Philadelphia 76ers: This may be the most exciting playoff run post-process

Even with the Philadelphia 76ers series tied at 1-1, there is no need to panic, as this could be the most exciting playoff run of the post-process era.

After drafting two transcendent superstars, acquiring several reliable sharpshooters and ripping off a long winning streak, it’s apparent that the Philadelphia 76ers have transitioned into a new, post-process era.

This era is one defined by success: more specifically, playoff success. While the Sixers look to be an electric bunch for several seasons to come, their most exciting postseason run may actually be right in front of them.

Although success breeds excitement, it’s very possible that a team can possess all-time flare without raising the Larry O’Brien trophy at the season’s end. Thus, even if Philly doesn’t emerge as champions this season, this argument still holds weight.

Here’s why this 2017-2018 Philadelphia 76ers postseason journey could be the most exciting of the post-process era.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Money

One of the greatest gifts a franchise could receive is a superstar still on his rookie contract. Ben Simmons is exactly that for the Sixers.

Although he is a top-two player on the team, Simmons’ 2017-2018 salary is sixth highest among current Sixers. There will come a day in the near future where Simmons receives a much larger contract, one that reflects his stellar play.

(Simmons is under contract through the 2019-2020 season. See the Sixers payroll here).

Once Simmons gets his payday, the Sixers front office will have less money to shed for a supporting cast. Players like J.J. Redick (who makes $23 million this season) could be tougher to fit inside the salary cap in the future.

Three-point snipers like Redick, Marco Belinelli, and Ersan Ilyasova were all vital in the Sixers late-season hot streak. Philly was fortunate to land both Ilyasova and Belinelli as buyouts from the Atlanta Hawks, making their Sixers cap hits virtually infinitesimal.

Bottom line: the Sixers will gain a tighter wallet as time passes, and Philly will be hard-pressed to find buyout candidates as influential to the team’s success as Belinelli’s limitless range and Ilyasova’s exemplary professionalism down the road.

(Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

LeBron Rumors

If LeBron James jettisons from Cleveland to Philadelphia next offseason, heaps of pressure will fall upon the Sixers.

James appeared in all seven NBA finals from 2011 to 2017. Adding James to this current Sixers core would place Philly as yearly shoe-ins to win the Eastern Conference.

The fresh and ceiling-less Sixers of today would add arguably the most polarizing athlete in all of professional sports in James. A mere playoff loss with James at the helm could prompt a “sky is falling” response.

James would turn early-round excitement into expectation, which would undoubtedly cause a little extra nail-biting.

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Philly Sports Climate

2018 has brought an electricity to Philadelphia sports that reaches far beyond the Sixers.

Headlining this period of success is the Philadelphia Eagles, who earned the franchise’s first Lombardi trophy in February. Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats romped through the NCAA basketball tournament in March. The Philadelphia Flyers clinched a playoff birth, and the Philadelphia Phillies zoomed out of the regular season’s gates in April.

All of this neighboring success has fostered a new “why not us” mentality for the Sixers. This abundance of riches is rare for any sports city, thus making this specific Sixers’ playoff run all the more unique and enthralling.

Therefore, even with a Sixers loss Monday night, there’s no need to panic.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers need to make adjustments before Game 3

Continue to grab those masks, prep those “Fultz” chants and, most importantly, Trust the Process, because the most electric moments of the post-process era may be right on the horizon.