LeBron James has finally made the Sixers a serious basketball team after a 29-point comeback in his home debut
Philly has its first real squad, deep and dangerous, since Doc and Moses in 1983. The Sixers' eight-point win over the Cavaliers enhances the legend of a 41-year-old outlier.
It’s been decades since Philadelphians witnessed in person such a complete game of basketball.
Thank, LeBron.
The 76ers overcame a 29-point second-quarter deficit and won their home opener, 114-106, against the Cavaliers, in which LeBron James became the second-best player to ever wear a Sixers jersey in Philadelphia (Wilt played here).
It was the second-largest comeback in Sixers history. It was led by the most versatile athlete to ever play the game.
It was as magnificent an opening act as Philadelphia has ever seen.
It was so much more than just James, who chose Philadelphia at a $50 million free-agent discount this season, mainly to gild his legacy by delivering a title to an East Coast city in the midst of a 43-year title drought.
Marcus Hayes alerts
He finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, but James was on the bench when Joel Embiid’s three-point-play, floater, and jump shot gave the Sixers their first lead, 96-95, with 6 minutes, 54 seconds to play. Embiid, fitter and faster than ever, had 24 points and seven rebounds but it was much more than him, too.
Both James and Embiid were sitting when Jaylen Brown hit a jumper to make it a three-point lead. Brown, cast off by the Celtics in a godsend trade, finished with 21 points and eight boards.
And when Tyrese Maxey and mentor James Harden, a hated former Sixer who now plays for the Cavs, got into a shoving match, which devolved into an arena chant of, “[Bleep] you, Harden!”
“I love him. And he loves me,” Maxey said about his fracas with Harden.
And when Brown made it a five-point lead, then a seven-point lead.
By then, fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena were standing, screaming, and not quite believing what they were seeing.
Crisp, purposeful, selfless basketball. Intensity on defense and rapaciousness on the boards. Aggressive, uncomplaining, grown-man offense.
A 37-point turnaround.
Maxey had 32, but you’ve got to credit LeBron.
He didn’t dominate, but somehow, he has changed everything.
“It was everything that I dreamed of and more. Got the boos. It was amazing. We deserved it,” James said after the win. “And then we got the cheers … and then almost blew the roof off this thing tonight.”
It was less the outcome than the method that mattered. As long as the ligaments remain untorn, this method makes the Sixers a title contender.
» READ MORE: Can Sixers newcomers LeBron James and Jaylen Brown save Philadelphia sports?
The Allen Iverson Sixers, who peaked in the NBA Finals in 2001, were a collection of everymen who indulged the talents of a little superman.
The Dr. J Sixers were something far different. They were versatile stars, accomplished and complete on both ends of the floor, each able to carry the club on a given night.
Two games into their first season, that’s what the LeBron James Sixers have shown themselves to be.
They beat the Knicks on Tuesday, a team that rode depth and discipline to their first title in 53 years.
They beat the Cavaliers on Thursday, the team the Knicks beat after the New York swept the Sixers out of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
The nature of the Knicks is glitz and glamour, Broadway and Hollywood. The nature of the Sixers, at their best, grit and guts, Broad Street and Jersey Boys.
As such, there was a notable absence of big-name fans sitting courtside, but not for lack of desire. There were plenty of requests, and Sixers fans usually sell out like Miami Heat fans, but this time, some real ones refused to sell their seats.
That was the feel of things Thursday. Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins rang the bell. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a hooper himself, made the scene. Iverson was in the stands, and Boys II Men sang the anthem, but celebrities and clout-chasers just did not fit the scene.
“You could really feel it, [even] before the game, probably more than ever, that I’ve been here, for sure,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said after the game.“
No flummery. Just family.
Just hoops. Hard work. Little things.
Maxey denying Harden the ball and drawing an offensive foul.
Brown driving all the way to the hoop, through contact, and converting. Brown deflecting a ball on the sideline that the officials mistakenly ruled in favor of the Sixers, but then, hustle gets you calls.
By the time Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played his first minute of the second half as the first sub the deficit was down to five.
How?
It was VJ Edgecombe and James boxing out on Evan Mobley’s Chick-fil-A second missed free throw and James drawing the foul whose free throws cut the deficit to three.
It was Embiid going through Mobley’s unimpressive chest to score instead of fading away and hoping for a call. Embiid scrapping for a loose ball rebound and drawing the foul. Embiid getting back on defense, blocking a shot, and wagging his no-no finger like the late Dikembe Mutombo used to do.
It was Caldwell-Pope pestering Donovan Mitchell into a backcourt turnover on the first play of the fourth quarter.
It was James stealing the ball, hitting Edgecombe, who found Brown for a dagger layup and an eight-point lead with 44 seconds to play.
It was night and day compared with what they presented in the first 24 minutes.
They trailed by 17 after the first quarter, and they played like five guys who’d just met each other. The moment got to them. It was too much.
James wore the LeBron 24 “Philly” edition sneakers, the left one red, the right one blue, limited to just 76 pair. But you know queen Dawn Staley got one of those jawns. Of course, South Carolina, where Staley coaches and was preparing for the women’s season opener on Friday, is a Nike school.
The first half was mostly about style, barely about substance.
Embiid, who ranked first or second in free-throw attempts from 2020-2023, didn’t shoot a free throw until midway through the second quarter. Then again, neither did any of the other Sixers.
Brown missed his first five shots.
Brown and Embiid combined to go 5-for-18 each in the first half.
James was 2-for-6 and missed a driving layup.
The highlight of the first half: With just under six minutes to play in the second quarter, James blocked Harden’s three-point shot, sprinted downcourt and dunked. The assemblage erupted. Sort of.
The dunk only cut the lead to 22. It’s nice to have King James in town, but in Philly, winning still matters.
Winning like they did Thursday?
It’s magic.
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.
