As we all know, the Philadelphia 76ers had nothing short of an outstanding offseason that was led by a splash blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and the signing of LeBron James. The Sixers went from a good team to a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals. Keep in mind the Sixers have not gotten past the second round since 2001. With that being said, things still need to go their way, such as health and team chemistry, for things to go right for them.
If the Sixers do have those two things go their way, they still will have to take down a strong Western Conference team, and it certainly will not be an easy challenge. Now, let’s take a look at some Western Conference teams that the Sixers might have to face if they can reach the NBA Finals.
Western Conference Contenders
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, may be the team the Sixers would face if they made the NBA Finals. The Spurs made it to the NBA Finals in 2025 and lost to the New York Knicks 4-1 out of the seven-game series.
The Spurs retained their core, with Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle making them a threat to come out of the West. Wembanyama is a nightmare for any team to handle, and his height and skill set would make the Spurs a tough team for the Sixers to face in the finals if they can get there. The Spurs also signed Tobias Harris to give them a role player, and they have not lost any players in their rotation.
Oklahoma City Thunder
This is a no-brainer; the Oklahoma City Thunder are another Western Conference team the Sixers have to watch out for. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become the face of the Thunder’s franchise, and the Thunder won the NBA Finals in 2025.
Gilgeous-Alexander also won NBA Finals MVP and showed he can take this team to the promise land. If that does not make them a threat to the Sixers’ championship hopes, the Thunder also almost made it last year but lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. It also was in game seven, meaning the Thunder were one win away from heading back to the NBA Finals. If the Sixers want to win a championship, they will have to prove that they can stop a Thunder team that, like the Spurs, still has a lot of key pieces together.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The final team in the West that the Sixers would likely have to get through to win the championship is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves were already getting better with Anthony Edwards as the face of the franchise, but now they also traded for LaMelo Ball, putting together an absolute nightmare of a backcourt for other teams. They did have to trade Naz Reid, but they still have Rudy Gobert and now a big three that can compete with anyone. The Sixers absolutely have a better starting five on paper, but the question is: can they stop Ball, Edwards, and Gobert paired together?
The Sixers have many loaded teams in the Western Conference they would have to face if they made it to the NBA Finals, but with the starting five they built this is expected to be the year they can win it. Do you think the Sixers can get through all of these Western Conference teams?
Main Image: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images
