NBA Power Rankings Week 21: Are the Philadelphia 76ers the best bet to win it all?

1. Philadelphia 76ers

Last Week: Lost to Indiana Pacers 103-94, Lost to Miami Heat 106-94, Beat Orlando Magic 122-97, Beat Orlando Magic 128-117

Over/Under Projection; Guess/Result: 43; Over; Right

The Philadelphia 76ers are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and therefore have the easiest path to win an NBA championship of any team in the entire league. The Sixers will open with whoever comes out of the play-in with the eighth seed and should coast past them. Then comes the winner of the New York and Atlanta series, where again Philadelphia will be the heavy favorite. Getting the opportunity to only face one of (at most) of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks is a coupe for this team and then they will go on to face whoever survives the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.

The Sixers have been one of the best home teams in recent years and will have home-court advantage through most if not all of the playoffs. They match up well with everything theoretical contender. No team really has anyone that can disrupt Embiid and the defensive triumvirate of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle will be tough for anyone to score against.

Doc Rivers has to be elated. He walks into the postseason with one of the best teams in the league with every advantage he can hope for. Also, being the king of bulletin board material, he can convince his team that they are the underdog due to casual fans’ obsession with the Brooklyn Nets. Given everything potentially falling in their favor the best bet is the process finally resulting in a championship.