Why Dr. J picks Sixers over Nets in potential playoff battle

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This Sixers season, with all its twists and turns thus far, has been the team’s best regular season since 2000-01, when Allen Iverson led the team all the way to the NBA Finals.

One team that could stand in the way of a Finals run is the Brooklyn Nets. Hall of Famer Julius Erving knows quite a bit about both franchises, having played his entire NBA career in Philadelphia, and before that, four seasons with the then-New York Nets of the ABA. He won championships with both teams.

Dr. J was on the latest Inside the Green Room Podcast with Danny Green, and Green asked Erving his take on Brooklyn’s current “superteam” of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.

“It’s reminiscent of how the Yankees used to do it all the time. They load up – they call it ‘buying a championship.’ The Lakers are known for doing that too. 

"They’re getting all these pieces … they don’t know at the end of the season what it’s going to look like or what it’s going to feel like, but they’re going to be formidable. You've got a team with six former All-Stars, and three [All-NBA] guys who have been there and succeeded in the playoffs."

It’s fair to say that a healthy Nets team is the favorite to come out of the East, but the Sixers will have something to say about that come playoff time. With that in mind, Erving handicapped a potential playoff series between the Sixers and the Nets.

“First of all, [the Sixers] have an advantage coaching-wise based on experience with [head coach Doc Rivers], in terms of championship experience that [Green has], that Dwight [Howard] has. And the ambition of Ben [Simmons] and Joel [Embiid], these guys are hungry now, they’ve been a part of what they call ‘The Process’ for several years, and it’s time for The Process to bear some fruit.

"I’m betting my money on Philly … Ws mean confidence. It’s not cool to be overconfident, but it’s very cool to be confident. So you need to maintain that confidence and get out there and perform, that’s the way I see it."

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