The Philadelphia 76ers did not become instant favorites to reach the NBA Finals after erasing a 3-1 series deficit and stunning the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Fans knew that their team still faced a steep climb to the top, but that postseason triumph versus the C's, which was almost 44 years in the making, was supposed to represent definitive progress. There was a very different sentiment surrounding this franchise on Sunday afternoon.
Just eight days after landing a huge gut-punch in TD Garden, the Sixers watched New York Knicks fans bring brooms into Xfinity Mobile Arena. Philly had no response to the tomfoolery and ended its 2025-26 campaign in humiliating fashion, getting swept on its home floor courtesy of a 144-114 loss. Beating Boston should have guaranteed Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse job security for next season, but now they are forced to sweat it out.
“The jobs of Morey and head coach Nick Nurse are expected to be evaluated entering the offseason, multiple league sources told The Athletic,” Tony Jones of The Athletic reported on Monday**.** “As of Sunday’s elimination, team sources said ownership has not made final decisions on either and is likely to take a few days to assess before making any major calls.”
Where do 76ers go from here?
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Although Joel Embiid missed two games with hip and ankle injuries, the 76ers put forth an unsatisfactory effort in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They were the inferior squad, and that is perfectly reasonable given the Knicks' roster, but a large portion of the basketball-watching world expected the team to show more fight.
The Sixers were outscored by 89 points across the four games, and now management could be subjected to hard consequences. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has been aggressive in assembling a roster around the embattled Embiid, but the franchise remains quite far away from contending for a championship. Since his 2020 arrival, Philly has lost in the conference semis four times.
Nick Nurse has faced unrelenting adversity during his 76ers head coaching tenure, but the 2019 NBA champion was hired to unlock this squad's potential. While he deserves ample credit for solving the Celtics, Nurse will also receive criticism for not being able to slow down the Knicks in Games 3 and 4. Locker room morale is also a big question.
Managing partner Josh Harris has crucial decisions to make. Whether or not a complete leadership change takes effect obviously remains to be seen, but the 76ers must think long and hard about why they have not advanced to the conference finals since 2001.
The Philadelphia 76ers did not become instant favorites to reach the NBA Finals after erasing a 3-1 series deficit and stunning the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Fans knew that their team still faced a steep climb to the top, but that postseason triumph versus the C's, which was almost 44 years in the making, was supposed to represent definitive progress.