PHILADELPHIA _ All the Sixers needed was a little R&R.
Now, Ben Simmons' back is back. Joel Embiid's shoulder is sound. Tobias Harris' right knee and Al Horford's left knee aren't quite as needy anymore, and Josh Richardson's tight hamstrings have had two months to loosen.
The best lineup in the conference is sound. So, if the NBA resumes the 2019-20 season, the Sixers should win the East. They might even win it all.
Thanks to their talented starters, the Sixers entered the season co-favorites with the Bucks. Thanks to a rash of injuries and an anemic bench, the Sixers swooned, the biggest disappointment in the NBA. Why? Because, since Game No. 41, the Sixers' five regular starters have spent more time on training-room tables than they spent on the court.
They played together in just three of the last 24 games; in other words, at least one starter missed all or most of 21 of the last 24. At least two starters missed six games. Three starters missed four games. No team needed a break more than them. They got it when the coronavirus locked down the sports world and the rest of America on March 12.
If the season resumes _ and, by all indications, it will _ the Sixers might be the No. 6 seed, but they will be the best possible version of themselves. One restart scenario involves teams resuming play with playoffs only, which means the Sixers would face Boston. That would be a massive advantage for the Sixers _ so massive, that they should reclaim their status as favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
With Horford rested, Richardson limber, Harris healed, Embiid fit, and Simmons back in the mix, there's no reason why any team in the East should be favored over the Sixers to reach the NBA Finals. They beat the No. 1 seed, Milwaukee, on Christmas Day. They lost twice in Milwaukee in February; first, without Richardson, then, with Simmons playing fewer than 5 minutes. As for the Celtics, the Sixers have won three of four games against them, and their only loss came in Boston, without Richardson. They've beaten the top four teams in the West too: the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Jazz.
Sixers general manager Elton Brand agreed that the layoff could save his club's season, but added this caveat: "If the players use this opportunity to get fully healthy."
They have.
