In the city of Philadelphia, sporting franchises are like a religion to its residents. In triumph, fans believe a championship is on their doorstep. In defeat, the world is crumbling around them, and fans aim their vitriol in the direction of the most obvious targets. The 'City of Brotherly Love' suffers no fools. A playoff appearance is unacceptable in this region -- ask the freshly unemployed Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Now, Nick Nurse falls under the spotlight.
After crashing out of the NFL Wild Card Round, the Eagles swiftly moved to remove Patullo from his post. The rookie coordinator faced season-long criticism due to his unit's limp performances on offense. Due to the outstanding talent he possessed, the Philadelphia faithful refused to give Patullo any period of time to learn on the job. And why should they? This is a championship window with a squad bursting with elite players. Win now or win never.
However, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse must now realise he could be next on the fan base's hit list should he not carry this team to the promised land.
Nick Nurse is in his win-or-bust era
This is Nurse's third bite of the cherry. Failure is not an option. Now that star man Joel Embiid is exhibiting signs of the dominant center he once was, and Tyrese Maxey has elevated his performance levels beyond comprehension, the Philadelphia pressure cooker has been dialled up by several notches.
During the 2024-25 campaign, the 76ers suffered from an overwhelming set of injuries that hindered their chances of achieving their aspirations of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Even under these circumstances, Nurse came under scrutiny for his choices in the rotation and the Sixers' inability to create a formula for success.
Nevertheless, the former Toronto Raptors head coach was retained by the front office under the guise that he had not had a fair opportunity to utilise the roster when it is at full capacity. It becomes easier for the 76ers' hierarchy to ignore the outside noise and criticism of their coach when they have a compelling argument to justify their decision. This kind of rationale is now running thin, given that the Sixers' injury curse seems to have eased in recent weeks.
Embiid is displaying mobility that many experts deemed impossible after undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery during the offseason and is averaging 23.5 points per game. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have established a devastating partnership -- combining for 46.4 points per game. In addition, Paul George, Dominick Barlow, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are showing that in a rotation, they can solidify the team's defensive frailties while contributing to a winning ideology.
In theory, all of these facts combined should warm the cockles of any coach or fan alike. However, as NFL spectators have witnessed with Kevin Patullo and the Eagles, more power means more responsibility, and failure will not be tolerated, with only perfection being accepted by fans.
Patullo had a variety of weapons at his service, deep options in AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, one of the deadliest cross-route runners in Dallas Goedert, and arguably the league's most explosive running back in Saquon Barkley. Nick Nurse now has a squad with comparable talent levels and expectations. If the Philadelphia 76ers cannot meet the fans' ambitions this postseason, Nick Nurse's fate may already be sealed.