Andre Iguodala remembers what it was like to have playoff fever in Philadelphia. It's been five years since the Sixers pushed the Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That was Iguodala's last season with the team. Since then, the postseason has become a far-reaching goal for the Sixers.
Iguodala believes the Sixers can get back to that place, and feels it starts with Joel Embiid.
"I'm a big fan of his," Iguodala said following the Warriors' 119-108 win over the Sixers on Monday. "I think he has a crazy upside. I don't even think people realize how good he really is."
When he left the Warriors' locker room, Iguodala planned to seek out Embiid to talk with the emerging star. Even though Embiid has been limited to 31 games this season, Iguodala has seen enough to recognize his talents. Embiid did not play Monday; he is sidelined indefinitely with a left knee contusion and has missed 17 of the last 18 games.
"I've watched the small things," Iguodala said. "How he moves on the court, footwork. Defensively, his intensity. He has a joy for life, I think that's really good. Especially being here in this city, it goes well with the fans. I think he takes everything with a good perspective."
Iguodala was a focal point of the Sixers before embracing a dominating sixth man role as a veteran leader on the Warriors and being named 2015 NBA Finals MVP. He experienced the steps it took to develop the Sixers into a playoff team and noted the patience involved once the pieces are in place. Iguodala made five trips to the postseason with the Sixers, only one resulted in advancing past the first round.
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"It's a gift and a curse to have a foundation because you get kind of antsy with the way things happen really fast but there's still a journey and a road you have to take," Iguodala said. "It's going to be ups and downs."
The playoffs have become a way of life for Iguodala on the Warriors. With Embiid as the centerpiece, he can see the Sixers returning to that postseason mix.
"As long as they keep having good intentions," Iguodala said, "as long as [Embiid] continues to improve and his confidence goes higher and higher -- his potential is amazing -- and they get the right guys around him, and they've already started that, so sky's the limit."
