true meaning of the Sixers’ record.

Through 71 games, here is how the Sixers have fared against teams above and below .500:

• Above .500: 20-23
• Below .500: 21-7

In breaking it down even further, the Sixers have posted an 8-15 record against teams with a superior season record. Furthermore, they currently have a 3-7 record against the three teams placed ahead of them in the Eastern Conference — the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Recently, Sixers’ head coach Brett Brown had a simplistic overall look at his team in the build-up to the playoffs:

"“Nothing matters unless we play defense. That’s how we have set the tone of this program since the day I arrived.”"

So despite their somewhat lack of success against the elite teams in the league, it’s been evident that as the season has evolved, the Sixers’ level of production and efficiency has gone from strength to strength. Overall, this is how the Sixers have fared:

• Record before Feb.1: 24-24
• Record after Feb. 1: 17-6

In backing up Brown’s sentiments re: defense, this has certainly stepped up a notch since the beginning of February. Ranked fifth in the league overall in their first 48 games with a defensive rating of 103.5, the Sixers rank second overall since the start of February with a rating of 101.7.

The timeframe for this upward trajectory is hardly surprising considering the influx of key pieces to the Sixers’ core rotation. Prior to this season, both Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick had not played a single minute in a Sixers’ uniform, while All-Star center Joel Embiid had made just 31 appearances since being taken No. 3 overall in 2014. So this increased familiarity among the core group of players has led to an uptake in production, and not just on the defensive end of the floor.

It may be a small sample size, but the introductions of Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova into the rotation have made a difference. Since they were claimed by the Sixers after each were waived by the Atlanta Hawks, the Sixers have recorded an offensive rating of 113.0, well up on their season rating of 106.7.

The presence of Belinelli and Ilyasova has already done wonders to the overall productivity of the Sixers’ bench. Ranked dead last in offensive rating come the end of February at 100.6, the introduction of this veteran duo has seen their ranking spike to 14th since the beginning of March with a rating of 106.4.

With just 11 games remaining, the Sixers have a genuine chance of being able to hold onto fourth spot, and thus have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Over their run home, the Sixers play just one team (Cavaliers) with a superior record. Furthermore, just three of the remaining 10 games come against teams with a record above .500, with seven of the 11 games overall being played on their home turf.

Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings

So considering the current trajectory of their performance, the Sixers have every chance of hosting a first round playoff series. Despite their struggles overall against the best in the league, this would nonetheless be cause for celebration for all involved in the Sixers franchise.