Time may finally be running out on the Philadelphia 76ers seemingly never-ending "Process". In fact, you could say this season's NBA play-offs represent a do-or-die final chance at the Sixers winning a long-awaited and much-anticipated championship.
If Philly doesn't take it all this season, it may be time to tear down what's been built over the last six or seven campaigns and start all over from scratch.
For those unfamiliar with "The Process", a little history is in order.
Back in the mid-2010s, then-76ers general manager Sam Hinkle started a rebuild of the ballclub from the ground up -- completely scuttling the struggling remains of a once-proud franchise.
Hinkle then proposed and promoted building the team back up by a combination of tanking, then picking high in the draft and trading for impact players.
He preached patience while the rebuild, labelled "The Process", was taking place. "Trust the Process" became Hinkle's mantra.
Things would get worse before they got better, forewarned Hinkle. And, boy, did they ever. Hinkle saw his club go 10-72 but he was then able to draft promising 7-footer Joel Embiid out of Kansas, who unfortunately, couldn't play for a season and a half because of injuries.
A subsequent 18-64 record cost Hinkle his job. Bryan Colangelo took over but "The Process" continued.
In 2016, the Sixers drafted LSU's Ben Simmons with the top pick in the draft and immediately Philly started to roll. They made the play-offs and even advanced to the Eastern Division Finals in 2018-19, with the addition of Jimmy Butler.
Three early play-off exits then ensued the next three seasons.
Simmons encountered psychological problems and was dispatched to Brooklyn. Sharpshooter Tobias Harris was traded for and slick guard James Harden was acquired to replace Butler, who had left for Miami.
So, now the Sixers' big three consists of Embiid, Harden and Harris.
During the recently-completed regular season, that trio and their supporting cast clicked for a 54-28 record -- the 76ers best regular season mark in over 20 years.
Embiid had an MVP-type season (33 points, 10 rebounds per contest). But veterans Harris and Harden, though still productive, are showing signs of ageing and appear visibly slower.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks who finished atop the NBA's Eastern Conference standings are led by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, still only 28, and a strong supporting crew.
The second-placed Boston Celtics are young and athletic and improving noticeably every season. They should be good for quite a while.
And other Eastern teams, like the NY Knicks are on the rise as well.
If the 76ers fall short yet again, could this be the last hurrah for "The Process"? Would it be time for a new rebuild around Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey?
Will present coach Doc Rivers, who has prospered in the regular season but repeatedly come up short in the postseason be jettisoned after three straight early postseason exits?
Will general manager Daryl Morey, the architect of the current version of the Sixers and this edition of "The Process" be let go as well?
Philly swept their opening round play-off series with the Brooklyn Nets. Next up: an Eastern Conference semi-final match-up with the Boston Celtics.
The 76ers last won an Eastern title in 2001 -- during the Allen Iverson era -- before they fell in The Finals to the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers.
Philly fans are running out of patience and will probably demand major changes if the 76ers fail to make a deep run and fall short yet again.
A season without, at the very least, an Eastern crown could finally sound the death knell for the once-vaunted Philadelphia 76ers "Process".
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