*The first version of this had the wrong second GIF! Now corrected …

BY DAVID THORPE

Last week we narrowed the NBA’s 30 teams to a shortlist of 10 legitimate contenders, still on the bus to the 2020 championship. Clinging to the bottom of the list: the Philadelphia 76ers. Just last May, the champion Raptors needed a lucky bounce at the Game 7 buzzer to beat the up-and-coming 76ers. There was every reason to think the Sixers would be back and better this year. They have:

• A starting five many have called the NBA’s best

• Arguably the NBA’s best center in Joel Embiid

• Ben Simmons who, in advanced stats, is more productive than Embiid

• Recent additions like Josh Richardson, Al Horford, and Matisse Thybulle

• Future salary commitments as big as any team’s

Often, the Sixers are exactly the team we thought they would be. At home, they are the beasts of the league—literally the best at 25-2. On the road, however, they are 9-19—exactly like the rebuilding New York Knicks. 

In the days to come on TrueHoop: Wh…