Philadelphia 76ers: Philly finally has a tough team.

From the front office to the players, the Philadelphia 76ers are clicking on all cylinders. And for the first time in a while, they’re playing Philly Tough

As the Philadelphia 76ers find their groove, it couldn’t have come at a better time as they’ve positioned themselves to make their first playoff appearance in six years.

While the team’s acquisition and subsequent development of young, ascending talent has a lot to do with this growth, a big reason why the Sixers are winning big against both good and bad teams in 2018 is because they’ve finally found their toughness.

Philly Toughness.

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Though the team will ultimately live-or-die based on the performances of their star big men Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, a pair of potential Hall of Famers, Bryan Colangelo and company have assembled a great cast of supporting characters like J.J. Redick, Dario Saric, T.J. McConnell and recent acquisition Marco Belinelli, who truly embody what it means to be Philly Tough. And that’s a big reason why the team is on a seven-game win streak.

Now in his fifth season with the team, head coach Brett Brown is continuing to grow with this young team and it’ is wonderful to see that growth translates into the wins column. While it may have been preposterous to imagine in 2013, Brown looks like he could win Coach of the Year very soon.

It’s so exciting to see how the season is unfolding as the Sixers now seven games above .500. It seems as if the team has changed their strategy and are finally letting their stout defense spark their offensive attack. Gone are the days of the team jumping out to a large first-quarter lead and watching it slip away, with the team instead distancing themselves from their opponents in the second and third quarters.

I mean just look at the team’s recent victory over the Orlando Magic. After going up big against their lesser opponent, Brown pulled his starters and allowed his second unit to play out the last quarter of the game in route to an easy victory. That would have been unimaginable back in November but here we are.

And this is just the beginning.

When the team’s management finally believes that Markelle Fultz is ready to return to the court, be that this season or next, fans will finally get to see why he’s a perfect fit for this team and for their budding superstars. While it would be nice to see him figure out his issues on the court, even with a developing shot, the 76ers have had great success teaching their high profile players from the bench, and have two stars to show for it.

Don’t look now, but the Sixers are quickly becoming relevant in the NBA again, and they are doing it the right way, by playing dogged team defense, scrapping for every loose ball and executing on offense at a pace that keeps opponents on their heels. Instead of betting big on risky free agents like Andrew Bynum, the team is building with young, ascending talent, and they are building together into a formidable unit.

Next: Ersan Ilyasova is coming back to Philly

Mark my words, next season this Philadelphia 76ers team will be competing for a spot in the Eastern Conference final, and it’ll be thanks to their hard-nosed defense and team-first attitude.