Philadelphia 76ers Coach Brett Brown brings more than development
By Bret Stuter
The Philadelphia 76ers found success. Surprisingly, few mention head coach Brett Brown when citing the team’s winning ways.
The Philadelphia 76ers are getting hot at the right time of the year. After closing out 2017 to a 17-19 record, only the most resilient fans believed this team still “had it in them” to make a playoff run. Now, in 2018, the team has amassed a 17-8 record to claim a stake as the five-seed in the NBA Eastern Conference. And now it’s not just the fact that the team wins, but the way they win.
This team defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland by claiming the lead and never letting up. Then, they faced a huge deficit to the Charlotte Hornets, trailing by eight points at the half and by 14 points at one point. But a huge fourth quarter rally, despite four fouls on Joel Embiid and Ersan Ilyasova, sealed the win. That marked the 13th consecutive victory for the Sixers at Wells Fago Center.
Still, no fanfare for Coach Brown.
What’s Brown gotta do?
There is this unspoken bias in the NBA right now where the Philadelphia 76ers are concerned. This is a team which won, wait for it, just 10 games two season previously. Last season that win total jumped to 28. All the while this team has had to await the arrival of their marquis players. The first player was Joel Embiid. Then Dario Saric. Then Ben Simmons. This season, the long wait features top-pick Markelle Fultz. Yet there stands Coach Brown, keeping this team in high-spirits, focused on winning, and focusing on winning the right way.
Brown has a reputation for developing young talent. And when you see Embiid and Simmons play, you have to believe he has left nothing on the table. They are exceeding all expectations. But he has instilled in all his players three very important principals which they echo at any opportunity.
I. Play with passion
II. Win at home
III. Never take a play off
And it’s tough to put those principals into words. But there is tangible proof positive in the statements and deeds of the players that define this Philadelphia 76ers team