The Sixer Sense
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5 reasons Philadelphia 76ers defeat Miami Heat in round one

Bret Stuter|
PHILADELPHIA,PA - MARCH 26 : T.J. McConnell #12 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers walk off the court during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center on March 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA,PA - MARCH 26 : T.J. McConnell #12 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers walk off the court during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center on March 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 26: JJ Redick
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 26: JJ Redick

II. 76ers are hottest team in NBA

The Philadelphia 76er won 16 consecutive games to finish out the season. That set a new NBA record. Why? It’s that difficult to do. This is a team that has been manufacturing wins out of the oddest places. In almost MacGyver fashion, head coach Brett Brown has learned what works for this team all season.

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Shedding an ineffective nine-man rotation, Brown has found late season success with a ten-man rotation. Despite the absence of Joel Embiid and sometimes Dario Saric, the team has found stalwart defense from Robert Covington. And the team is getting some incredible offense from veteran J.J. Redick late in the season.

An important lesson

The Philadelphia 76ers, playing well in their first year of a complete roster, continues along the path of self discovery. In an overall perspective, it’s crucial for this team to learn that winning is not dependant upon one player. The current roster is deep enough now that success continues on despite the temporary absence of Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers aged rapidly during that 16 game winning streak. This team is hot for all the right reasons.

What do I mean? The team wins through teamwork, not individuality. Even through the history of the best Philadelphia 76ers teams, I cannot recall any team which had so much contribution from so many. The Philadelphia 76ers starting 5-man lineup was and is one of the best in the NBA. But  somehow Coach Brown has woven a tapestry of success from the strengths of each player on this team. This basketball team is winning, not from one player’s hot hand, but on the team’s ability to find a hot handed player on any given night. And of course, there was the return of Markelle Fultz.