Previewing Cavs opponents: Philadelphia 76ers
Cavs news and links for Tuesday, October 1.
The first sip
Few teams have upped the ante more than the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. Swinging a trade for Paul George was the first domino, adding an array of quality role players was the cherry on top.
The trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey is a theoretical dream. An MVP candidate at center and All-Stars at small forward and point guard is exactly the type of team building you’d expect from a title contender. Complementary pieces such as Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Jared McCain give them the depth to compete with anyone.
The only thing standing in their way is... themselves. Philly has gone all-in on two stars who routinely suffer season-ending injuries. Betting on Embiid and George to be healthy when it matters is something that would make anyone nervous.
Of course, if they get a dose of good luck then anything is possible. But I don’t envy the shaky feeling 76ers fans will get whenever one of Embiid or George falls down.
How the Cavs played the 76ers last year
The Cavs split their season series with the Sixers 2-2 last season behind a few inspiring wins. First, a gutsy Play-In Tournament victory with Donovan Mitchell on the sidelines. Craig Porter Jr’s and-one finish over Embiid and Darius Garland’s 32 points were highlights of this overtime win.
The other Cleveland win involved a late-game takeover from Garland and Evan Mobley. The two traded buckets down the stretch, including a go-ahead three-pointer from Mobley to win the game.
This year, the matchups will look quite different with George in place of Tobias Harris for Philly. The Cavs' lack of a true wing on the roster could provide some new challenges.
Cavs vs 76ers this season
- at Philadelphia - Nov. 13
- at Home - Dec. 21
- at Philadelphia - Jan. 24
Notable players who have played for both franchises
- Andre Miller played three seasons for both franchises in the 2000s. He led the league in assists with 10.9 per game during his final year in Cleveland — and posted averages of 15.9 points and 6.9 assists with Philly.
- Eric Snow can be seen as the poster child for “role players on a team that had no business being in the NBA Finals.” He accompanied Allen Iverson to the 2001 Finals and would join LeBron James during Cleveland’s 2007 run a few years later. Snow helped establish the defensive identity of both teams but left much to be desired in terms of offensive output — shooting just above 40% in the playoffs for Philly and an atrocious 31% in Cleveland.