Atlantic Division watch: New look 76ers may be LeBron’s last dance

Dub Nation, the Golden State Warriors went 0-2 against the Philadelphia 76ers last season. That Philly team had a young, springy energy through Tyrese Maxey and the rookie V.J. Edgecombe. Those two dudes were a two-headed monster that took turns giving the Warriors fits. Steph Curry missed both contests, and former MVP Joel Embiid played in only one, but regardless it was clear that Philly was a force to be reckoned with.

This year? They have suddenly morphed into the modern-day Monstarz, with the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Damn.

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Philly pried the Finals MVP out of Boston in July. A few weeks later, King James decided the last chapter of his career would happen right back in the conference where he spent most of it. The Eastern Conference was his house for a decade and a half, and he ran it like a landlord who changes the locks whenever he feels like it. LeBron spent two stints in Cleveland and four years in Miami pushing that whole conference around, and he made eight straight Finals out of the East while he was at it. He was already in the greatest-of-all-time conversation before he ever put on a Lakers jersey in 2018.

The biggest knock on him for 20 years has been that he runs off to build superteams. So what does he do at 41? He walks into what might be the deepest roster he’s ever had, which is saying something for a guy who played on some damn good Cleveland, Miami, and L.A. rosters.

Look at who he’s sharing the floor with! Maxey is an All-Star and Edgecombe is coming for everybody’s lunch. Embiid is a premier center when his body cooperates, and now Brown is there too, simmering with motivation after being dumped by the Celtics.

LeBron is the headline, but I keep coming back to Brown, because none of this happens without that trade. Warriors fans know Brown well from the 2022 Finals, when he gave Golden State fits in a series the Dubs won in six. He spent his entire career on the other side of that rivalry, and now he’s wearing their colors. Josh Grieb at Liberty Ballers put it in wrestling terms, which might be the only language that fits:

The excitement around James joining the…


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Publish date : 2026-09-30 02:20:00

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