The Never-Say-Die Sixers

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

With Brett Brown halfway through his guaranteed 4-year contract as the coach of the Sixers, talk began circulating last month that the team should start thinking about a contract extension. You might think it strange in today’s win-or-you’re fired NBA to have those sort of discussions with a coach who has won a total of 37 games in 2 seasons. However, it’s universally known the bare-bones roster Brown was handed to work with and he’s been widely praised for the player development skills both he and his staff have shown. After all, the team has featured a Rookie of the Year winner and 3rd-place finisher, another player from the D-league playing in the Rising Stars game, and a slew of undrafted guys having meaningful performances at the professional level.

Even aside from those developmental steps though, the Sixers were routinely praised as a team that played hard each and every night they stepped on the court. Even when they were getting blown out, very rarely was it due to a lack of effort or because the team had rolled over. In fact, the Sixers finished the season tied for the NBA lead with 5 comeback wins after being down by at least 15 points. Who were they tied with? Oh, only the current consummate favorite to win the NBA title, the Golden State Warriors, who carried on that rallying tradition in the postseason with their 20-point, 4th quarter comeback against the Pelicans.

Granted, you could make the argument that the Sixers simply had more opportunities to make such comebacks because they found themselves down by 15 points more often than other teams. Still, the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Lakers combined for only 1 such comeback victory. I’m sure those squads were getting blown out just as often as the Sixers, but they failed to show the same resolve and fight in those situations. Certainly, that’s a credit to the players for continuing to play hard, but a lot of praise also has to go to Coach Brown for keeping the guys focused and on message each and every night.

As the Sixers continue to add pieces and build what fans hope is a long-term contender, hopefully the team doesn’t find itself in as many big holes going forward. However, at the very least, the team can feel confident it has the right man leading the way to help dig them out.