Brett Brown Halftime Rant Sparks Wake Up Call
Just two games in, the Sixers first-round series against the Nets has been nothing short of drama filled and entertaining.
Game 1 was a shocker for the #3 seeded Sixers. The stage was set. Wells Fargo Center was packed. Joel Embiid was ruled active. Allen Iverson rang the bell. And then the team came out flat, sloppy, and cold.
Going into this series, Brooklyn’s high scoring guards and proficient shooting presented notable matchup problems for Philly, and they exploited every one of them in Game 1. D’Angelo Russell shot exactly how Brett Brown feared he might, dropping 26 points on 10-25 shooting.
The most surprising takeaway from the Game 1 loss however, was the Sixers’ struggles to score the basketball. Despite Jimmy Butler’s playoff career high 36 points, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons combined for a mere 13 points. Game 1 was by no means a poor defensive effort from the Sixers, who averaged 115 points a game in 2018-2019, while allowing an average of around 112. But putting up just 102 points simply isn’t going to get it done for this team, who’s defensive struggles were well documented all season.
Before Game 2, third-year Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson said his team was expecting an strong answer from the Sixers after having taken home-court advantage to kick off the series. “We expect a haymaker. We know it’s coming. They’re too good. They’re too talented. They’re too well-coached. It’s coming, and [the question is] going to be, how do we react to it?”
While Philly was much improved offensively, they still surrendered 64 points in the first half, and only lead by one at the break. In the first game and a half of the series, the Nets shot just under 47% from beyond the arc, with the Sixers clocking in at just over 15%. This proved to be a huge difference maker, and Brett Brown reportedly let his team have it at halftime of Game 2.
Brett Brown chewed out Sixers at halftime for 3-4 minutes according to players. Angriest Mike Scott has seen Brett since he’s been here:
“Cussed us out. We needed it”
Tobias Harris
“Coach really got into us. It was fiery” 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/xANE6WGsyX
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 16, 2019
It certainly seemed to light the fire under his team. In just under 4 minutes to start the third quarter, the Sixers came out with a 21-2 run, en-route to an NBA playoff record 51 points in the frame, taking the game out of reach. The offensive explosion, combined with their best defensive stretch in weeks, was certainly a relief and allowed them to coast to the win.
Going forward, it’s pretty clear that the difference maker for the Sixers will be their star power playing up to their potential. Monday night was a huge bounce back for Tobias Harris, who got hot in the second half and dropped 19, as well as for Simmons, who posted his second career playoff triple-double. When it comes to Joel Embiid, fans can likely expect to see him shoulder less of a load for at least the remainder of this series, both in minutes and offensive production. His left knee continues to cause problems, and the big fella will likely be a gameday decision for the foreseeable future. However until he actually misses a game, I wouldn’t expect more than a few less minutes going forward. “Whenever I’m out there, I kind of forget about the pain and just try and do the right things,” Embiid said.
The team will hope to get continued production from Boban Marjanovic, who has been excellent in increased minutes so far.
Sixers fans expected a tough test from the Nets, who are no slouch and shouldn’t be taken likely. And the team’s performance in Game 1 was certainly warranting of concern. Brooklyn would have certainly taken a split in Philly had you offered it to them before the series. Expect a hard fought Game 3, and a better defensive performance from the Nets being back on their home floor.
