The 76ers are once again entering the NBApostseason with high aspirations, but the moment of truth has come. With the regular season behind us, now it’s time for Philadelphia to live up to its contender status.
The Sixers have a star-studded roster, headlined by the likes of Joel Embiid and James Harden. But since they failed to get past the conference semifinals in the last two seasons, they have a lot of doubters out there.
Tyrese Maxey is aware that many people call them “chokers,” but he’s convinced that his team can succeed. The 22-year-old recently took to his “Maxey on the Mic” podcast, suggesting that anything short of a title will be failure for the Sixers.
Tyrese Maxey says it’s championship or bust for Sixers
“Title or bust,” Maxey said, via ClutchPoints. “I think it is title or bust for us, honestly. With the talent that we have on this team — the talent that we have, the camaraderie that we have, the timetable that we have — we want to win now. We want to win now. I know myself, I’m young, [De’Anthony Melton]’s young, [Jalen McDaniels], we have some young pieces. But we also have some vets who are ready to do this thing right now.
“Like y’all been saying, we have Joel Embiid, who will probably win MVP this season. We have James Harden who has won an MVP in his pastBoth of their guys are hungry for their first title…We’re putting the pressure on ourselves. There’s other teams that’s gonna put the pressure on themselves. It’s a toss-up. Who wants it more? We’re gonna go out there and fight our tails off and put our best effort into the situation.”
Maxey has a point. With Embiid at an MVP level, the Sixers must take a step forward this time. If they once again fail to challenge for the title, they may not have another chance to contend in the near future.