The Philadelphia 76ers just mounted one of the most impressive comebacks in recent NBA history. They were down by as many as 29 points, yet they climbed all the way back into the game and took down the Cleveland Cavaliers. And even more interestingly, led by Jaylen Brown, they did it largely without the three-ball.
Heading into the second half, the 76ers were down 69-45. Everything was going horribly wrong. Yet they ended up winning the game. And in the second half, the 76ers only made four threes. They only made one three in the entire first quarter, when they doubled up the Cavaliers 32-16.
In today’s NBA, the norm is shooting threes. A lot of threes. That’s how most comebacks happen around the league. The 76ers don’t care. They do their own thing. They fight back against the norm. Rage against the machine.
Jaylen Brown led 76ers comeback without a ton of threes
In the second half, the 76ers outscored the Cavaliers 69-37. That’s a 32-point margin. Neither team made their threes, so that may have played a part, but usually the team climbing back is draining threes.
But led by Brown’s eight field goals (followed by Tyrese Maxey’s six) in the second half, the 76ers decided to go against the grain and play the game that works for them. And it definitely worked out.
Of Brown’s eight makes in the second half, five were around the basket, one was in the outer area of the paint, one was a middy, and the final was his lone three of the half.
Then, there was Maxey. He made one three himself, but he also made four shots around the basket and one on the baseline. He attempted four threes, but that’s not where he did his damage.
As a team in the second half, the Sixers forced their way into the paint. They didn’t even shoot that well. They just made sure to get a ton of looks in that area.
Philly shot 18-of-30 in the paint, including 14-of-20 inside the restricted area (which isn’t actually amazing, considering that’s six missed shots at the rim). They got where they wanted instead of settling for threes.
Down by 29 points, most teams around the league would start taking threes. They’d start trying to cut into the lead with shots from behind the arc.
The 76ers know that’s not necessarily their strong suit. But they have the talent to get the shots they want and still make a comeback.
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