NBA: 5 reasons why the Philadelphia 76ers are the team to avoid in the East Playoffs

#1 The lack of a true favorite in the Conference

Ben Simmons and LeBron James (Image courtesy: si.com)

Unlike the past 7 regular season campaigns, when LeBron James-led teams were clearly a cut above the rest of the Eastern Conference, the playing field is much more level this season. With Kyrie Irving's trade to the Celtics, the Cavaliers cannot claim to be unanimous favorites to progress to the NBA Finals with the same dominance that they have displayed over the past three playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are fighting it out for the top seed and homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and whoever loses out is almost certainly a lock for the #2 seed. The Cavaliers are not even guaranteed the third seed with 21 games remaining, as the Wizards, Bucks and the 76ers are all on the rise at this point in the season.

A level playing field allows teams to run their usual plays and set up defensive schemes which they are used to, instead of having to account too much for a dominant opponent player's increased impact.

The 76ers have a starting five capable of going toe-to-toe with the very best teams of the league on their night. They are a young team and are less likely to be plagued by the accumulated fatigue of the regular season, whereas older teams like the Cavaliers and Raptors may have to account for this factor.

All of these elements are in favor of new challengers arriving on the block, and the 76ers are perhaps the best of teams in this category in the Eastern Conference.