For Sixers, early-season success is a matter of ‘trust’
The 76ers have found another gear in late-game situations thanks in part to an early trust that has formed among new teammates
CHARLOTTE – Less than 24 hours after beating the Knicks on their home floor, the 76ers cleared out of another locker room, victorious, this time in Charlotte.
Since this was North Carolina, the remains of the trip included half-empty buffet trays of barbecue from a local restaurant, Noble Smoke, a savory meal that will help make up for all the calories they burned on this back-to-back, which concluded with a 109-104 comeback victory over the Hornets.
Even if back-to-backs are a facet of everyday life in the NBA, they’re not fun for those involved, young, old, or in between.
“Back-to-backs are hard, man,” guard Tyrese Maxey said. “Especially a team like [Charlotte]. They play fast. Put you in a lot of actions. We just had to make it through, make it to the fourth. As long as it’s a game in the fourth.”
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For some teams, that might just be a mantra without meaning. For these Sixers, it has been a way of life on their journey to a 6-1 record. Once again, the Sixers came back from a double-digit deficit, as they have in four of their six wins.
Once again, the Sixers were the better team in clutch-time situations, even with Joel Embiid and LeBron James both out for rest. And once again, coincidentally, VJ Edgecombe hit a dagger three to put the Sixers up four with under 40 seconds to play, as he did against the Knicks. Edgecombe said he “owed” the team that one after scoring just 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, but that, as the shot clock was winding down, he wanted to give the ball back to Maxey.
“I’m gonna be honest, cause like I said, I wasn’t making. But I said the team trusts me. They trust me in the clutch, and obviously I trust myself, and so … I looked at [Tyrese], and he was like, ‘Go,’ so I just went.”
That trust might be one reason the Sixers have prevailed in these close games. Forward Dean Wade said that’s what happened on defense in final three minutes – that there was a trust the team had that just clicked in, even after the second half had mostly gone Charlotte’s way. The way the Sixers want to play defense, Wade said, requires that trust.
“We just locked in and truly trusted each other,” Wade said. “Our biggest thing is physicality. When we’re physical on defense, we’re at our best. When you’re physical on defense, you’re going to get beat sometimes, and then that whole trust thing comes in – people on the backside, rotations on the backside. So that was like the biggest thing is we trusted.”
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After the Sixers were down 101-94 following a timeout, they found another gear they hadn’t all night. Anfernee Simons hit a three off a Wade offensive rebound, one a career-high 10 assists for Wade. Then Simons got a steal. Then Jaylen Brown got a steal. Then Wade got a block. Before anyone knew it, the Sixers were up 102-101 before Edgecombe all but ended it with his three.
Why didn’t the Sixers play like that from that start on Saturday? Well, the schedule didn’t do them any favors. It’s not an excuse for them, just a fact. Simons has been in the NBA for nine years. He has seen other teams in the Sixers situation Saturday just play out the string on the game. Chalk it up to a schedule loss and move on.
However, there is something different about this group, he said.
“That’s one thing that’s kind of special about this team – nobody wants to give up the game,” Simons said. “Especially when we’re on this run like this right now. I think everybody understood that.”
A big difference Saturday is they did it without Embiid and James, who Maxey has said is a “calming influence” in the guts of the game. James couldn’t provide that security blanket against the Hornets. This shorthanded group had to figure it out on their own. From the start of training camp, coach Nick Nurse repeatedly said the Sixers have been “connected.” So far, they have shown that trait when it matters most.
“Just our competitive nature,” Maxey said. “I think we have a lot of competitive guys on this team. Guys that want to compete and not going to lay down.”
Even when that may sound tempting to do Night No. 2 of a back-to-back.
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
