The Sixers are in the playoffs.
For the first time since the 2011-12 season, the Sixers will be playing postseason basketball. They clinched a berth Sunday after the Pacers beat the Heat 113-107 in overtime. Indiana also clinched a playoff spot with the win.
The team that won a combined 75 games in the previous four seasons is now vying for homecourt advantage in a heated race for one of the top-four seeds.
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And the work is just beginning.
“There’s a lot more to do,” Brett Brown said last week.
The Sixers (42-30) have exceeded expectations, not just squeezing into the playoffs at the last minute but establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the East. Led by two rising stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, they have succeeded with an unconventional starting lineup and a roster based on versatility that poses unique matchup problems.
They have topped contenders and handled subpar teams all while making the Wells Fargo Center a challenging arena for opponents. There has been only one Sixers loss in Philadelphia in 2018.
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The Sixers have a shot at 50 wins, Embiid’s newest goal, if they go 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have not won 50 games since the 2000-01 season.
“If we can keep moving forward, then I wouldn’t want to play us,” Brown said. “I think that we can be dangerous.”
The Sixers have been scouting potential opponents. If the postseason were to start Sunday night, they would face the Pacers, but that pairing will likely change many times over the next two weeks.
The Sixers actually may not know who they will face in the first round until the final game of the regular season. In many ways, though, they are their own toughest opponent. They have two weeks to crack down on areas of improvement before the start of the playoffs. Defense and turnovers remain at the front of their minds on this young team.
From now until April 11, the Sixers will look to play their best basketball. They want to be a top-four team. They also want to do much more than just say they made it to the postseason.
“The notion of the playoffs for me doesn’t make me do somersaults," Brown said. "I want more. I really want more. Home court interests me. Playing good basketball interests me … But the fact that it seems like we’ve got a pretty good shot of being in the playoffs, honestly, I want more. I want more.”