For the past two years, the Philadelphia 76ers have looked like a team on the rise, with an excellent head coach in Doug Collins, plenty of talented young players on the roster and the kind of steady playoff progression you like to see from a burgeoning perennial playoff team.

Plus, Hawes adds, two years of playoff experience, plus the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2003 last year, gave the team confidence moving forward long before Bynum was even acquired.

“Having that experience and the confidence that comes with that over the last two years is important,” Hawes said. “Two years ago, it was first time in the playoffs for a lot of us, and I think it showed. We had a first-round exit, but last year we had a little of a different mindset and got further in the playoffs. This year, we’ve got another mindset again. You’ve just got to continue to evolve and take another step forward.”

via Joel Brigham of HOOPSWORLD