Philadelphia 76ers Become NBA Bad Boys Five Easy Steps?

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
5 of 7
Mar 9, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) moves to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) moves to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

IV.  Fearlessness

One of the key elements to a Bad Boy team is the absolute fearlessness the team’s players exhibit regardless of the opponent. To the contrary, this is a team that has learned about the pain of loss, and now the team is learning about the sweet success of winning games.

After all, you cannot fear in the NBA. In fact, it takes courage to take that shot as seconds wind down. It takes courage to put it all out there for the fans and let the final shot decide the fate of the team.  And in the 2016-2017 season, the Philadelphia 76ers became ferocious with buzzer beaters.

The Start

That is just the start.

The next step is learning how to defeat the NBA’s best. With a third of the roster injured, that is an impossible task.  But the 2017-2018 season will not find so many injured for so long.  And in the new season, this team will learn to win. Not just against less talented teams, but against the NBA’s finest.